Arsenal Vs Manchester City: What changes must be made?

Arsenal face Manchester City just four days after the Carabao Cup final debacle. So, what are the changes that must be made for them to have success this time around?

Playing the same team twice in a week is always a little odd. Usually, teams will not play each other more than twice, perhaps three times in a season, if they are in the same division. That is why Arsenal and Manchester City are in a strange situation when they meet again on Thursday night at the Emirates.

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The reverse Premier League fixture takes place just four days after Sunday’s Carabao Cup final in which City carved open their opponents with depressing ease. A dominant midfield display, allied with individual errors by Arsenal, led to a clear and certain victory for Pep Guardiola’s men. So what are the changes that need to be made by Arsene Wenger and his players?

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Well, the first and fairly obvious alteration that must be made is the mental, decision-making errors in defence. Calum Chambers was caught too tight to David Silva for the first goal. Sead Kolasinac bundled his way into Kyle Walker and Bernardo Siva. The absence of marking at the corner-kick for the second, game-ending goal.

But the most obvious was Shkodran Mustafi for the first goal. Choosing to stand in front and not behind Sergio Aguero. Choosing to try to win a free-kick rather than battle with Aguero for the ball. Choosing to throw his arms up at the referee rather chase back to try and force Aguero into a mistake.

Other changes that need to be made involve clogging up the midfield and tracking runners, especially as the game extends and City’s play wears them down. Granit Xhaka was highlighted by Gary Neville in commentary for his walking around, and with him likely to anchor the midfield and screen the defence on Thursday, it will be vital that he does not make the same mental, attitudinal mistakes again.

The final issue that Arsenal had was their service up to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabon international was extremely isolated leading the line, with City’s high-pressing tactics suffocating them into wayward, inaccurate distribution that left Aubameyang starved.

Unlike say a Harry Kane or Sergio Aguero type striker, Aubameyang does not have the same desire to drop deep and get involved with the play on a regular basis. If not provided with the right and quality service, he can very easily be sounded out of the game.

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If Wenger and his players have any chance of squeaking out a victory or even a draw on Thursday night, then they have to make these changes at a minimum. City were significantly better than the Gunners. They have a lot of work to do, and these are the absolute minimum changes that must be implemented.