Arsenal Vs Manchester City: 5 key players to watch – We’re back, baby

On Wednesday evening, the Premier League returns as Arsenal travel to face Manchester City. Here are five key players to watch ahead of the daunting trip.

Well, here it is. The return of the Premier League. And for Arsenal, it starts with the simple task of beating the champions in their home stadium. Manchester City have been the dominant team in English football since Pep Guardiola arrived. They were so dominant that the Gunners hired his former assistant, Mikel Arteta. Now he will lead his team against the mighty City and look to inspire the impossible.

With that in mind, then, here are five key players to watch.

5. Mesut Ozil

Mesut Ozil endured perhaps his lowest moment as an Arsenal player in the return fixture earlier this season. Utterly awful and disinterested for an hour, meandering around the pitch as if he was watching the match, not playing in it, Freddie Ljungerb eventually hauled him off for Emile Smith Rowe who provided more commitment and industry from the moment he took to the pitch. Ozil, meanwhile, trudged off to a chorus of well-deserved boos.

Since Arteta took over as head coach, he looked to reintegrate the playmaker into the starting XI. He has built the midfield around the German, hoping to lean on his creative play in the final third to unlock the speedy attacking players around him. This idealistic approach has not quite clicked just yet, but Ozil has worked harder and showed a more willing attitude. Now, though, he has one of his biggest tests to overcome.

Even when he was in fine fettle and sailing through matches, Ozil always had the big-game criticism levelled at him. It wasn’t unfair. He has a propensity to go missing when he is needed most, especially away from home. Now, on the biggest stage, as he looks to avenge being booed off the Emirates pitch, can he deliver?

