After Gael Clichy had creditably offered a strong defence of his former manager Arsene Wenger, insisting he could still be the “perfect” man for Arsenal and that dissenting fans should be careful what they wish for, there was one obvious question: if the Manchester City full-back thinks that, why did he leave the Emirates in 2011?

Clichy smiled at the question but also slightly evaded it, while talking about the different profiles of the two clubs.

“Yeah, but it’s a different club,” Clichy said of City. “It’s a club that is growing year after year, new players will be coming next year, and the club is growing year after year. It’s a different club, Arsenal is a club who brings players at 16 for free and perhaps sell them six years later, 50 million. I’m not sure City is capable of doing this at the moment, they will eventually, because that’s what they want, they want to be complete all around the club, it’s not just the first team.

Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Arsenal Petr Cech 6 out of 10 His goal was shielded ably by Arsenal’s backline, but when called upon he was not found wanting, saving well down low from De Bruyne early on. He might, though, have done better for Toure’s goal. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Bellerin 6 out of 10 Back to his best at both ends, particularly putting in a tidy shift defensively where he cut out several attempts to spread the play out wide. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Mertesacker 7 out of 10 Dominant in the air throughout. City had plenty of corners but with Mertesacker in the area Arsenal never looked threatened. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Koscielny 7 out of 10 Set the tone as early as the third minute when he whipped the ball off Aguero’s feet as he looked to break. Bar one miskick in the first half this was excellent from Koscielny, who tidied up loose passing from City well. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Monreal 6 out of 10 Solid in defence and valuable in attack just like his compatriot at the other end. Early on he let De Bruyne break too often but he soon fixed that. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Flamini 6 out of 10 Took it upon himself to stick to Silva throughout and so he deserves credit for the tough time City’s playmaker had. At times he can be bypassed too easily on the counter attack but his organisation of the backline was critical. Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Ramsey 7 out of 10 All the questions around Ramsey ahead of the game were about his defensive game; he answered them in style time and again. His tackle count may not be the highest, but he was always back doing his duty. In the second half he embraced his licence to bomb on against City’s diffident backline and could have had a goal. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Campbell 8 out of 10 A 40 yard sprint to add ballast to defence in an early City counter typified everything that has been good about Campbell. Committed at both ends of the field he brought perfect balance to the lineup, whilst his understanding with Bellerin improves by the day. Deserved a goal to seal a man of the match display. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Ozil 8 out of 10 Of course he registered yet another pair of assists, even though the City midfield attempted to surround him from minute one to minute 90. His eye for a pass was yet again sublime as he offered further proof he could be relied on in the biggest games. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Walcott 7 out of 10 He’s not in the side to track back. Nor to add to the build-up. Or to press the opposition. Wenger picked him because given a half-chance he will probably hit the target, as he showed quite emphatically for the opening goal. What more could be asked of him? 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Giroud 7 out of 10 An exemplary display of what a target man should do in the modern age. He relished aerial battles with Mangala and Otamendi but brought his team-mates into the game equally well when he had the ball at his feet. Another goal capped off a fine display. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Hart 7 out of 10 Equipped himself rather well considering the porous nature of his backline, as time and again he was called upon to make close-range saves when his team-mates allowed opponents to burst through. Might have done better for the second goal though, when Giroud fired through his legs. Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Sagna 5 out of 10 After so many years at the Emirates you might have thought Sagna would know not to allow Walcott to cut in on to his right, but that’s what he allowed him to do. Though Arsenal rarely attacked down the left when they did they got plenty of joy against a slow Sagna. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Otamendi 4 out of 10 He lacks for nothing except application, and it showed tonight as Giroud found that simply wanting the ball more than his disinterested opponent would ensure he won it. On one occasion he seemed to simply fall over rather than bother competing with Giroud. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Mangala 4 out of 10 At times this was a display of staggering incompetence from a player valued at over £30 million just a year ago. They’d do well to get a tenth of that after a display in which he gave the ball away in critical areas time and again, contributing decisively to Arsenal’s second. Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Kolarov 6 out of 10 A decent display, at least compared to his team-mates. He bombed forward with purpose and did his best to repel the dangerous double-act of Bellerin and Campbell. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings De Bruyne 6 out of 10 A performance packed with bright moments but hardly game-changing ones, for instance when he burst through on Cech’s goal before dragging his shot wide when Silva was well-placed. An almost anti-Walcott display; lots of possession, minimal output. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Toure 5 out of 10 City’s engine room was running on fumes tonight. Though his running looked like that of an injured man he might then at least have focused his attentions on defence, but too often he allowed failed to keep up with Ozil. In many ways his goal only served to enhance the frustration he brought, why wait 80 minutes to do something so brilliant? Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Fernandinho 5 out of 10 On so many occasion he seemed to be caught out from behind by an Arsenal player challenging from the ball as he was one of several players to not show the required intensity for a top of the table match. He scarcely moved from the middle third of the pitch in attack or defence. 2015 Getty Images Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Delph 5 out of 10 No surprise whatsoever that he was hooked off at half-time. Pellegrini had said his role was to offer cover down the left, but he never tamed Bellerin’s forward runs and was muscled off the ball by Campbell. 2015 The Arsenal Football Club Plc Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Silva 5 out of 10 Not the only player to look lacking in match sharpness; even his famed passing was off the mark too often. Well-tracked by Flamini but he never forced the issue by dropping deep or moving wide. Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings Aguero 5 out of 10 Despite several days of first-team training he did not look remotely fit enough for this game and was overpowered and quite easily managed by Mertesacker and Koscielny, though in his defence his team-mates gave him little to work with. 2015 Getty Images

