How Arsenal can beat Man City next season
With a number of new key signings made in Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber Arsenal have strengthened their squad depth for another title charge next season. Timber has won the title twice in the Eredivisie, Rice captained his West Ham side to glory in the Conference League and Havertz netted the all-important goal in the champions league final with Chelsea. It is fair to say a ton of quality and experience is being bought in with contract extensions also being handed out to Bukayo Saka and to a transformative presence in defence - William Saliba. With none of their signings being older than just 24, it shows they are targeting and locking down young talent.
Arsenal have spent in excess of €590 million over the last three seasons as per TransferMarkt. With this level of spending, it is only expected that trophies start to come their way. Last season Arsenal were criticised over their lack of squad depth in the dying stages of the premier league as they lost out to Man City. They will be hoping these signings can push them over the line.
At Manchester City, the turnover is seemingly very high. Walker, Mahrez, Silva, Laporte, Cancelo and former captain Ilkay Gundogan could all leave the club this summer. Pep Guardiola has been heralded for his squad depth in the past, being able to rotate players like De Bruyne and Foden out of the team to ensure their fitness for more important games. This has allowed them to fight on all fronts over the last few years, winning 14 major honours since Guardiola joined the club 7 years ago.
Losing Gundogan who started 31 games in the league, Silva who started 34 and Walker who started 27 could come back to bite them. Kovacic has been bought in from Chelsea to help bolster the midfield and replace their former captain. They are also eying 21-year-old Josko Gvardiol for a world record fee for a centre-back, but there are still holes to fill in this side with the number of departures Man City could be facing. With the potential of both Mahrez and Silva leaving, it could leave a big hole on the right side of their attack. Furthermore, they will be left very thin in fullbacks if both Walker and Cancelo decide to leave this summer. Towards the end of last season, Guardiola favoured a formation playing 3 central defenders across his backline alluding to the exclusion of fullbacks in his teams going forward, yet having them as options for a different tactical set-up could prove useful. With all these potential departures, Man City could be able to free up funds to dip their toes into the transfer market to strengthen their squad for the coming season.
Do you think Arsenal can compete next season against this formidable City side?
