SETTABLOID

Cascarino wrote an article in The Times in which he named his combined Man City / Arsenal XI, and explained his choices.

He went for Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba as his centre-back pairing, and described the former as a “rash” for how he gets “all over you”.

“This area was really difficult,” wrote Cascarino. “Manuel Akanji and Rúben Dias are excellent but I picked Gabriel because he’s like a rash.

“He reminds me of Martin Keown for being in your face and making it difficult as a centre forward. He’s all over you.”

Cascarino isn’t the only pundit to liken Gabriel to Keown of late; Rio Ferdinand made this comparison just after Arsenal’s draw with Atalanta.

Mark Lawrenson has cast doubt on Raheem Sterling’s chances of becoming a key player for Arsenal this season, despite the England winger’s surprise move to the Gunners on transfer deadline day.

After being left out in the cold by Chelsea’s new boss Enzo Maresca, Sterling made the switch to The Emirates, where he’s set to vie for a spot with stars like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Leandro Trossard. Sterling has already featured against Tottenham and Atalanta since his arrival, but Lawrenson believes his role will be limited under Mikel Arteta’s stewardship.

Speaking to Paddy Power ahead of Arsenal’s title showdown against Manchester City, the ex-Liverpool defender and pundit expressed his view: “At Arsenal, I think Raheem Sterling will solely be used for squad depth, I don’t see him breaking into the starting team. I’d imagine that the manager will have already told him that he’ll be a 25-minute man each week and that will be it, unless he does well when he gets a chance.

Mikel Arteta knows he must get his Arsenal team selection spot on for the clash at Manchester City.

“For sure we will prepare to try and win, like we did tonight. That’s been the message already,” the Spaniard said after Thursday’s 0-0 draw with Atalanta.

“In order to do that [win at Man City] there are going to be things that we have to do much better than tonight. There are some things that we have done exceptionally well tonight and we are going to have to do them again. Because we all know we need a big performance to beat them.”

The Gunners were undefeated against Man City last term, beating them 1-0 at Emirates Stadium before playing out a tense 0-0 in the return fixture. In order to win the Premier League, the north Londoners may need to claim at least a point on Sunday afternoon, although three points would be the dream scenario.

The Premier League is back for another huge game as Arsenal take on Manchester City. The first clash between the two sides could have a massive impact on the outcome of the title race in May.

The Gunners are currently two points behind Pep Guardiola’s men after four games having won all but one so far. City have enjoyed a perfect start to the domestic season with wins over Chelsea, Ipswich Town, West Ham and Brentford.

Mikel Arteta will be hoping for another defensive solid performance like the last time they travelled to the Etihad Stadium. Arsenal drew 0-0 in March after beating the English champions 1-0 earlier in the season.

Yes we want to improve in certain areas but in order to do that it’s important that we have to be much, much better. We never got distances or the right relationships and putting the ball in areas where they really suffer. We need to be a lot more consistent if we want the team to flow. We need to do it much more consistently if you want the game to flow.

For sure we will prepare to try and win, like we did tonight. That’s been the message already. In order to do that there are going to be things that we have to do much better than tonight. There are some things that we have done exceptionally well tonight and we are going to have to do them again. Because we all know we need a big performance to beat them.

They are in a great moment and have been very, very consistent for the past two seasons together. There is an unbelievable chemistry there and you can sense it. They gave us a lot tonight – I thought they were both exceptional.

The Premier League era has been blessed with some of the greatest centre-half pairings. Arsenal’s William Saliba and Gabriel are on the threshold of joining elite company.

Provided they stay together, we will eventually reference Saliba and Gabriel in the same breath as the two stand-out partnerships of my generation; Chelsea’s John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, and Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Arsenal must win the Premier League or Champions League for the duo to establish themselves in that hall of fame, but they are making giant strides and are the biggest reason why Mikel Arteta’s side can travel to Manchester City with confidence this weekend.

 

Onuoha forgot about Sterling being at Arsenal, and that’s somewhat understandable.

Sometimes, a player just doesn’t fully suit a club straight away, and seeing Sterling in an Arsenal shirt does still look quite jarring.

This is a player who is so heavily associated with some of Arsenal’s biggest rivals, it’s going to take some time to get used to thinking of Sterling as an Arsenal player.

Sterling is ready to make his mark for Arsenal though, and it may not be long before he earns himself a place in the starting XI.

As Onuoha says, the winger is a fantastic option for the Gunners, and who knows? Perhaps he could even make a difference this weekend against Manchester City as Sterling potentially faces off against his old club.

Kai Havertz has already proved Martin Keown wrong so far this season after a brilliant first three games, but things have dropped off slightly since moving into more of a deeper role.

Martin Odegaard’s injury has forced Mikel Arteta to deploy the German in an attacking midfield role.

The German had just 40 touches of the ball, which is less than David Raya, had a passing accuracy of 84%, lost 13 of his 17 duels, lost possession ten times, gave away three fouls and was dribbled past once.

Arsenal face their biggest test of the season so far this weekend as they travel to Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side have won all four of their Premier League games so far this season, although the Gunners are just two points behind.

Mikel Arteta will see the fixture as a must not lose rather than a must win at this point in the campaign, with the match expected to be a cagey affair. Arsenal will be without captain Martin Odegaard and summer signing Mikel Merino, although Riccardo Calafiori made his return against Atalanta on Thursday evening.

Mikel Arteta was able to welcome back Declan Rice to his midfield against Atalanta but couldn’t work his side to victory in the Champions League opener on Thursday. Still without Martin Odegaard due to injury, the Gunners ground out a 0-0 draw in Italy.

They now travel to Manchester City in the first meeting between the Premier League’s top two sides of the past two seasons. Pep Guardiola’s side hold a distinct advantage though having not only played a day earlier than Arsenal but also at home and with Arteta due to travel to the Etihad Stadium as well.