The 2019-20 season of the Premier League resumes this week and one of the first big matches will be Man City vs Arsenal at the Etihad on Wednesday.
Mikel Arteta will take his Arsenal side to his former side’s home ground for the first time since taking charge of the North London club back in December and right now there are serious doubts if they can pick up all three points or not.
And just when every major pundit was busy analysing Arsenal’s team before this high-profile encounter, Mikel Arteta has come out to admit that his team might not be fully charged up for this encounter.
Mikel Arteta told the press: “I watched some aspects that I think we can take some advantage of, but I think you have to experience it.
“I’ve watched some games from the Bundesliga, but then when I was at the Emirates and there is no crowd and you cannot steal that energy, push or drive, the game is different.
“The intensity has dropped a little bit and I think the physical state of the players is not as it was three months ago, so you can sense that as well, and that urgency doesn’t exist anymore from the crowd and how passionate the crowds are here in England, but we have to adapt. We have to experience it and find ways to motivate our players in moments. Let’s see how it goes!
“So far everybody is okay, we will see how training goes tomorrow to pick the right team and the right squad.
“Again, it is going to be different with the amount fo substitutes that we can have on the bench and the amount fo substitutes that we can do, so we have to think about how we can do that.”
Will Arsenal struggle inside an empty stadium?
Playing in an empty stadium will be a new thing for both Arsenal and Manchester City so we think they will enter the match with a very similar mindset.
And while the absence of a hostile away crowd could help the Gunners pick up their performances at the Etihad but it’s Man City they are playing against.
Pep Guardiola has an array of superstars at his disposal who can change the course of the match single-handedly which is why Mikel Arteta will have to ensure that his players do not walk onto the pitch thinking this is just another friendly encounter(due to the atmosphere).
