Will Arsenal bail themselves out against Man City?
Arsenal enter the match against Manchester City at their lowest ebb since Arsene Wenger took over reigns some 20 years ago.
Placed on sixth position with 50 points from 27 games, they are 19 points behind leaders Chelsea and seven behind their opponents (City) who are on third position with 57 points.
Since January 31, they have won only one league match against Hull City but have lost the other four against Watford (0-2), Chelsea (1-3), Liverpool (1-3), West Brom (3-1).
They were booted out of Champions League with a humiliating 10-2 aggregate loss to Bayern Munich. Their only reprieve is winning against non-leaguers Lincoln to secure an FA Cup semi-final berth against Man City at Wembley on April 22.
Calls for Wenger’s resignation have now reached deafening levels. But the man in charge looks confident to secure Arsenal a Champions League finish. Looking at Arsenal log position, it seems a tall order that Arsenal will crawl back to fourth position.
Apart from a run of bad results, stars Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez are unsettled. And the international break has also affected some of the players. I will not be surprised if Arsenal lose tomorrow against Man City as fate appears conspiring against them.
The only respite is that Man City are not playing better this season. They have been inconsistent like Arsenal. They have been booted out of Champions League as well. And their only realistic chance of silverware is through the FA Cup which they will play against Arsenal. So, this is a dress rehearsal of the FA Cup semi-final.
So, we have two inconsistent teams trying to salvage something from a season that has already gone haywire. I predict a draw or a Man City victory tomorrow.
The other big one is the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and old rivals Everton. Injury to right back Seamus Coleman is a setback to Ronald Koeman but in Romelu Lukaku they have a striker capable of scoring against any defence.
Liverpool are enjoying a quick recovery since losing against Leicester City in February. On fourth position with 56 points, The Reds know they cannot afford to lose ground now and given their better form against the top six teams, I fear for Everton.
On paper, my team Manchester United have an easy match today against West Brom but this is a West Brom side that humiliated Arsenal in the most brutal manner with a 3-1 victory. United should prepare thoroughly for this match because any slip will give Arsenal a chance to crawl back to fourth.
Congratulations to Gerard Phiri for being appointed head coach of the national team. The brutal truth is that his club career as a coach has not been impressive. But you have to consider the fact that he was with a club that had little ambitions in the way of resources and investment. So, this is an opportunity for him to show he belongs there in the top.
And I hope he will be given time to groom a team before we start demanding results.
