Arsenal dropped two points at the death of the Premier League derby against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon at Etihad Stadium.
Many pundits had distinct opinions on Arsenal’s park-the-bus formation in Manchester but we can hardly argue against it given they were playing the entire second half with ten men against the strongest team in the country on the road.
Indeed, Arsenal’s 5-4-0 formation almost brought the Gunners a huge win at Etihad but John Stones notched the goal with the last kick of the game in the eighth minute of added time.
Mikl Arteta’s men return to the EFL Cup duties on Wednesday as they host League One side Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the competition..
Bolton reached this phase by eliminating Mansfield Town and Shrewsbury Town but their win-loss form has been anything but impressive so far in the season.
Bolton are 18th in the League One standings with just two wins in six outings. Such a record is by no means promising ahead of a fixture against one of the best teams in the nation.
Arsenal are still within two points of Manchester City atop the Premier League table. Mikel Arteta will most likely rotate his entire roster for this cup tie.
It should give the likes of Raheem Sterling or Gabriel Jesus a chance to shine in the final third against a struggling third-tier opposition on the home patch.