<p>With that in mind, then, here are five key players to watch.</p> <div id="attachment_96501" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-96501" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1194126411-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Mesut Ozil" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 15: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal kicks a water bottle as he is subbed as Interim Manager of Arsenal, Freddie Ljungberg looks on during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on December 15, 2019, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h4>5. Mesut Ozil</h4> <p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=mesut+ozil%22>Mesut Ozil</a> endured perhaps his lowest moment as an Arsenal player in the return fixture earlier this season. Utterly awful and disinterested for an hour, meandering around the pitch as if he was watching the match, not playing in it, Freddie Ljungerb eventually hauled him off for Emile Smith Rowe who provided more commitment and industry from the moment he took to the pitch. Ozil, meanwhile, trudged off to a chorus of well-deserved boos.</p> <p>Since Arteta took over as head coach, he looked to reintegrate the playmaker into the starting XI. He has built the midfield around the German, hoping to lean on his creative play in the final third to unlock the speedy attacking players around him. This idealistic approach has not quite clicked just yet, but Ozil has worked harder and showed a more willing attitude. Now, though, he has one of his biggest tests to overcome.</p> <p>Even when he was in fine fettle and sailing through matches, Ozil always had the big-game criticism levelled at him. It wasn’t unfair. He has a propensity to go missing when he is needed most, especially away from home. Now, on the biggest stage, as he looks to avenge being booed off the Emirates pitch, can he deliver?</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 4. Aymeric Laporte </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_101986" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-101986" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1203636396-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">MADRID, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 26: Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City during the UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid v Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 26, 2020, in Madrid Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h4>4. Aymeric Laporte</h4> <p>You do not have to look far to see where Manchester City’s problems have come this season. They are 25 points behind Liverpool and well of their relentless pace of the past two seasons. And there is one primary position to blame: centre-back. Despite playing nine games fewer, they have already conceded eight more goals than last season.</p> <p>The departure of Vincent Kompany in the summer has been hugely detrimental to the defensive unit, while<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=aymeric+laporte%22> Aymeric Laporte</a> has missed much of the year through injury. Laporte is City’s best central defender, and it is noticeable how much more comfortable every other player looks when he is in the team.</p> <p>Now fit, the Frenchman will return to Pep’s defence as the left-footed centre-back he craves. This will take the pressure of Fernandinho, a midfielder who has moonlighted as a centre-half so far this season, and would relegate Nicolas Otamendi to the bench. Immediately, City’s defence looks substantially more stable than it has been for much of the campaign.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 3. David Luiz </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_101697" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-101697" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1190377938-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, David Luiz" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Arsenal, David Luiz (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h4>3. David Luiz</h4> <p>While City’s defensive problems this season have been well-documented, they pale in comparison to Arsenal’s ineptitude. The Gunners have again endured a torrid time, conceding 36 goals on the season. Not good.</p> <div class="recent-posts "> <h4>More from <b>Pain in the Arsenal</b></h4> <ul> <li> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/10/arsenal-interest-miguel-gutierrez-girona/"> Fabrizio Romano confirms Arsenal interest in Girona star </a> </li><li> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/10/when-will-martin-odegaard-return-from-his-injury/"> When will Martin Odegaard return from his injury? </a> </li><li> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/10/2-midfielders-arsenal-could-sign-in-january-transfer-window/"> 2 midfielders Arsenal could sign in January transfer window </a> </li><li> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/10/thomas-partey-unlikely-to-play-for-arsenal-again-in-2023/"> Thomas Partey unlikely to play for Arsenal again in 2023 </a> </li><li> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/11/10/predicted-arsenal-lineup-vs-burnley-saka-fit-to-start/"> Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Burnley: Saka fit to start? </a> </li></ul> </div> <p>However, under Arteta, there have been significant signs of improvement. He has not fixed the defence, of course. There is still a long way to go. But there has been noticeable growth. In the 15 games prior to Arteta’s arrival, Arsenal kept just one clean sheet and conceded 28 goals. In his 15 games in charge, Arsenal conceded just 12 goals with seven clean sheets. In the Premier League, Arsenal allowed five or more shots on target in 61% of matches under Emery. Under Arteta, that figure has halved to just 30%.</p> <p>Despite this improvement, though, the defence will be tested greatly against City, especially in an area that it is not known for: concentration and discipline. At the heart of it will be <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=david+luiz%22>David Luiz</a>, who has been a commanding presence in the team since Arteta took over. He is a natural leader, a clear and loud communicator, an organiser of the backline, for better or worse.</p> <p>Luiz, though, like seemingly every Arsenal defender, has a painful knack for making stupid mistakes. He even committed a terrible error in the friendly defeat to Brentford last week. Arsenal will have to be at their defensive best on Wednesday. They will likely have less than 35% of the ball, will be forced to defend for long periods, and must remain compact, structured, and difficult to break down. Luiz, then, must not only perform at his best, ridding of his own errors; he must command those around him and lead a defence desperately lacking in clarity, strength, and assurance.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 2. Kevin de Bruyne </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_99928" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-99928" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1194142820-850x560.jpeg" alt="" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 15: Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City celebrates after scoring during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester City at Emirates Stadium on December 15, 2019, in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h4>2. Kevin de Bruyne</h4> <p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=kevin+de+bruyne%22>Kevin de Bruyne</a> is the best player in the Premier League. He has been for many years now. He is central to City’s dominance in recent seasons, despite missing much of last year with a knee injury, and this year, he is on course to break Thierry Henry’s outrageous record of 20 assists in a single Premier League season.</p> <p>He also ripped Arsenal to shreds in December. He was sublime, dominating the midfield, scoring twice, including in the first 90 seconds to instigate the romp, and entirely controlling the match. By head and shoulders, he was the best player on the pitch and Arsenal had no answer as they vainly attempted to contain him.</p> <p>If the Gunners harbour any hopes of snatching anything from this game, they will have to somehow limit the impact de Bruyne has on the match. That is much easier said than done. He is so brilliant that man-marking him out the game is impossible because no player is good enough to match him. Arteta will have to bracket him, push him deep, and not allow him to swing balls into the box from the inside-right channel that he has mastered. De Bruyne can singlehandedly take the game away from Arsenal, as he proved in December.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> 1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_101742" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-101742" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1168580538-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img"> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">Arsenal, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Photo by Harriet Lander/Copa/Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <h4>1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang</h4> <p>If Arsenal are to have success on Wednesday night, it will likely come through the counter-attack. They do not have the quality to play out from the back against City’s coordinated, incessant high press and they will subsequently have very little possession. Their chances will come through more direct attacks that exploit the space in City’s half in transition.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia"> <div id="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-position="slideshow_inline" data-slot="inline_101985" style="width:300px;margin: 0 auto;"> <script> googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.defineSlot("/175840252/fansided.com/PainintheArsenal/mpu",[300, 250], "minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet") .addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.enableServices(); googletag.display("minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet"); }); </script> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>Of all the attacking players Arteta can unleash on City, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/?s=pierre-emerick+aubameyang%22>Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang</a> is the best-suited to a counter-attack approach. Frighteningly quick and wonderfully intelligent with his movement, Aubameyang is the perfect counter-attacking weapon. He relishes space. It is where he does his most damage, and if Arsenal can feed him the ball in the right areas, he will get plenty of it against City.</p> <p>The difficulty will be when he becomes isolated. Do City press to an extent that Arsenal provide wayward and inaccurate service into Aubameyang that he cannot control? Or can the defensive and midfield players show the composure on the ball to play accurate balls forward rather than hurried clearances when under pressure?</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Arsenal Vs Manchester City: Predicted starting XI" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/15/arsenal-manchester-city-predicted-xi/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/16/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-5-key-players-watch-back-baby/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2020/06/15/arsenal-manchester-city-predicted-xi/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Arsenal Vs Manchester City: Predicted starting XI </a> </div> </div> <p>If Arsenal can provide Aubameyang with the service he requires, there is joy to be had on the counter-attack. But there is no guarantee that they can. And if they cannot, it is a long night ahead, for Aubameyang and the rest of the team.</p><!—pageview_candidate—></p>">