Question marks on team selection, questions to answer at the Etihad

Ok, so here we go. The waiting is over, football is back, and back in earnest as we take on Man City at the Etihad this afternoon.

Let’s start with the team, and while there are some question marks in some positions, others seem relative simple to predict. I don’t see any change to the back four unless there’s a problem with Gabriel. That would then give Mikel Arteta some serious thinking to do. He could move Jakub Kiwior to the centre, and play Oleksandr Zinchenko at left-back, although I have some suspicion he’s not fully fit because he didn’t start for Ukraine in their big international play-off final.

Another option would be Takehiro Tomiyasu, either at left-back or, as would be my preference if he was fit, in the centre where he plays regularly for Japan but having been out for so long, it’d be a big reintroduction. Fingers crossed for Big Gabi though, his partnership alongside William Saliba is a key component to this team’s solidity, so let’s hope he makes it.

In midfield, I think we’ll see Jorginho and Declan Rice together again. The Italian international started the game at the Emirates earlier in the season, and on a day like today his experience is even more important than ever. At this point of the season, against opposition like this, being able to deal with the pressure of the game and the occasion is vital, and he’s been there and done that plenty in his career. Depending on how the two are deployed, it could see Rice further forward, perhaps in more close combat with Rodri than he might be if he played as the 6.

Martin Odegaard picks himself ahead of those two, and I while I don’t think it’s down to one man – because any good result is more likely if the collective effort is where it needs to be – he, more than anyone else in this side, has the ability to unlock a tight game. We saw that in the second leg against Porto, and if Man City are in any way vulnerable these days, it’s in the areas where he likes to operate…

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Author : arseblog

Publish date : 2024-03-31 07:21:47

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