What Arsenal can learn from Manchester City's scant trio of defeats
A major obstacle stands in the way of Arsenal's fourth domestic cup in five years in the form of Manchester City, and if the two sides at paradoxical ends of the English heavyweight spectrum play true to form, the Gunners will be at a disadvantage.
That's not to say that there's no hope for Arsene Wenger's erratic lot, and with a stellar run of nine-straight victories at Wembley halted by high-flying Tottenham a fortnight ago, Arsenal will fancy the confines of its home away from home.
Using City's paltry three defeats in all competitions this season as a template, here's a look at some areas underdog Arsenal could exploit to extend the north London side's run of domestic cup success:
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Manchester City
Manchester City travelled to Shakhtar Donetsk's temporary Metalist digs for the penultimate Champions League group stage match on Dec. 6 having already secured top spot in Group F, and Pep Guardiola's line-up reflected as much.
The Catalan's rarely used 3-4-2-1 employed Tosin Adarabioyo in just his fourth senior appearance alongside Fernandinho and Eliaquim Mangala at centre-half, with youngster Phil Foden and Danilo patrolling the wingback positions. Hardly Maldini, Baresi, Costacurta, and Tassotti that, and City was handed its first defeat of the season and in 29 matches courtesy of first-half tallies in six minutes from Ismaily and Bernard.
Shakhtar swarmed and attacked ambitiously, outshooting City 13-10 despite having just 33 percent possession. And while the 2-1 victory over a City taxi squad is not a reflection of what Arsenal will face Sunday, it did provide a glimpse at a minuscule crack in Guardiola's foundation: left-back. Fabian Delph is out through suspension, and whether error-prone Danilo or largely unproven 21-year-old Oleksandr Zinchencko gets the start, it could be an area Arsenal could exploit on the right.
Liverpool 4-3 Manchester City
For a 10-minute spell in the second stanza of Liverpool's Jan. 14 visit from City, the Reds looked like Europe's most dangerous attacking side. Jurgen Klopp's charges nearly ceded a three-goal advantage late courtesy of some characteristically unfocused defending, but in the end, goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Liverpool's stellar front-three was enough to end City's Invicible hopes.
Liverpool did so by disorienting City. A rapid press and emphasis on closing-down those on the ball saw City dispossessed on 25 occasions, and Liverpool took full advantage with Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah trading tallies during a breathless spell. Like in Shakhtar's case, Liverpool had less than 40 percent of the ball, but it didn't matter as the host fired 16 efforts at Ederson, with four of seven on target finding the back of the net.
Unlike in the Ukraine, Guardiola opted for a first-choice line-up, and Liverpool exploited City's back-four with relentless pressure, especially Nicolas Otamendi. Ederson also made a ghastly error consistent with an ambitious fancy footed ball-playing 'keeper, and if Arsenal can have even a narrow hope of executing a similar game plan, it will have to employ pressure from a presumed front-three of Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Mkhitaryan. Easier said than done.
Wigan 1-0 Manchester City
Considering the circumstances, City's most shocking defeat of the season was last weekend's FA Cup dismissal to Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium. Northern Ireland man of legend and lyric Will Grigg was the hero with his tournament-leading seventh goal, ending 10-man City's hopes of a quadruple.
Grigg's 79th-minute match winner was the Latics' only shot on target, and with four attempts to City's 29 paired with 17.6 percent possession and a dire 62 percent pass completion, it was hardly a dominant performance. Instead, it was one that was efficient in soaking up pressure buoyed by Paul Cook's Christmas Tree 4-3-2-1 set-up.
While it's not a tactic that Wenger will fancy, Wigan was solid in winning 14 of 25 aerial duels, a physical dominance in the penalty area that handled City's numerous wide attacks and 15 corner kicks (Wigan had zero.) Forcing Guardiola's troops wide was bolstered by a congested midfield, and taking advantage of mistakes cemented the shock result. Kyle Walker was uncharacteristically flat-footed and off the pace for Grigg's goal, and John Stones and Aymeric Laporte struggled at times with the Latics' forwards work in the box. Aubameyang can look to provide a similar headache for City's backline.
Verdict: Despite coming off a drab home defeat to Ostersunds in the Europa League, Arsenal can rely on a strong first team that dwarfs the calamitous second unit the Frenchman started against the budding Swedes. There's reason for belief in the Arsenal camp ahead of the clash with City, though with the runaway Premier League leader having not lost twice consecutively in all competitions since December 2016, don't bank on Guardiola and Co. replicating the last defeat to Wigan.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)