City can prove title credentials at The Emirates Stadium

Manchester City head to the Emirates Stadium on Monday night with an opportunity to make a statement to their title rivals. Beating Arsenal would not only progress City’s claims for the top prize, but would also dent the Gunners’ own ambitions.

Further to that, Manchester United have hit a terrible patch of form and their manager Louis Van Gaal is facing mounting pressure from supporters and the media. In some quarters, it is being reported that his is job under threat. Shock defeats against Bournemouth and Watford have left City with an opportunity to pull away from their neighbours; they will be loathe to pass it up.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have been disappointing of late. An injury record that defies belief has taken its toll on the squad; most notably, the absences of captain Vincent Kompany and striker Sergio Agüero have left the Blues looking a shadow of their best.

Whenever Kompany has been out, City have been unable to find an effective centre back pairing. The organisation that the Belgian brings is greatly missed when the Etihad men are forced to do without him; his continued absence is a real concern ahead of the Arsenal match. City have conceded in each of their last seven games and Arsenal have scored eight in their last three. You wouldn’t need to be the most pessimistic supporter to think Pellegrini’s side are likely to concede a goal on Monday.

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but that would mean that the Blues’ attack would need to find the net to stand a chance of taking a point from this tie. They haven’t scored away from home in a Premier League since Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring at Tottenham all the way back in September. That’s three away games without registering – clearly, ending that run will be crucial to their chances of getting a positive result against Arsene Wenger’s men.

City should be helped on that front by the welcome return of Sergio Agüero. The Argentine striker has been absent for the last four matches because of an ankle injury and the Blues have been noticeably worse for it. Wilfried Bony is a good striker and a proven Premier League goalscorer but he just does not appear to be suited to City’s style of play. He rarely works the channels and, in holding the ball up, he is very static. That means that when he then moves the ball on, the space and angles that his teammates want to work in are incredibly narrow.

Nobody can expect Bony to replicate Agüero’s strike rate but he needs to find a way of adapting to his teammates; right now he is restricting the creativity of those around him. Whether Kun is chosen to start or comes off the bench, the news that he is back in the squad will be music to the ears of all Manchester City fans.

With the Blues facing a trip to league leaders Leicester just two games after the Arsenal tie, they can ill afford to fall much further behind. Of course, at this stage of the season, a draw away at a title rival would have to be seen as a positive result, but if Pellegrini and his charges can bring the full three points home then there will be real cause for optimism that City could be holding the Premier League trophy aloft again in May.

Like most of their rivals, City have suffered a stuttering campaign; at times they’ve been magnificent but all-too-often they’ve been average or worse. The Arsenal game represents a real opportunity to make their mark on the season and send a message to the teams around them that the Blues are ready to prove their title credentials. Here’s hoping it’s an opportunity grasped with both hands.