Manchester City extended their winning run to six games by beating Brentford to progress in the Carabao Cup.
Arsenal are already wary of Man City’s building form as the Premier League title race continues to take shape.
If there’s one figure Mikel Arteta won’t want to be isolated with in a title race, it’s Pep Guardiola, having missed out on the title twice to his former colleague in the previous three seasons.
There are strengths and weaknesses between both Arsenal and Man City; however, Guardiola has recently limited one of City’s problems, and it’s a real concern.
Pep Guardiola’s message about Rayan Cherki should really worry Arsenal
One of Arsenal’s title rivals’ biggest frailties is how reliant City are on Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian is responsible for 44% of City’s goals in the Premier League thus far, but it’s becoming clear that the feeling of dependency is shifting.
Haaland earned a rest in the Carabao Cup against Brentford, which allowed his teammates to flourish, one being Rayan Cherki.
Are you getting worried about Man City’s attacking quality? Tell us your thoughts.
Cherki is really finding his groove at City, which should sound alarm bells for Arsenal, as it’s becoming so clear that Guardiola recruited an astronomical talent in the summer.
What Guardiola said after City’s win is worrying, as he suggested that his squad now has another player capable of scoring goals like Phil Foden.
“A blind guy, blind woman can realise, you don’t have to be a journalist or a manager to realise that was a fantastic goal,” Guardiola told the media post-match.
“And so many times with Phil, these types of goals we had before. So happy that it opened the game.”
It’s a cause for concern for Arsenal that City are now able to heavily rotate and impress, indicating that the Gunners aren’t the only side chasing the title with a squad brimming with quality.
Arsenal should’ve tried to sign Cherki
Arteta won’t only be wondering how to stop City, but also why he didn’t try to sign Cherki.
Arsenal should’ve tried to sign Cherki from Olympique Lyonnais in the summer, as a player of his calibre rarely comes around for just £34m.
You can swap Eberechi Eze for Rayan Cherki, are you doing it? If yes, why?
At the time of Cherki’s move to City, it was assumed that Arsenal weren’t in the market for a new number 10, but it became apparent that this wasn’t the case when Eberechi Eze signed.
Eze has impressed in spells at Arsenal, but being five years Cherki’s senior and costing almost double his fee, it has to be pondered why the Gunners didn’t look at the Frenchman further.
What matters is that both Arsenal and City are happy with their purchases, having added quality that only makes the title race more exciting.
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