“They want to go [develop] the woman’s team, they want to go the academy so like I said it’s a club that is growing year after year but Arsenal is a special club because of what they are doing. You can’t compare any club in England and of course the fan and the people will say that trophies is what matters in football, and I cannot come back with anything [to say]…”

The frustration with City, however, is that they have not quite been what they should be as a team this season. There have been flashes of brilliance, some supreme performances and generally excellently slick attacking play in every game but yet still something unconvincing and ever so slightly underwhelming about them - or, at least, compared to what should fairly be expected of a coach with the record and approach of Pep Guardiola.

Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal almost summed up their season: a brilliant start, a curious pronounced drop-off, some supreme football, wasted chances and then just the general sense that they should have done more. But, given that offers enough evidence that there is something good evolving at City, how do the players feel? How far do they feel are they off getting to the level Guardiola clearly wants.



“It is a new way,” Clichy explained. “It is not just football it is also outside football, his philosophy is extremely based on details so of course you need time to adapt. Also, you have to think that he didn't bring many players in so in the second year he will be able to being it players that he feels can improve the team.

“Once you have this I believe the team will be stronger. Our duty is to try and listen to what he asks and perform the best we can and I think we are doing good but when you don't get the three points you know it could have been better.”

“[Against Arsenal] they had chances, we had chances. I think we hit the post a few times. It is a hard place to come and they had a point to prove to their fans. I think we started the game well and for some reason we just dropped a little bit after the goal [by Leroy Sane]. Some players were coming back from international duty so you always have that feeling where after 20 minutes everybody gets a little bit down. The boss told us that we had to push on in the second half because he felt we did not play well enough in the first half. We tried to do it, we had some chances and it is a good point to have. But we could have had the three points even... It was one of those things where you felt you could have got more from the game than just one point.”

Clichy is in a distinctive position, both literally and figuratively, in that he is an out-and-out defender in a Guardiola team. So, what is that like? Is criticism of City’s defending fair?

“There is always room for improvement. Football is a game where everyone has their own opinion. When you concede goals of course you have people saying you can be better, but football is more than just defending and attacking, it is 11 players, 15 players, all together and sometimes you have things that go against you like hitting the post today or maybe the penalty, and then it is a different game. Of course there is room for improvement and if people think that then we have to try and correct it, we know what we are doing correct and what we are doing less good… the fact we aren’t losing is important. You have some moments where you cannot win and sometimes lose games. As long as we don’t lose I will say it’s a positive thing but we need to get the points because like we’ve seen so many times over the years, the title race isn’t over until the last day when finally you cannot get anymore points.”

They can prove that on Wednesday by claiming the type of win that could genuinely transform the title race, and the entire season. If City can go to Stamford Bridge and make it two successive league defeats for Chelsea, after their 2-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace, so much will look so different.

“That is why we love England,” Clichy says. “We are not here to say it is the best league in Europe but in terms of the challenge you cannot just think ‘the next game we are playing them and we can rest some players.’