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Of all the many attacking threats that Manchester City pose, it will be a lesser lauded one in Jesus Navas, who could be the biggest weapon for the champions when they play Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
Navas is often criticized by the City fans who tend to grow frustrated with his inconsistency in all aspects of his play. But Navas does offer attributes that City tend to lack a little when you asses their other creative players. Pace is the obvious one, and it is the winger’s ability to quickly turn defense into offense that will see him play a vital role against the Gunners.
If opposition teams don’t know what Arsenal’s glaring weakness is by now, then they’ll never figure it out. But City, along with the other major teams in the EPL, know exactly where to focus their efforts against Arsenal: the counter attack. Arsene Wenger has needed a defensive midfielder for years, yet every time the summer rolls around, that area of the team never seems to be a main focus of his, which is why the weakness is still there, and the top teams in the EPL are still taking advantage of it.
Now, City will not exactly sit deep and defend in their home stadium, allowing Arsenal to stroke the ball around as they please, but they will do so when Arsenal naturally take possession and begin to weave their pretty passing patterns. The Gunners are certainly good at that and they often enjoy long spells of possession whilst the opposition does most of the work.
Breaking up those passing routines and then attacking swiftly in transition is the key and that is where Navas will come into play. City are not the quickest team around — relying on technicians more so than athletes — but Navas is the best hope they have of exploiting Arsenal’s biggest weakness.
Navas, in fact, actually did exactly that during the alternate fixture at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season, when he broke out of defense in transition and ran the length of the field before crossing for Sergio Aguero to score. It was nothing new, it’s just the easiest and most obvious way of scoring against the Gunners and a method that teams like City’s cross-town rivals, Manchester United, have utilized for years.
This is why, although Navas may not be the obvious pick in most games for City when they have everybody fully fit, he is the obvious one in this game. And with Samir Nasri now confirmed as being absent through injury, the Spaniard is sure to play a part in the game, and when he does, it will be a big and decisive one at that.
Related:
5 Key Matchups for Manchester City vs. Arsenal
5 Bold Predictions for Manchester City vs. Arsenal
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