The Premier League is akin to the top of the Christmas tree around this time of year
The top of the tree is reserved for the star, the brightest and most favoured decoration
At the start of the season many would have assumed that the Arsenal vs Man City clash four days before Christmas would decide who the number one team at Christmas would be
Would it be the title favourites City or the rejuvenated Arsenal?
Incredibly enough it is neither
Leicester City, who were bottom of the League last Christmas, now sit top of the table, five points clear of second place Arsenal
While the London team do have a game in hand it will not knock Leicester off the top
It is an incredible story considering LeicesterÂ’s position a year ago in comparison to today, where they boast a single defeat this season and the fact they are the LeagueÂ’s top scorers with 37 goals, more than Barcelona (36)
With LeicesterÂ’s success in mind it makes victory in this game even more imperative for both teams
Arsenal would stay five points shy of Leicester if they lost while City would be six points short
With a Premier League season which has already had itÂ’s fair share of upsets, no one will be betting their house on Arsenal or Manchester City overturning a large points deficit especially considering LeicesterÂ’s form has shown no signs of abating
Considering they were widely tipped as the favourites before a ball was kicked this season, being in third place at Christmas will not be blessing Manuel Pellegrini with the soundest of nightÂ’s sleep over the festive period
ChelseaÂ’s demise will have only shortened CityÂ’s odds of winning the title with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool struggling to really put their mark on the season
However City have struggled in recent weeks
Their 4-1 humbling by Liverpool was followed up by a 1-0 Champions League defeat against Juventus
While victory over Southampton provided slight respite, it has not arrested their recent poor form with their 2-0 loss against Stoke preceding an unconvincing victory against struggling Swansea
While City are of course still in the hunt for another Premier League title they have been in no way convincing
Injuries have decimated their first team with the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany all spending time on the side-lines
While CityÂ’s squad is one of enormous depth it must be remembered that the four afore mentioned players would get into any side in the World and are irreplaceable
This is especially pertinent when considering Wilfried Bony, Jesus Navas, Fernando and Martin Demichelis are their replacements
While these players are all very talented in their own way they have struggled to fill the holes left by CityÂ’s talismans which have caused their club to suffer this season
What is most interesting with regard to City is that without any one of Aguero, Silva, Toure or Kompany it completely destroys the balance in the team
Without Aguero they lack a clinical finisher that can score the spectacular or the simple while their is a lack of flair and precision without Silva in the team however the acquisition of Kevin De Bruyne has added another dimension to City
Toure has been a behemoth in midfield for City and while he is not the most defensively sound player on the pitch he is a natural leader that can drag City out of a slump
Kompany is perhaps the most vital player to City though
City have spent millions on finding a player that is as talented as Kompany
Martin Demichelis, Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi have all tried to fill the gap left by their captain and have failed to do so
Either through their own technical deficiencies or their propensity to make mistakes, none have been able to truly stake their claim on the place
This problem at the heart of the defence is exaserbated due to KompanyÂ’s injury problems
If City are to become the all dominating team that their fans and owners want them to be then their biggest priority must be bringing a centre back of World class quality into the team to play alongside Kompany and also to fill in for him when he is injured
Until they can find a defender of the highest quality to partner Kompany, they will continue to struggle in Europe and domestically
Arsenal on the other hand are enjoying one of the most prolific seasons in recent memory
A memorable 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League was followed up by a 5-1 thrashing by the Germans
With Arsenal seemingly out of the Champions League, two 1-1 draws with Tottenham and Norwich came either side of a 2-1 loss to West Brom which had Arsenal once again thinking their season would crumble by December
It seemed to be the same old story for Arsenal.
However in recent weeks things have changed
Arsenal have gone through their annual injury crisis but instead of letting it inundate them they have seemed to become stronger as a team for it
The loss of Alexis Sanchez would be enough to dent any teamÂ’s title hopes, however Arsenal have picked up three wins in their last three games with a 3-1 victory over Sunderland before Olivier GiroudÂ’s superb hat-trick saved the GunnerÂ’s Champions League campaign in a 3-0 away win over Olympiacos
Arsenal went on to defeat bottom club Aston Villa 2-0 in a game which Arsenal would likely have lost last season without their new found steely resolve
The players also seem to be hitting form at the right time and maintaining it too
The influence of Petr Cech in goal has been enormous with multiple teammates citing his leadership qualities and experience as hugely important to ArsenalÂ’s campaign not to mention the fact he has brought a safe pair of hands which can potentially earn Arsenal 15 points this season
In conjunction with Cech is the magnificent form of Mesut Ozil
The German has 11 assists in 10 games while he has also set a new record of assisting in seven consecutive games
He in fact has the most assists in Europe this season with 13 while PSGÂ’s Angel di Maria is second with nine
The injuries that have hit Arsenal this term seem to have been most prominent in midfield with Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta all being forced out at some time this season
This injury plague has now extended to ArsenalÂ’s best player, Alexis Sanchez
Sanchez has been a fan favourite ever since his move from Barcelona and it is not difficult to see why
His direct running, silky footwork, abundance of goals and work ethic off the ball have made him one of the Premier LeagueÂ’s most sought after talent
All the afore mentioned qualities are reasons why Wenger will miss having the Chilean in his starting team
While injury has stunted SanchezÂ’s scoring this term restricting him to six goals and a single assist in 14 Premier League games, it is clear that if Arsene Wenger can keep the Chilean fit then there is no reason why Arsenal canÂ’t challenge for the title this season.
This game has become far more than just a straight shoot-out between two title rivals
It is now either Arsenal or Manchester CityÂ’s chance to put space between themselves and the other whilst also making up ground on Leicester City
A draw would suit the leaders who may struggle over the festive period with a smaller squad than that of City and Arsenal
With this in mind it is imperative that Leicester have as much of a lead as they can now
Arsenal will hope to pile on the misery for City who in recent weeks who have looked vulnerable, most notably against Liverpool
While Manchester City will be looking to take advantage of ArsenalÂ’s injury woes with a win that will not only lift them up the table but also provide a much needed confidence boost
This game may also see an abundance of offensive play and perhaps goals with a draw benefiting neither side in their quests to add the 201516 Premier League trophy to their cabinet.
Final Score: Arsenal 3 Manchester City 1.
Source : DSG
Source: DSG