The True Test of Emery's Arsenal Awaits After Break

Unai Emery has been bringing back some of that old magic at the Emirates but Arsenal are yet to pass their greatest test

After a disastrous 2017/18 season where Arsenal made their worst ever finish under Arsene Wenger, expectations weren't all that high for the Gunners as they were expected to struggle under a new manager who would be tested against rivals with a wealth of experience with at least three or more seasons with their respective teams.

At the start of the season it looked to be the case as Arsenal lost their opening two fixtures of the season. 

However, since then, under Unai Emery, the Gunners went on an unprecedented winning run.

Arsenal won 11 successive matches in all competitions and despite that winning run ending at Crystal Palace, Arsenal are undefeated in 16 matches in all competitions.

However, Emery's men have won just one of their last four matches and given they've drawn three successive games against Wolves, Sporting and Liverpool Arsenal need to step their game up when the league resumes after the international break.

Arsenal are only three points off North London rivals Tottenham, who face Chelsea when the league resumes the following week, and take on Bournemouth with a chance to close the gap on their local rivals.

What follows, will be two season defining matches when they take on Tottenham and Manchester United in back-to-back matches.

Arsenal have been poor against the teams around them in past seasons which has subsequently meant the difference between winning the league and playing in the Champions League. With their fall from grace over the last two seasons, there is no doubt as to what will be Arsenal's biggest stumbling block to once again sit at the table among Europe's elite.

Arsenal's record against the top six sides has been torrid and going back to their performances over the last two seasons up until now, the Gunners have won only 3 matches out of 23 against the league's big hitters.

One positive heading into their matches against Spurs and United though is that they're not exactly facing the cream of the crop when it comes to the teams in the big six.

Spurs despite making a strong start to the season, haven't been without their flaws as they've been digging out results often edging matches with one goal margin victories.

Manchester United on the other hand, are still yet to find their best form and currently sit eighth after their defeat to champions Manchester City last Sunday.

Picking up points or winning both matches will go a long way in Arsenal regaining a place in the top four again, but in the case of both matches they could also prove to be the day where Arsenal are finally found out.

No Doubt About Dembele's Future At Barcelona

Despite being criticized in the news recently, Ousmane Dembele's agent insists the Frenchman won't be leaving Barcelona any time soon

Last Friday Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele made the news with reports that the 21 year-old went AWOL after missing practice and the club was unable to get into contact with him for two hours.

It was later clarified that Dembele had been suffering from an illness, but this hasn't put an end to rumours about the Frenchman being unsettled after reports that senior team players at Barcelona had grown frustrated with Dembele.

According to reports in Spain, the world cup winner has been having off field issues with Dembele reportedly showing up late for practice which has led to rumours of a possible exit from the Nou Camp for the Frenchman.

However, according to his agent, Moussa Sissoko there should be no doubts about his future with the Catalans.

"There is no doubt about his future, at all, Ousmane continues to work, he is in a big club and Valverde loves him, and he is also in the national team and Deschamps continues to trust him,"

"If he is with France today it is because he deserves it, I also spoke with Eric Abidal and he told me that he is very happy with him, that he is training very well."

"It is true that Ousmane was sick" Sissoko said. ‘He had not slept all night, he was very tired."

Sissoko also went on to address last week's events by going into detail what he believes happened.

"He missed the morning training and what the club has blamed us is that he did not warn a little before that a doctor can see his mismanagement at home. He did it a little late. 

"But he was sick, the club confirmed he had a [gastrointestinal illness], he missed the training because of that. And I am surprised that we also make controversy when he is sick."

Red Devils Legend Praises Man City, Believes They Are Unbeatable

Man United legend Paul Scholes has been singing Man City's praises

Leading up to this week's international break defending Premier League champions Manchester City currently sit top of the log following a 3-1 win over local rivals Manchester United.

The Cityzens are currently unbeaten and even though they lead Liverpool, who are also unbeaten, by two points there is a sense that City will have too much for Jurgen Klopp's team.

City have won 10 of their opening games only dropping points against league new comers Wolves and Liverpool, but in the time since then they've looked incredible.

The English champions have been so impressive that even former Manchester United players have been singing their praises. Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast former Red Devils defender Gary Neville believes that although he expects Liverpool to challenge City for the title, he sees the title race as a foregone conclusion with the Cityzens finishing as league champions.

Another Manchester United player and legend, Paul Scholes, took it a step further saying that he sees the defending champions seeing out the season undefeated.

“The more you look at the City team, I don't see where they're going to get beat," Scholes said.

