Arsenal legend tells Mikel Arteta one major tactical change he must make to beat Manchester City
Emmanuel Petit says Arsenal must go into the match with a winning mentality when they play Manchester City on Sunday.
The two clubs have met in the Premier League title race over the past two seasons, with Pep Guardiola's side beating his former assistant Mikel Arteta on both occasions.
Arsenal have not won at Manchester City in either season, with many fans and pundits citing this as a key disappointment in the Gunners' bid for a first title in over 20 years.
They drew 0-0 last season but Arsenal legend Petit has urged his former club not to try for a draw this time.
Asked by talkSPORT how Arsenal should play at the Etihad Stadium, he said: “I don’t want to see the same game I saw last season at the Etihad, where they defended… it was unbelievable. The way they did.” Against the Spurs They defended very well yesterday.
“They didn't give an inch on the pitch. They didn't give Manchester City any chance to score a goal.
“But with Erling Haaland, he is at the top (of the world).
“So if you want to go there and you want to contribute something, you need to achieve something different than what happened last season.
“We’ll see who gets injured. I think (Martin) Odegaard is still injured. But I think we have to go there with the mentality ready to win.”
Petit then went on to compare Arsenal's necessary game plan against their title rivals to his team's approach, the Gunners, against Manchester United during their peak rivalry years.
And his former Arsenal team-mate Martin Keown, who was also in the studio, knew exactly what he was going to say before he could finish his sentence.
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Speaking about the Gunners' 1-0 win at Old Trafford in 1998 that put them on course for the title, Keown said: “Did you know that goal was the first we scored at Old Trafford since the Premier League was created?
“We hadn't scored for six years.
“It doesn’t matter if we win a game, but you passed that on to the rest of the group, right? OK, we did it. We did something great. And I think that’s what this team can do.”
Arsenal snatched the Premier League title from Manchester United that season.
Now, 26 years later, the Gunners are hoping to do the same with Manchester City, starting by beating them on their own turf.
Champions City lead the Premier League with a maximum of 12 points from four games this season, followed by second-placed Arsenal after ten games.
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