The aftermath of the battle for the top spot is still unsettled, and a new round of Premier League competition is in flames again.
After the international break, Manchester City's main rivals for the Premier League title, Arsenal, have had a tough three consecutive away games – the Premier League is a north London derby and the top of the table, and the Champions League is against Europa League champions Atalanta. The difficulty has already peaked, but the captain Odegaard and Rice, one injured, the other suspended, can't be counted on.
Strong enemies are around, and the generals are injured...... However, in the case of "external troubles" and "internal worries", the Gunners relied on tenacious and solid defense, as well as corner kick tactics on the verge of fouling, to achieve 1 win, 2 draws, and 2 clean sheets unbeaten - especially in the battle for the top of the table, Arteta's bus almost became a tank, if it were not for the tactics of defensive delay, the Gunners had every chance to reach the top of the table.
However, while the Gunners failed to win the battle at the top of the table and reached the top of the table, they have a bright prospect of regaining the Premier League trophy - Pep Guardiola's baby bump, Manchester City's big waist, and Rodri's season is out of business.
Rodri missed Manchester City's pre-season training due to a hamstring strain at the European Championships, and only made his Premier League debut for the top game, but after only 15 minutes, he turned his right foot out under the collision of Kai Havertz and Thomas, resulting in a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Manchester City struggled to hold on to the top of the table, but sounded the alarm for the whole season - with or without this baby bump, City's record is very different. Statistics show that in the games where Rodri is played, Manchester City's winning rate is as high as 73%; In Rodri's absence, Manchester City have only a 64 per cent win rate; 9 percentage points.
Specific to the Premier League: the winning rate dropped from 74.1% to 61.9%, 12.2 percentage points; The average points per game decreased from 2.37 to 1.90, 0.47, and the average goal difference per game decreased from 1.70 to 1.29, 0.41 goals.
After the international break, Manchester City's schedule is also not easy, and the opponents are not weak, but fortunately, it is three consecutive home games, and there is less tossing and turning. Unfortunately, the Etihad also failed to help Manchester City continue their unstoppable winning streak - with one win and two draws in three home games, despite the two draws, City bombarded more than 60 shots on goal.
In the FA Cup in midweek, Manchester City directly sent a second team to the game, with Rodri's encounter in front, Guardiola had to be cautious, and Arteta was even more desperate, directly sending a group of dolls.
Manchester City will travel to St James' Park to challenge Newcastle in this round, and if it is true that Manchester City think the Gunners are playing dirty, as Stones and Bernardo said, then Newcastle will definitely make Manchester City even more uncomfortable. Since Eddie Howe took over as Newcastle boss, there has been an emphasis on defence, with a few ruthless and hard-nosed "muddy" and thorns in the team, sometimes turning the football field into a gladiatorial arena.
After Newcastle changed hands, Manchester City visited St James' Park several times and played extremely difficult, and this strongest matchup in this round was an early game, which was destined to be difficult.
The Gunners are finally back at the Emirates Stadium to take on the Foxes, who have returned to the Premier League this season. Although the Foxes are no longer what they used to be, this game is a great test of the Gunners' ability to attack the attack - Arteta can not play this game again after three games. Without Odegaard's organizational tandem, how the Gunners stabbed through the Blue Fox's bucket formation is the only thing to watch.
Even so, the Gunners will have much less difficulty winning than Manchester City, and the race for top of the Premier League this season is likely to change after this round. Of course, reaching the top does not necessarily mean the Gunners, and the Red Army, which played the wolves away in this round, is more likely.