Manchester City vs. Arsenal: Match Review

Arsenal climbed back to the top of the Premier League table for at least a few hours after defeating Manchester City 3-1 at the City of Manchester Stadium. The win saw the Gunners leapfrog Manchester United, who play against Tottenham at White Heart Lane later today. It was City's first home defeat this season.

Arsenal grabbed an early lead through a 9th minute strike from Emmanuel Adebayor. Eduardo scored Arsenal's second with an overhead kick, but City got one back before halftime when an error from Gael Clichy enabled Gelson Fernandes to score in the 28th minute. City looked unlikely to score in the second half, and Adebayor put the match beyond doubt just before the end of regulation time with his 18th league goal of the season.

Lineups:
Manchester City: Joe Hart; Vedran Corluka, Micah Richards, Richard Dunne, Michael Ball; Blumer Elano, Dietmar Hamann, Stephen Ireland, Gelson Fernandes, Marti Petrov; Daniel Sturridge

Arsenal: Jens Lehmann; Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Philippe Senderos, Gael Clichy; Abou Diaby, Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Alex Hleb; Emmanuel Adebayor, Eduardo

Arsenal were in trouble early when Dietmar Hamann lobbed the ball up field to Stephen Ireland. Ireland assumed that Lehmann would reach the ball first and half-heartedly gave chase, only to find the German keeper rooted to the spot. Luckily for Lehmann, Ireland's hesitation gave him just enough time to reach the ball before the City midfielder.

The early danger woke up the Arsenal side who quickly rallied to score a goal in the 9th minute. A cross from right-back Bacary Sagna met Emmanuel Adebayor on the edge of the 6 yard box. The Togo striker, who has scored in his last 8 games, made no mistake in firing home to give Arsenal the lead.

The Gunners grabbed a second about a quarter of an hour later when Adebayor headed a cross to Eduardo. The Croatian striker took the ball on his chest with his back to goal and scored with an impressive overhead kick to double Arsenal's lead.

Manchester City have had a tough time scoring goals of late, and looked out of the competition until Gael Clichy handed Sven-Göran Eriksson's side a lifeline two minutes after Eduardo's goal.

The Frenchman, who is normally rock-solid at left-back, lost possession on the byline after trying to play his way out of trouble rather than boot the ball up the pitch. Vedran Corluka fed the ball to Gelson Fernandes who slotted home from right in front of goal, bringing City back into the game.

Arsenal still looked the more dangerous side, though, and Adebayor almost bagged a second on the half hour mark after getting on the end of yet another cross from Sagna, but Joe Hart stood his ground to parry the shot.

Gunners captain William Gallas could have scored ten minutes later, but sent his shot wide of the post.

Manchester City had a great chance just before halftime, but Martin Petrov fired a tame effort wide after being released by Stephen Ireland. The miss meant that City went into halftime down two goals to one against one of the best teams in the country.

Arsenal came out strongly in the second half, with Cesc Fabregas lobbing Joe Hart from the edge of the area after being picked out by William Gallas. His effort flew over the bar though, as City avoided going two goals down.

The Citizens came close to grabbing an equalizer in the 66th minute when substitute Darius Vassell was played through by Hamann. Lehmann managed to clear the ball, but only as far as Blumer Elano. The Brazilian midfielder, normally lethal from range, could only lob the ball over Lehmann's crossbar.

Arsenal should have scored ten minutes later when Emmanuel Adebayor, Cesc Fabregas, and Eduardo were up against only two defenders after a fast break. Adebayor fed Eduardo down the left, but the Croatian's pass, meant for Fabregas, was cut out by Michael Ball to prevent Arsenal's third goal.

Adebayor had another chance from a header not too long after. The lanky frontman connected with a cross from Fabregas, but could not get enough power on his header to beat the alert Joe Hart.

Adebayor's second goal would come soon enough though, finally putting the game beyond doubt in the 88th minute with an easy goal from the center of the area.

Arsenal fans may be rooting for Tottenham to win against title-rivals Manchester United today, as anything but three points for United would leave Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table after the weekend. Arsenal's three points were well-earned and the Gunners are beginning to rediscover the form that saw them lead the league earlier in the season.

Manchester City vs. Arsenal: Match Preview

Second-placed Arsenal take on sixth-placed Manchester City this Saturday in the day's early fixture. Arsene Wenger will be hoping to become the first manager to win at the City of Manchester Stadium this season, as City look to break back into the European spots.

The stadium has become a fortress for City this season, seeing the Citizens drop only 6 points in 12 home games. Sven-Göran Eriksson's side has yet to lose at home, but could be facing their toughest test of the season against a determined Arsenal side.

Traveling to a stadium in which the home team is undefeated is always a tough task, but an Arsenal team full of belief will still be full of confidence. The team are also provided continuity by the fact that Arsene Wenger's squad on Saturday will be the same as the squad that defeated Newcastle 3-0 on Tuesday.

Robin van Persie has returned to training but will not be fit in time for the match. Tomas Rosicky is expected to be back in contention before next weekend's game against Blackburn, and Johan Djourou is expected to be out for three more weeks. Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, and Alex Song are all on international duty at the African Cup of Nations.

