Manchester City smashed six goals past Luton Town in the FA Cup Fifth Round on Tuesday, and their old enemies across town are surely quaking in their boots. The Manchester derby lies ahead this weekend, and at this point it will take the full mystical power of a rivalry match to make it a contest.
It’s not just that Manchester United handed Fulham three points at Old Trafford last time out, or that they’ve consistently struggled to score goals. The Terminator Erling Haaland is back for the Citizens, scoring five himself against Luton, and perhaps even more menacingly, Kevin De Bruyne snagged four assists on his own. City are one point off the top of the Premier League, and the best player of the last decade in this division hasn’t even been a factor.
Liverpool remain top, of course, but they’re ravaged by injury and I’ve long questioned the depth of their squad. Their potent attack is 85% powered by Mohamed Salah—the best player in the league this season—and Diogo Jota, the skeleton key. Nobody else is particularly potent. Darwin Núñez cannot be depended upon to take his chances, and Luis Díaz is only just now finding a bit of form. They’re very solid at the back, but the questions still remain in midfield. Alexis Mac Allister is a top player who is (maybe) playing too deep at times. Wataru Endō is a competitor in the trenches, strong in the tackle, but he’s a somewhat limited passer. Hardly anybody else is fit. Jürgen Klopp is a true wizard, sprinkling his magic here and there at the crucial moments as they will themselves towards a quadruple, but how much superdust is left in his bag as he sashays towards the exit door this summer?
That leaves Arsenal, the ones nobody is really giving much of a prayer, and that’s fair enough: Mikel Arteta’s men did falter at the final furlong last season, and the two other managers in this discussion have won this competition before. Add in 20 years without a Premier League championship, and the North Londoners’ credentials are really starting to curl at the edges. It’s no use trying to remind people that Arsenal’s form went off a cliff last year after they lost Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba in the same cursed Europa League match in Lisbon, so as a Gooner, allow me to do my duty and make the case for a new script this term.
There are four pillars to the Arsenal title case:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Football Weekend to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.