Manchester City vs Bournemouth live updates: Premier League game team news, predictions and more
Rodri has not been able to return from the knee injury that wrecked his 2024-25 season and stay fit for any length of time yet. He is fundamental to this team’s balance and flow.
Without him, City are going to find it difficult to find consistency of selection or performance. At times, they have looked defensively fragile, albeit far less than around this time last year.
Until they solve those issues, it feels like Arsenal are going to be too strong. Arteta’s men could even break Chelsea’s record for fewest goals conceded this season.
It can be argued whether Arsenal’s ceiling is as high as City’s, but their floor is certainly much higher. That should mean that this time, with no other team likely to post a points total above 90, the title is finally theirs.
The data underlines that City have never relied on Haaland this much and title-winning teams generally boast a healthier spread of goalscorers. 11 Arsenal players have found the net, the most in the league.
