"Interesting is a word", "A lot of surprises" - Manchester City fans not happy with Pep Guardiola's starting XI vs Arsenal
Pep Guardiola has made some curious choices while selecting the starting XI of Manchester City's clash against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium today (September 22). City currently boast a 100% winning record in the Premier League and are second only to Liverpool (on goal difference). Meanwhile, the Gunners are fifth with three wins and a draw in four games.
The Spanish tactician has gone with Erling Haaland up-front, with Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva, and Savinho in the attack. In the midfield, Manchester City have a double-pivot of Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan. Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, and Josko Gvardiol form the City backline with Ederson in between the sticks.
Fans hopped on to X (formerly Twitter) to discuss Pep Guardiola's selection for the all-important clash. While some were worried about the inclusion of the out-of-form Kyle Walker, others were obsessing over the exclusion of Phil Foden. Some popular reactions on X (formerly Twitter) are as follows:
"Interesting is a word," wrote a fan.
"A lot of surprises. No Foden is a real head-scratcher. Gone very attacking with the wingers, but safer in midfield. Walker starting just worries me," commented another.
"Rodri starts today. Gundogan to arrange that midfield and Bernardo to cook," opined another fan.
A fan predicted Jeremy Doku and Savinho to dominate over Arsenal's Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori in the wings, writing:
"Doku & Savinho on the wings means Timber & Calafiori will suffer today!!"
"Be who is our attacking midfielder??? Benaldo. Why not foden and either Gundo or Benaldo should be bench . Anyway city winning this by 3 goals to 1," predicted another fan on X.
One big exclusion from the lineup is that of Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder sustained an injury during City's Champions League clash against Inter Milan on September 18.
Manchester City's rivalry with Arsenal over the years in numbers
Manchester City have a longstanding rivalry with Arsenal that has intensified over the last few years. The two titans of the Premier League have met each other a total of 211 times across competitions. The Gunners lead the head-to-head record with 99 wins. Manchester City, meanwhile, have won 65 games, with 47 resulting in a draw.
Pep Guardiola's side have been unbeatable lately, and are currently on a 13-game winning streak in the Premier League. However, the last time they dropped points was against Mikel Arteta's side in the 2023-24 Premier League at the Etihad.
Finally, the Gunners boast an outstanding away record in the Premier League, having won 10 out of 11 away league games in 2024. Of those 10, nine have been clean sheets.