When asked if Sunday’s match against Arsenal had an impact on his team selection for the UEFA Champions League opening against Inter Milan, Pep Guardiola remained reticent.
In an interview with TNT Sports prior to his all-star team’s Wednesday night encounter at the Etihad Stadium against the Italian powerhouses, he was questioned about the extent to which his game against Mikel Arteta’s team influenced his starting lineup for the Inter match. With a distinctive response, he raised his hand to make the number “0” and then said, “Zero!”
For their match at the same location tonight, City made four changes. Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, John Stones, and Kyle Walker were replaced by Spain’s talisman Rodri, who had played 45 minutes in the team’s victory over Brentford the previous weekend. Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, and Bernardo Silva also entered the game.
Guardiola and reporter Jules Breach did, it must be admitted, appear to take a humorous spin on that one-word response. Even though the 38-match Premier League season only has five games remaining, both managers will understand how crucial the Arsenal matchup is. Arsenal defeated City, at least head-to-head, in the previous season, winning 1-0 at the dying minute at the Emirates Stadium before drawing 0-0 in the rematch.
Gunners supporters, who had previously witnessed some wild performances at the Etihad Stadium, were relieved to see them succeed last season, but the team has yet to triumph in east Manchester after nine years. Arsenal has recently lost to Brighton, which puts pressure on Arteta’s team to go there and prevail.
Arsenal would move one point ahead of City with a win, but the long-term psychological boost they might receive could eventually help their recent trophy push.
The Gunners must go to Bergamo, Italy, to play Atalanta, the UEFA Europa League champions from the previous season, in what may be a difficult match before they can fully focus on City. Although Arsenal’s Serie A campaign has started slowly, they can find some comfort in the knowledge that they have lost their last three Italian UEFA Champions League matches: 0-1 against Roma in 2009, 0-4 against AC Milan in 2012, and most recently, 0-2 against Napoli in Naples, 11 years ago.
