Sports
Arsenal vs. Manchester City: Community Shield Preview
For Arsenal, taking down Manchester City is like taking down the Lannister family of the Game of Thrones series from the Iron Throne. It isn’t impossible, it is however Herculean, and with both sides set to engage in hostilities in latter hours of Saturday, we look at what it will take for Arsenal climb the ladder.
And like the character Petyr Baellish of the Game of Thrones series once said, ‘Chaos is a ladder’, and how much chaos is Arsenal ready to unleash to bring down the ‘Lannister dynasty’ that is Manchester City?
The Gunners were close to achieving that feat last season when they very nearly, though not almost, claimed the Premier League Iron throne for themselves but however fell short when the other families of the league denied to support the Gunners’ claim to overthrow Manchester City.
Despite usurping the league throne for at least 240 days, the most any team has ever sat on the Iron throne without being its legitimate owner, the Gunners failed to lay claim to the title’s ownership when it most mattered. Eventually, they had to bend the knee.
However, the question remains, will they keep on bending the knee to Manchester City like they have proverbial done under the guidance of Mikel Arteta? Or is it time for Arteta to lead a rebellion that ultimately dethrones Manchester Ctiy?
All that starts tomorrow as Arsenal faces off Manchester City in the prelude to the season in the Community Shield that takes place at Wembley.
Pundits at the moment have bent the knee to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City dragons or perhaps ‘Lions’, and why not, they claimed a treble of titles last season like their Targaryen cousins ‘Manchester United’ did some decades prior in 1999.
When it most mattered, the Cityzens steamrolled through the Gunners in the final weeks to once more wrestle the seat from the grasp of an in form Arsenal side, making it a third consecutive season that Manchester City have held tight its dynasty.
‘We could be in line to build the greatest dynasty the world will ever remember’, rings the words of Tywin Lannister of the Game of Thrones universe, and if any efforts by Pep Guardiola’s side today should make any meaning, tomorrow might continue a 4th year into Guardiola’s built dynasty in the English Premier League.
It however, all rests on Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.
Arsenal will be missing a key figure in its ranks, in Gabriel Jesus who is believed to be sitting out important games in the early stages of the season after going down with a knee injury.
In preparing for the season or perhaps a rebellion, Mikel Arteta has gone on to spend £200m in transfer to sign defender, Jurrien Timber (£40m), forward Kai Havertz (£67.5m) and midfielder Declan Rice (£100m), before his squad flew out for the preseason tour of America.
Arteta was very eager to get in reinforcements early and bed them into his style of play and tactics as they ready their Arsenal for a war for the premier league title. Will Mikel Arteta succeed in his rebellion to become the Robert Baratheon kind of figure in the league? Or will he crumble like Balon Greyjoy did?
The Community Shield sets itself upon us at 4 pm August 6th.
