Former Manchester United star Wayne Rooney believes that Arsenal only have one player in the squad that is capable of stopping Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. It comes as the Gunners prepare for a trip to the Etihad Stadium in a huge clash between the two sides in the Premier League title race.
Mikel Arteta and his side lead proceedings, sitting top of the league by five points, however it isn't as plain sailing as it may first appear. City hold two games in hand, which could see them leapfrog Arsenal, while the north London outfit are on the back of three consecutive draws in the league.
The latest was a shock 3-3 result against Southampton that saw plenty of players looking dejected on the pitch before their trip north in midweek. "At the end, empty," Arteta said in reflection. "It was a very emotional game, I’m disappointed that we didn’t get the three points.
READ MORE: Man City star Erling Haaland fires two-word response to Arsenal's draw with Southampton
"After all that happened in the game I still believe that we deserved them. We have to look in the mirror. We gave three easy goals away again. When that’s the case it’s really difficult to win this league."
Despite the reaction from many, it is still very much in Arsenal's hands still, though it will now likely require a result against City next Wednesday. In contrast, they are in ideal form, with Haaland still consistently wreaking havoc before facing a side that have been gifting goals at the back.
Rooney believes that only one player can stop the striker, but it may be a star that is unavailable for the tie as he told the Times: "How do they stop Erling Haaland? With William Saliba injured, there’s no prospect of matching his pace and power individually, and the only way is to go out and try to impose their own game.
"City can be vulnerable when you hit them in the transition and you saw it against Bayern Munich, particularly when Leroy Sane should have scored after Bayern won possession and broke on them. These are the opportunities you can get against City, and Arsenal have the players to capitalise in a way that Bayern didn’t - the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.
"Arsenal should focus on how to expose those City defenders rather than focus too much on Haaland. The mindset needs to be: nobody thought we’d be here, and now we’re playing for the title – so let’s go and take it. If they go with that positive approach, it’ll be a great game. If they sit back and wait? Do that against City and you die a slow death.
"City are exceptional and cannot be contained, so it’s about what they can do in attack themselves, and about having no regrets."
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