Micah Richards has urged Pep Guardiola to recall Kyle Walker in a bid to snuff out the threat of Gabriel Martinelli in tonight’s Premier League summit meeting between Arsenal and Manchester City. Walker has been a pivotal part in the City machine that has enjoyed domestic dominance under Pep Guardiola but has featured less prominently in recent weeks with his manager moving to a novel four-man defence comprised exclusively of nominal centre-halves. Martinelli, meanwhile, has managed to maintain his excellent form despite Arsenal’s drop-off in recent weeks which has seen them draw three consecutive games and surrender the momentum in a fascinating title race. The Brazil international’s is likely to offer one of Arsenal’s best chances of beating City’s notorious press and securing an unlikely victory but Richards believes Walker represents the ideal antidote. The former City defender told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily: ‘The Southampton game was a little bit different [to draws against Liverpool and West Ham], having not played that well and managing to score two late goals.
Richards believes that the pressure is off Arsenal as everyone expects City to win the game and suggests that one way to play against City is on the counter-attack, suggesting that Walker should be recalled to stop Martinelli due to his frightening pace. He believes that Martinelli is often overlooked when discussing Arsenal’s impressive players such as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. Richards’ comments come ahead of a crucial game between two teams vying for the Premier League title, with Arsenal hoping to secure an unlikely victory against Manchester City.