Source: Team_Talk
City cash can't buy Gunners' flash
'Joie de vivre' was the mood which encapsulated the Gunners' display as they provided the entertainment at Everton on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign. Yet for much of the summer, many observers have felt the prospects for Wenger's charges this season are gloomier than the wet British weather.
Certainly their position in the top four has looked vulnerable, with City greedy for success and determined to muscle their way in. Having collected 11 points less in 2008/9 than they managed in the previous season, when only their failure to protect a lead at Old Trafford in April ultimately stopped them becoming champions, Arsenal had taken a step backwards in terms of domestic achievement.
City finished a further 22 points behind Arsenal come May 2009 but looking back over the last 12 months, they have speculated around £175million more than the Gunners, an outlay that includes the acquisitions of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure from the north London club. The question has been - can splashing the cash make up that gap, or will Wenger's methods ultimately keep City off the top table?
While Everton's disjointed defensive display hinted at the disruption caused by City's pursuit of Joleon Lescott, nothing should be taken away from the fluency and flair shown by Arsenal on Merseyside on Saturday. It was evidence of Wenger's DIY
approach, when placed in comparison to City's big spending. The natural exuberance with which Arsenal's youthful midfielders
interchange passes always suggests the benefits of those players having been schooled together on the training ground over a number of years. Their talents have been developed and nurtured; conversely, City are bidding to buy in talent ready-made and blend it together, like Chelsea did five years ago.
Chelsea's major spending spree, which began in summer 2003 and lasted three years, resulted in a 12-point improvement under Claudio Ranieri in the first year and then a further 16-point jump in 2004/5 when Jose Mourinho delivered title glory.
City are trying to emulate that, although they actually accumulated five points less last season than Sven-Goran Eriksson achieved the year before, and not a great deal more than Stuart Pearce had managed in his two campaigns in charge before that.
While results were very good at Eastlands in 2008/9 - 13 wins from 19 games - the damage was done on the road for City, who had a worse away record than relegated Newcastle. The signs are already much more positive following City's steely resolve against an energetic attacking Blackburn side at Ewood Park, and Mark Hughes will now be aiming to retain that balance in the coming weeks and months.
No one can dispute the talent Hughes has amassed - all of his big-money additions are proven Premier League quality - but tweaking his line-up and tactics to find the right formula over a 38-game campaign is another question entirely. The City boss focused on his players' "character" after the win away to Rovers, perhaps fearing that their attitude could be their Achilles heel.
Hughes certainly has some big egos to look after, one of which he took from Arsenal in the form of Adebayor.
Arsenal's team ethic is so ingrained that Wenger's system can sometimes fail to spark when even just one player - and previously, it was often Adebayor - is off his game. With the introduction in the last six months of another potential match-winner in Andriy Arshavin and now a better aerial centre-back in Thomas Vermaelen, Arsenal appear more likely to snatch points when they are not at their best. City will surely suffer much less than the 18 league defeats experienced in 2008/9, but making up 22 points on Arsenal still looks like a tall order. The close bond between the Arsenal players, forged by Wenger, is vital to their success and it could take some time, effort and maybe diplomacy for Hughes to evoke that.
In conclusion, Saturday's show marked a perfect day for the Gunners, while it was also a good one for City. In just a matter of weeks, and after the transfer window has closed, the two sides meet at Eastlands for a fixture the hosts won 3-0 last time round. Both starting line-ups will show around six personnel changes 10 months on; it promises to be a fascinating battle.
Arsenal and Manchester City are taking different paths towards the same goals, and their duel is already one of the key sub-plots of the 2009/10 Premier League season.
