Man City's fortress: Pep Guardiola & Co. welcome Arsenal to Etihad Stadium..
. Europe's toughest venue The long walk through the bowels of the Etihad can feel like impending doom By Jack Gaughan Published: 02:49, 22 September 2024 | Updated: 03:02, 22 September 2024 e-mail View comments The away dressing room feels a little bit removed from the rest of the Etihad Stadium, tucked away down a corridor and away from the hustle and bustle of a Premier League tunnel. Once the bell goes, it's a journey to reach Manchester City 's unique steps, taking players down beyond a corporate area resembling an aquarium, where spectators sporting golden lanyards gawp through one-way reflective glass.
By the time they eventually line up to head out, opponents have already been greeted by a wall-sized canvas of City's Treble trophy lift, the first thing they see when entering the main tunnel area. Just in case they were unaware of what lay before them. For many, this is a long walk to impending doom.
They know what is coming, players privately remarking at how team meetings delivered by their managers in the days prior can sometimes descend into a steady stream of clips evidencing how Pep Guardiola 's destroyed this club and that. It feeds into a mentality that the Etihad is impenetrable and seeps into the psyche. No visiting team has won here since November 2022, when Ivan Toney inspired Brentford to a 2-1 upset just before the mid-season World Cup.
Forty-seven games and counting in all competi.