Manchester City are relatively injury free with only Danny Mills, Michael Johnson, and loanee Nery Castillo likely to miss the match due to injury. Eriksson's side will be low on confidence though, having dropped two points to Premier League whipping boys Derby on Wednesday.

Arsene Wenger will likely field the starting XI from the Newcastle game again, with Manuel Almunia in goal. Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Gael Clichy, and the vastly improving Philippe Senderos will make up the back four.

In the midfield Cesc Fabregas, Alex Hleb, and Abou Diaby will try to provide for their forwards. Mathieu Flamini will have a tough time bossing around Blumer Elano and Martin Petrov, but after an incredible performance on Tuesday, the Frenchman will feel up to anything.

Emmanuel Adebayor will most likely start alongside Eduardo again, although Nicklas Bendtner may feature due to his height. Even Adebayor won't be winning too many headers against the huge backline of Manchester City which includes giants Richard Dunne and Vedran Corluka.

Although Micah Richards and the City defense have done an impressive job this season, Arsenal always seem to find a way through, and are likely to do so again this Saturday. Eriksson's squad lacks attacking power up front, and Arsenal's impressive midfield lineup should be able to stifle the contributions of City's top scorer Blumer Elano. This advantage should be enough to keep Arsenal at least level on points with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table. I predict a 2-0 win for the visitors.

Arsenal's January Transfer Window Intentions

Arsene Wenger has announced his intentions for the January transfer window, implying that the Gunners' midfield lineup is adequate, but he would like to bolster Arsenal's defense.

The Gunners boss had early stated that he would not be looking for anyone during the transfer season, saying: "I don’t think I will get anybody in but if I get one opportunity in one area then I will not neglect it."

However, Wenger seems to have changed his stance, cryptically suggesting that he might be in the market for a central defender.

"In midfield we have plenty of players," he said. "The only area we might be a bit short is at the back because we have Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue going to the African Nations Cup.

"We might have Johann Djourou back though. We have the option to recall him."

Currently Arsenal's third choice center back is the error-prone Philippe Senderos, so injuries to Kolo Toure and William Gallas automatically mean a shaky defense.

While I expect Djourou to be an improvement on Senderos while Toure is at the African Cup of Nations, I think that searching for another quality central defender would be wise.

Although it would cost a small fortune to acquire his services, a certain Micah Richards seems to fit the bill.

Adebayor to stay at Arsenal during ACN

The 2008 African Cup of Nations will last from January 20 until February 10, calling up African players from all over the Premiership. Arsenal looked set to lose Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, and Emmanuel Adebayor for that period of time, and there were some concerns that we would be light both up front and in central defense.

However, the effects of the ACN have been dampened by the fact that Togo has failed to qualify. This means that prolific Arsenal striker Adebayor will be staying with his club. It comes as a blow to Togo (and to Adebayor who I'm sure was looking forward to representing his country in the ACN) but Togo's pain is Arsenal's pleasure, and Adebayor staying is a major lift.

We will still struggle in the center of defense without Kolo Toure, though. The Ivorian defender has been incredibly solid at center back, whether partnered with Philippe Senderos or William Gallas. Even with the return of Johann Djourou, Arsenal will be in some serious trouble if Gallas gets injured (as he has managed to do quite often since his transfer from Chelsea) so I hope that the Micah Richards rumors are true.

We will be playing Newcastle, Manchester City, and Blackburn while the African Cup of Nations is going on, and if we can weather the storm, we have a great chance of winning the title.

Arsenal Rumors: Micah Richards

Micah Richards has stated that he would join Arsenal if he were given the chance. The 19 year-old Manchester City defender says that he was an Arsenal supporter when he was younger and that he wouldn't mind joining the ranks of brilliant young gunners.

"I was a big Ian Wright fan when I was younger, so I supported Arsenal," Richards said. "Wright and Patrick Vieira were my idols so yeah, if the opportunity came to play for them one day I'd take it.

"But right now I'm concentrating on trying to keep City in the top half, and we've got the players to do it."

Center back is one of the few positions in which I feel Arsenal need improvement, and Micah Richards would be the perfect candidate to shore up our defense.

At the tender age of 19 Micah Richards has already played fifty games for City, and has seven England caps. He is a strong, versatile defender, and his team spirit is evidenced by the fact that he has already captained the Manchester City side in the absence of Richard Dunne.

Richards would cost a fine sum to bring to Arsenal, but he would be a great replacement for Kolo Toure when the Ivorian leaves for the African Cup of Nations. Without Richards, we would be stuck with only William Gallas, Philippe Senderos, and Johann Djourou at center back. Of these Gallas is the only player deserving of a starting spot, and Richards would therefore be a great addition. Richards would make a great partner for any of our central defenders, thanks to his strength and spirit.

The Manchester City defender has the talent to become one of the best in the world. I say that with Arsenal being the second richest club in the world, and Arsene Wenger's reportedly huge warchest, we would do well to pick up Micah Richards in January no matter his price.