A potentially season-defining matchday takes place this weekend as the title race continues to gather momentum. The matches taking place involve the three front runners and one ex-front runner, with leaders Manchester City taking on third-placed Tottenham in the Etihad before Arsenal entertain Manchester United.
In years gone by the latter would have been the fixture of the season, and the return of veterans Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes will provide a reminder of the class these players had at their peak. The axis of power has now seemingly shifted completely to Manchester, but the London teams can still prove to be major thorns in their sides, particularly now that the pressure’s easing off.
The complexion of the game in London could be radically altered by events in Manchester. This will be no repeat of Tottenham’s 1-5 humiliation in August, with Rednapp’s side embarking on a blistering run from September to put themselves in the frame. Despite last week’s setback against Wolves they are still in the hunt, with much of the credit perhaps going to the manager’s reluctance to announce his team’s arrival at the top.
Under a different manager Spurs would have become giddy after a few good wins and choke when the pressure cranked up. This side has eluded the pressure rise by adopting a grounded mindset, that is to ensure Champions League qualification is achieved. Anything else would be a bonus. This will of course become harder to do if Spurs maintain their form into the spring, but if the players display enough resolve to deal with this, without getting too sucked into the race, they certainly have enough quality to pull it off. Injuries could change everything, but Spurs have dealt with knockbacks and kept going over five months.
Manchester City are learning how a title race works, and despite containing league-winning players from other teams have never been here before a s a collective. Last week’s win over Wigan was significant as it halted a run of two defeats, but gone is the feeling they should have scored five or six. City’s play has become laboured over the last month, perhaps attributed to the realisation that they are expected to win the title. This is a far greater pressure than just being involved in the title race – they have taken two big steps up in ambition this season.
City’s form at home in the league remains imperious, having won all of their games since February last year, but cup defeats at home to United and Liverpool prove that they can be vulnerable. Players like Rafael Van der Vaart and Jermaine Defoe will be licking their lips at the likely inclusion of Stefan Savic, Vincent Kompany’s shaky replacement, and Joe Hart has had to make at least one extraordinary save per game to guarantee the points for City. There is no doubt he has been their most important player of late.
The result of this game could have a significant bearing on how the game in London is played out. The Emirates has been a happy hunting ground for United over the past few years, barring their 1-0 defeat last season, with Ferguson usually setting his team up in a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 formation. This has been designed to soak up the pressure, playing on Arsenal’s tendency to push up with the ball, before slicing through on the break with players like Nani and Wayne Rooney adept at picking out runs.
The most significant threat posed to United is Robin Van Persie, who has remained fit and has ominously set down the marker for 2012 with a goal against Swansea. The remarkable record set in 2011 shows no sign of abating, and as long as he is well Arsenal have a shot at the top four. Rooney’s claims that they can still win the title are a bit far, but he knows the effect a wonderfully in-form striker can have on a team’s season having almost carried United to the title in the 2009-2010 season.
Just as pertinent is the effect an injury to said talisman can have, with Rooney’s subsequent injury sustained against Bayern Munich leading to a crippling loss of confidence throughout the team. If anything like this were to happen to Arsenal the results could be devastating.
United have been a hard team to predict this season. Crushing wins at Fulham and at home to Wigan and Bolton have been matched by baffling defeats at home To Blackburn and at Newcastle. Before that the team ground out a string of 1-0 wins, and even since November their form has lurched into a new dimension. To an extent they have coped with the losses of Nemanja Vidic and Darren Fletcher for the season, but too often losses of concentration and carelessness have cost them. Cut out these character flaws and the leading team would be red, not blue.
We are set to find out further character elements at the top of the table on Sunday. Wins for Spurs and United would turn the race on its head, while two home wins would put City six clear.
The stage has been set.
Dan Bone
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