Midway through the season, Manchester City sit two points off Premier League leaders Arsenal with both sides having won 12 of their 17 league games so far. After last season's disappointing campaign, when the club that had won six titles in seven years only secured third place on the final day of the season, and a difficult start to the current campaign that saw them lose two of their opening three games, Pep Guardiola's team have roared back into form.
Arteta is often criticised for playing two centre-backs at full-back, in Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori. Of course, they don't actually function as centre-backs: though both have played there for their respective countries, the pair have license to roam in the final third and contribute massively to Arsenal's attack. By fielding full-backs who are capable of playing centre-back, though, the Gunners not only have a defensive base strong enough to platform their attack, they have two players who can build up in a back three.
