Arsenal Vs Manchester City: 5 key players to watch – Defeating the best

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal during the UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg match between Arsenal FC and Olympiacos FC at Emirates Stadium on February 27, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 27: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal during the UEFA Europa League round of 32 second leg match between Arsenal FC and Olympiacos FC at Emirates Stadium on February 27, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, David Luiz
Arsenal’s Brazilian defender David Luiz applauds supporters on the pitch after the UEFA Europa League round of 32 first leg football match between Olympiakos and Arsenal at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, near Athens, on February 20, 2020. – Arsenal won the game 1-0. (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

2. David Luiz

Manchester City average 61.6% possession this season. That is a 2.6% more than any other team in the league, which is a huge difference. Their pass accuracy rate is 88.9%, which is more than 5% more than any other team in the league. Their dominance in possession means that they construct more attacks than any other team in the league. For the opposition, this results in having to defend. A lot.

For Arsenal, and for David Luiz at the heart of their defence, that tends to spell trouble. The Gunners are not known for their defensive resilience, and Luiz especially is renowned for mental lapses, horrifying positional errors, and maddening mistakes that are difficult to explain. But every now and then, Luiz will produce a performance for the ages.

Luiz is a proven winner. He has been successful throughout his career. And he does have the ability to defend brilliantly when placed under tremendous pressure. What is so frustrating about Luiz is that he has the skill and quality to perform at a high level, but his mental errors prevent him from consistently reaching that level. But sometimes, he figures it out and puts it all together. Maybe, just maybe, Arsenal get the best version of Luiz on Wednesday. God knows, they will need it.