5. Patience and Guile in Attack
The big pre-game question for the clash on Sunday is whether Manchester City will press Arsenal high up the field or whether they will drop back and let Arsenal come at them. The former is geared at winning possession early and dominating play to create scoring chances; the latter, to soaking up pressure and depending on counter attacks to win the game. I personally believe that with City playing at home and against this particular Arsenal team, they might do best to start out pressing high and adjust from there. Either way, Arsenal needs to show patience in possession and guile is creating chances without exposing themselves. I do not think Arsenal will press Manchester City high up the field, and this, in the end, might determine the tactics that City will use. Manchester City keeps the ball well (better than any team Arsenal has played thus far this year), and I believe that Arsenal cannot afford to have them probe at their defense for long stretches of the game, like Montpellier did and like Liverpool did before them. Arsenal needs to have reasonable patches of possession themselves (at least 45%) to stabilize the momentum of the game. If Arsene Wenger intends to concede half the field to Manchester City when they have possession, then this game will show just how well this Arsenal team can defend and counter attack, when away from home. The upside is that if they can do it against Manchester City, they will be able to do it against almost any side in the Champions League, and this was the style that, coupled with the finishing of one Thierry Henry, got Arsenal to the Champion's League final in 2006. Either way, Arsenal will need to show patience and guile in their attack. The question is how much guile will they need to beat Manchester City and will that guile come from the bench or from the brilliant play of one on the players on the field. The stage is set for us to find out.