Premier League champions Manchester City begin their title defence away to Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola speaks highly of new Gunners boss Unai Emery but won’t be pulling any punches at the Emirates Stadium.
Here’s a couple of key tactics the Catalan may utilise to secure a winning start.
FULL-BACKS’ FORAYS
Unlike his spell at Barcelona, Guardiola doesn’t encourage his full-backs to operate as auxiliary wingers at City. Instead, they were often seen tucking in to make sure the Citizens always had the numerical advantage in midfield.
That also serves to guard against the counter-attack – a ploy Arsenal will no doubt use. Walker’s forays forward last season often saw him bombing down the inside channels – ‘underlapping’ the winger if you will – and linking up with team-mates around the box. In the fit Benjamin Mendy, City have a similar if not greater threat on the opposite side.
With Arsenal working overtime to track midfield runners, the late runs of City’s full-backs can do the damage instead. Walker may get the opportunity to overlap more often on Sunday though with Riyad Mahrez cutting in from the right.
SWITCH OF PLAY
Guardiola likes to keep his side’s passes limited to within three metres during their build-up play and when that sort of possession is focus on one side, it sucks the opposition in, leaving them vulnerable to the switch.
With Mahrez operating from the right flank and Bernardo from the right side of central midfield, the switch to the left is very much on.
Leroy Sane has developed a knack for darting in behind the defence and could be played clean through in these scenarios while Mendy’s desire to get forward could see him get on the end of these dangerous switch of plays as well.