Man City vs Arsenal: Should Mikel Arteta’s side take on the Premier League champions or settle for a point again?

May 28 was the day Manchester City officially won the Premier League title last season. But on that afternoon, Rodri declared the race had swung City’s way 60 days earlier.

Stood in the celebratory Etihad Stadium with the Premier League winners’ medal wrapped around his neck on the final day, the City midfielder pointed to his head. “To be honest, I think it’s in here,” he said. “It’s the mentality.

“When they [Arsenal] came here, they faced us at the Etihad, I saw them and said: ‘Ah, these guys, they don’t want to beat us, they just want a draw.’ And that mentality, I don’t think we would do it the same way.”

Rodri was referring to the most recent contest between City and Arsenal in March which saw the two title protagonists of last season face off in Manchester. The Gunners walked away with a point via a goalless draw to keep them one point ahead of City, and two behind leaders of the hour Liverpool.

Arsenal lost the league title to City by two points and Rodri felt the Gunners’ decision to settle for one, instead of aim for three, cost Mikel Arteta’s team. He was not the only one. Before the game, Gary Neville said Arsenal had to beat City in their own patch to be deserved champions, or lose the league.

Rodri and Neville’s comments have echoed into this season as City and Arsenal do battle again in the Premier League this Sunday. Once again, they are the top two teams in the country, and while it is still early in the season’s story, it still could be a defining chapter.

This weekend’s clash, live on Sky Sports, raises the question of whether Arteta should be more proactive at the Etihad: one of only two Premier League grounds – alongside Anfield – in which the Arsenal manager has never coached a victory for his side.

In the last Etihad meeting in March, City dominated possession but Arsenal gave them little in terms of chances; limiting the Premier League champions to just one shot on target – and none from open play.

It is synonymous with the ‘Arteta Way’ away from home in the bigger occasions. There is a clear drop-off in Arsenal’s away game plan away at the bigger sides, compared to games against the rest of the division.

That same game plan against City in March was replicated away at Tottenham last weekend. Just like in their most recent Etihad trip, the Gunners allowed their arch-rivals to dominate the ball, trusted their sturdy back four to swat away the attacks patiently waited for the opportunity to strike. It came from Gabriel’s goal from a corner after the hour mark.

Gary Neville described the performance at Spurs “perfect preparation” for City – but Arsenal have been this resilient for months. The Gunners are yet to trail for a single Premier League minute on the road in 2024, winning nine out of their ten away league games – the only blip was that stalemate at City.

One reason why Arsenal are so efficient on the road is the lack of space the Arsenal defenders allow the opposition near their penalty area.

Since the start of last season, only Crystal Palace and Sheffield United have allowed opposition attackers less space from shots in away games than Arteta’s side. Both the Eagles and the Blades competed at the bottom of the Premier League table last season, showing how firmly Arteta switches his style from dominators to defensive protectors.

Overall, Arteta has turned Arsenal from a team who went 29 winless games away at ‘Big Six’ sides up until 2020 to one that didn’t lose any of those encounters since the start of last season. Moving away from their game plan in these game, especially without captain Martin Odegaard who is one of Arsenal’s better pressers off the ball, would be a bold move from Arteta.

But there is a temptation to get at Man City on Sunday, especially looking at the champions’ recent record at home.

City have conceded at least once in 15 out of their last 21 home games – and have let in the first goal at home in each of their two home league games.

The latest stutter, if you can call coming from behind to win a stutter, came against Brentford who opened the scoring within 22 seconds. But City’s struggles did not stop there. The Bees created 0.87 xG against Guardiola’s side in the opening half an hour before Erling Haaland’s double gave City the lead they would hold on to.

“I don’t remember in eight, nine years a team that played like Brentford in the first 30 minutes,” said Guardiola. “We were not our best and they deserve to be 0-2.

“Every time they had the ball they create the chance. Long balls, win duels, short passes break the lines.” There is your template, Mikel.

City’s troubles continued against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The Italian side had ten shots in the first half at City, who have never conceded more than eight in the first half of any Premier League home game under Guardiola.

Maybe this is all part of City’s plan and is part of the ruse; the champions’ lure to think you have a chance, to coax you out of your shell, then pick you off and beat you. A potential mind game from Guardiola, who began this week by saying he feels “weaker” against managers he used to work with. A piece of bait for Arteta?

For all of City’s troubles, their last league defeat at the Etihad Stadium came in November 2022. Arsenal’s last win there came in 2015. The history books say Arsenal would do well to come out of Manchester’s premium club with another point – but the question, as Rodri provoked, is: do they need to win?

“Next Sunday is big, psychologically it is big,” said Neville. “Last season, I felt they had to go to City and win. I did feel that quite strongly at the time.

“That’s not always possible because very few teams win there, but I don’t feel as strongly about that this time around because it’s so early in the season. It’s a big week, but I don’t feel it’s something that should be overplayed.

“This one is definitely a ‘must not lose’.”

Sunday 22nd September 4:00pm


Kick off 4:30pm

Watch Man City vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports Premier League this Sunday, with kick-off at 4.30pm. Stream the game with a NOW TV pass.