The United legend also agrees with Neville on Liverpool being the main opposition, but sees City having too many things going for them to be caught.

"I think Liverpool will probably be the closest, but I just think they [City] are that good, they are in control."

Ilkay Gundogan came off the bench to put the game beyond United's reach and Scholes alluded to the champions strength in depth as another reason we could see Pep Guardiola's men even surpass Arsenal's 2004 Premier League winning side, the 'Invincibles'.

"You look at the bench as well today. Jesus, not brought on, a brilliant centre-forward, Gundogan, they bring on, scores a goal. They've just got quality in every position.

"I think if they are at it every game, they won't lose a game."

Gary Neville: The Only Team That Can Stop Man City

Man City have been in scintillating form since last season which raises the question: is there anyone capable of stopping them?

Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City went back to the top of the league with a comprehensive 3-1 win over Manchester United in last night's Manchester derby and at the moment look on course to repeat their title winning feats from last season.

In winning last night City looked streets ahead of Jose Mourinho's Red Devils and its becoming clearer that City are starting to peak at the right time and heading into the Christmas period, City could go on to produce another terrific run which could see them runaway with title once again.

City do indeed look unstoppable, however, former Manchester United defender and Premier League winner Gary Neville believes only one team has what it takes to reel in the defending champions.

Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast the United legend discussed the dominance the Cityzens have had on the league and how the title race may go.

"Winning one league is an achievement, winning back-to-back titles makes you a great team and Man City are on the brink of that.”

No team has managed to win successive league titles since Alex Ferguson guided Manchester United to three consecutive title victories between 2006 and 2009.

“At this moment in time, I only feel like Liverpool can stop them.I think Chelsea are a little bit short, I’ve thought that from day one and I think Chelsea will just fall short.”

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool overcame struggling Fulham in a 2-0 win and temporarily took top spot before City's victory over United. The Reds currently sit two points off the log leaders and look ready to live up to the expectations of being City's main opposition this season.

Third placed Chelsea played to a goalless draw against Liverpool's city rivals Everton as the Blues were missing their sharp edge higher up the field.

“They’re doing well, they’ve started the season well under Sarri and the football’s flowing and they look like they’re a happy bunch again. But I still think that if anyone can stop City, it can only be Liverpool.”

Neville also expressed that while he expects Liverpool to push City for the title, he sees the defending champions having too much in their locker for the Reds.

"The problem for Liverpool is that it doesn’t look like anyone can lay a glove on City, that’s the problem they’ve got."

“Liverpool have grown enormously in this last 12 to 18 months. The biggest change has been the defensive difference and the introduction of Van Dijk. The front three we’ve known about for 18 months, the introduction of Van Dijk has meant they look a formidable defensive team. With him there, they’ve got someone that can anchor the defence."

The Most Frightening Facts About Manchester City

Manchester City celebrate on their way to a 3-1 win over rivals Manchester United 

On Sunday Manchester City came away as the victors in a 3-1 win over fiercest rivals, Manchester United, in a match that not only showed the gulf in class between the two giants, but also how far ahead City are compared to the rest of the league.

In toppling United, champions City earned their seventh straight win in all competitions since their draw against title challengers Liverpool. 

Since their stalemate at Anfield, City have only failed to score three goals or more just once as Spurs were the only team to run them close.

Along with last night's match City have now scored a total of 26 goals in seven matches while conceding just 3.

As if that wasn't impressive enough, Manchester City have won 15 of the 18 matches they've played in so far this season and the world should be on notice of how exceptional Pep Guardiola's project at the Manchester club has been.

City may be just two points ahead of their closest title rivals, but what can't be denied is their dominance in the league as the Cityzens have been posting ridiculous numbers in the last few months.

April was the last time the defending champions lost a match in the league. That came in the form of their surprise come back loss against Manchester United, and since then City have put together an unbeaten run which stretches across 18 league matches where they've won 15 games scoring 52 goals and conceding just 8 in the process.

What's been most frightening about City in the current season is that even without their best player, with Kevin De Bruyne out injured, there seems to be little to no effect on the team's performances in his absence.

The Belgian was instrumental in City's Centurion title winning season as he was involved in nearly 30 goals scored by City last season. De Bruyne has been absent for most of this season and the fact City haven't lost a step in his absence sends out a message for the rest of the league.

In the 27 year-old's absence last summer's signing Bernardo Silva has slotted seamlessly into a midfield role and has been inspired form so far this season.

The Portuguese has shown his quality coming in from playing out wide and in the middle has shown his quality as he played an instrumental role in last night's win providing two assists.

