Mikel Arteta may do something he’s not done at Arsenal for three years vs Man City

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.

The Italian came on at left-back against the Serie A side, in place of Jurrien Timber who has started the season well. Calafiori is also capable of playing centre-back and this may give Arteta somewhat of a wildcard option going into the clash at Etihad Stadium.

Man City struggled against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday night, with Simone Inzaghi setting his team up with a back five. Inter’s three centre-backs nullified the threat of Erling Haaland, while wing backs Carlos Augusto and Matteo Darmian defended well against Savio and Jack Grealish.

“We faced a really, really difficult team – the champions from Italy. A class team in all departments,” Guardiola said after the game.

“I’m really, really satisfied for the game we played. I liked everything about my team today, everything. We would have preferred to win – there are still seven games. We’ll see what happens.”

With City struggling to break down Inter and their defensive 5-3-2 formation, Arteta may deploy similar tactics in Manchester on Sunday. While the Gunners boss has favoured 4-3-3 in recent years, he has proved to be a flexible coach and often changes formations mid games numerous times.

With Ben White and Jurrien Timber more than capable of playing as wing-backs, it’s possible Arteta picks William Saliba, Gabriel and Calafiori as his centre-backs from the off against Man City. While the formation will offer extra protection from the likes of Haaland and Phil Foden, Calafiori is more than capable of stepping into midfield when the Gunners are in possession.

The last time Arsenal deployed a back five under Arteta was more than three years ago, however. Kieran Tierney, Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Sead Kolasinac and Cedric Soares started in a back five against Man City on August 28, 2021. The game was one to forget, though, as the Gunners lost 5-0 with Granit Xhaka sent off in the first half.

Arteta also deployed exactly the same formation, again against City, several months earlier, in a 4-1 defeat at Emirates Stadium. Despite these defeats when using a back five, it has to be said this current Arsenal team is very much a different beast, boasting better players who have shown they can adapt to any side. This may give Arteta encouragement to try and surprise Guardiola on Sunday and the tweak may just be what Arsenal need to grab all three points in Manchester.