Reputations take a long time to be forged and keeping them intact is even tougher. This can indeed be said about the respective managers of Manchester City and Arsenal who will be facing each other at the dugout, shouting instructions to their players when the two sides meet in a big Barclays Premier League encounter on Saturday.
Arsene Wenger is the archetype of the Arsenal side that has forged its reputation as a team that likes to play sleek, easy to the eye tippy-tappy football. It is indeed surprising to know that before the Frenchman’s arrival, the team’s sporting philosophy was reminiscent of the likes of Bolton, West Ham United and Stoke City of yesteryears. Indeed, enticing the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires made the team what it is today and not once has their manager forced himself to change the philosophy altogether.
However, despite playing good football, the whole message was lost somewhat as the team continued to perform below par, won nothing and became a source of ire and ridicule. Today however, this Gunners side has changed but in a more subtle fashion, attractive football coming with an end product. Now, the Londoners have all of a sudden become darlings of the press and despite finishing second in the Champions League group stages, have won over media.
In a week when they laboured towards a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Napoli, Manchester City did something that no team has done since Kickers Offenbach did back in 1975. Trailing 2-0, Manuel Pellegrini’s men ended winning the game 3-2 against Bayern Munich. Indeed it was a sobering sight for City fans and a team that has more or less lived with the label of never-do-wells.
Anything positive always comes as a result of the riches they have inherited courtesy of their wealthy owners and anything negative is considered a case of spoilt children squandering the silver-spoon-esque position they were given. In short, damned if they do and damned if they do not.
That is one thing that Arsenal fans of old can relate to, a thing that should provide some consolation to the City fans. This team, as clean as a fresh laundered bed sheet, is in stark contrast to the Arsenal sides of the 80s and 90s that were always riled for their tendency to rely on ill-defined tactics to grind out results that always left their opponents feeling steamrolled.
Today’s Gunners side is wondrous to the eye and will play Manchester City knowing that they have to face Pellegrini’s men who are becoming Arsenal’s rivals for the title with each passing week. Moreover, the game happens when both teams await the Champions League draw. With both teams in great form, it will be great to see who they draw in Europe and the draw will indeed be at the back of the minds of both managers who know that the weekend’s confrontation will either enhance or tarnish the reputations of both gentlemen and their respective clubs.
