Running out of ammunition last season, Arsenal invested heavily to complete their squad and compete with the powerful strike force of Manchester City, their opponent on Sunday (5:30 p.m.) who still seems to be one step ahead of the Gunners.
“It’s clear that with me, Arsenal could have been champions.” William Saliba’s statement, on Téléfoot, is a cruel reminder of the lack of depth which weighed down the Londoners’ chances of winning the title, overtaken by City after the French defender’s injury in March. The owners made the same observation and pulled out all the stops this summer, once is not customary, to strengthen each line: goalkeeper David Raya, defender Jurriën Timber, midfielder Declan Rice and striker Kai Havertz, all arrived with the label of potential holders. “This season, the depth of the team is much better,” noted Michael Brown, former Manchester City midfielder in the 1990s, to the BBC.
According to the specialist site Transfermarkt, the value of Arsenal’s squad has jumped 82% in three years to reach 1.09 billion euros, the second highest total in Europe behind Manchester City (1.18 billion). EUR). The work accomplished under Mikel Arteta, former assistant to Pep Guardiola at City, is unanimously praised in England, as much for the ambitions in the game as for the internal emulation and the rotation put in place, up to the goalkeeper position.
The possible withdrawal of winger Bukayo Saka, the Gunners’ main offensive threat, on Sunday is, however, widely commented on. If he were to miss, Arteta “would remain equipped with very dangerous weapons” with Leandro Trossard, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe or Reiss Nelson, believes Brown. “Everyone is well versed in their position and they have the firepower to do it.” This opinion is not unanimous. Some point to an attack that is not killer enough despite the presence of Gabriel Jesus, with Gabriel Martinelli on the flank since mid-September and a potentially disabling Saka-dependence: the 22-year-old winger remains in 87 consecutive matches in the league, before Sunday .
Conversely, Manchester City’s squad appears to be heavily doubled in almost all positions, to the point where the line between starters and replacements is sometimes blurred. It’s difficult to say, for example, who is who between Jack Grealish and Jérémy Doku, whose express adaptation since his arrival from Rennes has even surprised Guardiola.
In midfield, the reigning European and English champion has digested the departure of ex-captain Ilkay Gündogan and is doing more than well without the injured Kevin De Bruyne. Sunday, in the absence of Rodri, suspended, there will still be talent to spare with Mateo Kovacic, recruited this summer, and/or the prodigious Rico Lewis, author at 18 years old of a major performance on Wednesday in Leipzig in the League of champions.
The summit comes at the right time, Sunday at the Emirates, between the leader in the English ranking Manchester City, surprised 2-1 by Wolverhampton last weekend, and its host Arsenal, third only one point after its festival in Bournemouth (4 -0).
The Gunners, beaten Tuesday in Lens (2-1), have not won a single league match against City since the 2-1 victory on December 21, 2015, with Petr Cech in the cage, Olivier Giroud as scorer and Arsène Wenger on the bench. Arteta sees himself breaking the series, having already reversed history against Manchester United or Chelsea earlier. “When I came here I think it was 18 years at Old Trafford, 17 years at Stamford Bridge and we’ve done it ever since, so let’s change that.”
The success in early August on penalties in the Community Shield, a prelude to the current Premier League season, must give “confidence” to his players, he said. “My only concern concerns the quality of the opponent, which is indisputable. On Sunday we will have to be at our best for 100 minutes. “That’s what we can control and we have to focus on that,” Arteta said.