This goes to show the difference between City and the rest of the big boys as their rivals have shown signs of being unable to maintain good performances when their best players are not in form or are unavailable.

3 Reasons Real Madrid Have a Bright Future Ahead of Them

Hailed as the "new Neymar" Brazilian wonder Vinicius Junior has been backed to be Madrid's next superstar 

Real Madrid have been making the headlines regularly this season as Los Blancos first saw talisman Cristiano Ronaldo depart for Turin as the Portuguese superstar made a summer move to European rivals Juventus.

Madrid were then unable to find a suitable replacement for Ronaldo as primary targets Neymar and Kylian Mbappe proved to be beyond their reach.

They then had to miss out on Chelsea ace Eden Hazard as the Londoners slapped a £ 200 million transfer fee for the Belgian.

On top of that they've faced a tough opening to the new season as they saw coach Julen Loptegue, who was controversially appointed in the summer, shown the exit door following a humiliating 5-1 loss against their old enemy Barcelona.

Real have made somewhat of a come back in recent weeks winning back-to-back matches in La Liga and the Champions League.

And from what they've learned with Ronaldo's departure, Madrid have taken steps to ensure their future as a force in club football by securing the next generation of Real Madrid stars by signing three exceptional young talented players.

In the summer 18 year-old prodigy Vinícius Junior made his move from Brazilian giants Flamengo.

At the age of 16 the Brazilian had already caught the eye of Los Blancos and will look to emulate the exploits of fellow Brazilian Neymar by making his mark in La Liga albeit in the white of Real Madrid.

Joining him in the summer will be another Brazilian youngster Rodrygo who currently plies his trade with Santos in Brazil.

The 17 year-old has found the back of the net seven times so far playing for Brazilian superstar Neymar and all time great Pele's boyhood club.

He will officially join Real Madrid in the summer of 2019.

The third of Madrid's future stars is also a South American, but instead of another Brazilian its Argentine Exequeil Palacios who plays for South American giants River Plate in Argentina.

The midfielder is highly rated and even got a stamp of approval from Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

He will also join Los Blancos next summer.

From the looks of things the future looks to be bright for Real Madrid as they are working with the future in mind where instead of paying through the nose for the best players, they now look to make their own stars through their development structures.

What's The Next Move For Alexis Sanchez?

Struggling Alexis Sanchez has found a move to Manchester United hard to handle and has a decision to make about his future

If anything else Alexis Sanchez's current predicament at Manchester United goes to show that the grass isn't always greener on the other side as the Chilean has struggled in his new surroundings at Old Trafford.

In January Sanchez made the change to Manchester United thinking it would be a move in the right direction as the Red Devils would give him the chance to win trophies, and play the game at the highest level under one of the best managers in the world with Jose Mourinho.

However, events haven't unfolded as hoped for the Chilean as his time under the starry lights of the Theatre of Dreams have been a nightmare.

The Chilean has just a solitary goal to show for United this season, but despite looking better in recent matches the four goals he's scored for United this year don't justify the huge wages he currently earns at the Red Devils.

Sanchez is said to earn as much as £ 400 000 per week at Old Trafford and given how he's performed so far only adds to the pressure for him to deliver on Manchester United's investment.

But in the midst of reports that he is having off field issues, Sanchez might not deliver at all on the promise he showed in his time with Arsenal.

What also has been telling about his time in Manchester is that there isn't a defined role for him in the team as he's been played in a number of different positions.

He's currently playing at centre forward right now in Romelu Lukaku's absence, but he was at his best at Arsenal coming in from the left.

That position though is occupied by Anthony Martial who has been instrumental in keeping United afloat this season. 

Looking back at his decision to join Manchester United in the first place, you can see how wrong he was in choosing the Red half of Manchester instead of the blue of his old mentor Pep Guardiola.

Sanchez could have had the career he dreamed of winning trophies and making history if he'd chosen Manchester City instead of letting the allure of more zeroes on his cheques be the motivating factor to move to a bigger team.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, Sanchez is reportedly looking to make a move to Paris Saint-Germain but given his high wages and the fact that the French giants already have Angel Di Maria, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe it will be interesting to see if his move to the French giants does materialize.

If he does go on to join Le Parisiens he will be in good company joining the likes of Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay and Radamel Falcao, as players who've seen their careers take a left turn with Manchester United and had to reestablish themselves in Ligue 1.

Or he could take the other option of resuscitating his career in England over the next few weeks, and he won't get a better chance to do that than tomorrow's big showdown against log leaders and defending champions Manchester City.