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

1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

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.

Of all the attacking players Arteta can unleash on City, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 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.

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?

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.