Some striking parallels between Arsenal and Manchester City have emerged as a result of both teams’ efforts to close the gap between them. After all, Mikel Arteta studied under Pep Guardiola before moving on to the Emirates coaching staff.
The Spaniard is therefore familiar with the flexible mentality that, should Manchester City defeat Inter Milan in this Sunday’s Champions League final, would give them the notorious triple.
The act of imitating such perfection is not wrong.
While both clubs deploy inverted wing backs and want to exert complete control over a game, the difference between them truly comes down to the calibre of their players and the depth of their rosters. It’s amazing to believe that only last summer, the north London team tried to lure Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko away from the Etihad but ultimately failed to keep up with their rivals.
Therefore, if they want to challenge effectively, they may need to start replicating their genuinely unmatched assets in order to obtain their own version of players like Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne.
Given that rumours in Spain continue to link Edu with a move for the €30 million (£26 million) star Gabri Veiga, it’s possible that Edu has already found their own version of the Belgian in the latter. Despite being young and quite raw, he has demonstrated the incredible potential that implies he very well may be developed to a level close to the illustrious 31-year-old.
Could Gabri Veiga at Arsenal imitate Kevin De Bruyne?
The former VFL Wolfsburg magician’s three main strengths are passing, goalscoring, and dynamic work rate, with the first two best demonstrated by his ten goals and absurd 31 assists in all competitions this season.
kevin-de-bruyne-manchester-city
In reality, the £400k per week genius has contributed to 248 goals in 355 appearances since his £54.4m arrival to Manchester in 2015. Given his consistently high standards, it is hardly surprising that Jamie Redknapp, a commentator, named him “the greatest” Premier League midfielder back in April.
Veiga may be intimidated by the idea of trying to emulate this, but his work for a failing Celta Vigo team has shown that he is capable of being considered in the same sentence. The 21-year-old has scored 11 goals and provided assists on another four, earning the label “dangerous” from journalist Euan McTear.
According to FBref, the talented kid is in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty goals, the top 2% for overall shots, the top 12% for successful take-ons, and the top 11% for touches in the offensive penalty area, all per 90. Despite his youth, he is an effective offensive commander.
It is one thing to perform admirably in his position when compared to others across the continent, but according to FBref, De Bruyne ranks in the top 3% for non-penalty goals, the top 3% for total shots, the top 13% for successful take-ons, and the top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90.
The talent gap is not as great as it may appear; journalist Rimedi even praised him by referring to him as a “baby Kaka.”
Veiga’s potential is clearly unbounded when compared to a famous playmaker like the Brazilian in this way. If Edu were to make this shift under Arteta, he may perhaps emerge as the crucial creative component required to defeat City and channel De Bruyne.
