4. Jenkinson's Play
Jenkinson, by all accounts, has done exceptionally well so far this season. He has proved himself time and time again in one-on-one situations. When he has been beaten, he has shown tremendous pace and determination to get back and either recover the ball or his goalside defensive position. This one-on-one ability will be severely tested on Sunday as City possess players that will most likely relish the chance to go against a fullback of his inexperience. This is the time for Jenkinson to show growth, but he should not have to do it on his own. The midfielder on his side (Gervinho or Oxlade-Chamberlain most likely) has to help out and allow him to find his feet, if he does not start well. One could argue that the reason why Gibbs has started the season so strongly is because he is playing with Podolski on his side, and Podolski offers excellent coverage. On several occasions Jenkinson have been caught out from going too early to join the attack or just from poor coverage when he does go. To keep the team solid, this cover on Jenkinson's right side has to be at least as good as the left side; otherwise, City will punish Arsenal. Surprisingly, Jenkinson has one area of negative play which has not been picked up on by the general media. Under close scrutiny, you will notice that he does not make good attacking decisions when he is on the ball at the edge of the defensive and midfield third of the field. It is a subtle point. For most teams around the world, what he produces is very acceptable: a big back pass to the goalkeeper or a long pass up front. The reality to Arsenal and any top team in the world is that it leads to a loss of possession. In most cases, the goalkeeper kicks the ball long to the opponents and Jenkinson's long pass does not find an Arsenal player. As I said in an earlier point, Arsenal must be able to maintain possession in the defensive and midfield thirds of the field to be able to play their football. It is even a bigger problem, if in a five minute spell, the ball goes to Jenkinson repeatedly because the team will end up almost defending for the entire time. the momentum of the game can shift on these occurrences. This was a major part of the problem when Arsenal was forced to play center backs in fullback positions last year: they could not build from the back, nor maintain possession in their half. To counter this, Arteta, Cazorla and the midfielder on the right side must take the ball off Jenkinson early to prevent him from feeling the weight of the decision. Arsenal must be able to hold possession in their half to win. It is interesting to note that Jenkinson makes much better decisions at the attacking end of the field, where his options are more limited (a first time cross never looks bad unless there is no one in the box) and where the risk (read fear) is lower.