**Arsenal**are going to war on Sunday afternoon, April 20 as they travel to the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City are the last team that can take the Premier League crown away from them after a 22-year drought, but the Gunners appear to be losing firepower at a critical moment. Winning just one of their last five fixtures across all competitions, they have exited the **FA Cup**quarter-final, lost the Carabao Cup final to the Citizens and allowed their fellow contenders to cut their lead to six points.
For too long, **Pep Guardiola**has given his old protégé the run-around, and his players know it. It is time for the table toppers to renew their fighting spirit, and one player should lead them by example.
A recruit held back in reserve
The recruitment in the summer transfer window was meant to strengthen a squad strained by injuries to its whole right sided trio and a reliance on Bukayo Saka for consistent quality in the final third. The defensive unit remained the outstanding asset of the team, hardly being a priority for most fans.
Yet, the obsession with bringing in options for the backline continued. As well as a second choice shot stopper, the board backed Mikel Arteta with the addition of two more defenders. The second of those was Piero Hincapie, who arrived on a season-long loan with an option to buy for a fee of £45 million.
Hincapie had to wait for his opportunity in the limelight. The **Ecuador**international made his debut as a late second half substitute against Athletic Club in mid-September, and his next batch of playing time did not arrive until deep in the second half against Crystal Palace at the end of the next month.
However, Arteta stated strong confidence in the player’s quality as he was integrating into the group.
"He's a warrior. He's going to bring such intensity, physicality, and emotion to the team as well.”
The winter would mark the beginning of his time in the starting eleven: Gabriel Magalhaes suffered an injury on international duty for Brazil, so Hincapie had to fill in next to William Saliba. An injury for the Frenchman then meant minutes next to Jurrien Timber and Cristhian Mosquera in central defence. However, by the end of December, both first choice central defenders were back. Inevitably, injuries began to plague **Riccardo Calafiori**once more, and Hincapie had to slot in as a left back.
For all the Italian’s value in the final third, striking up a strong tandem with Leandro Trossard, his health has been a persistent problem since the move from **Bologna**in 2024. Hincapie has held down his position admirably as the latest attempt at finding a fullback/centre back tweener by the manager.
The soldier who stepped up
From the first moment he stepped onto the pitch for Arsenal, Hincapie has brimmed with intensity in his efforts. His final third quality can be a little hit-and-miss, but there is no shortage of willingness to gallop up and down the left side of the pitch, constantly capable of carrying forwards with positive first touches.
Arteta has particular demands of his fullbacks that force them into more central spaces, and that chemistry can take time to meld. As time has passed, his better characteristics have been clearer.
The Ecuadorian coolly converted his first goal for the Gunners to double their advantage at the Molineux Stadium in what would turn out to be a 2-2 draw. Fears of an oncoming collapse were delayed a little longer thanks to that emphatic 4-1 victory in the North London derby: a display where the fullback demonstrated confidence in ball distribution to drive the attacks on the left.
As games have gotten more stretched for the side in the spring without the same solidity and control from the first half of the season, the recovery running power of the defender has also become vital.
Indeed, the presence of Hincapie has indicated a left sided trio that Arteta could lean into for the final weeks of the campaign. Declan Rice remains the standard bearer in the midfield unit while Hincapie has the athletic and aggressive tendencies to double down on the defensive strength on this flank.
Between the pair, their work rate can give Eberechi Eze more licence in central spaces to focus on channelling his creative instincts. Even if Eze is not being used as a direct replacement for **Leandro Trossard**or Gabriel Martinelli, he has shown since the **North London**derby in February that the freedom to find left sided spaces suits his game. As an indirect facilitator for more magic moments from the ten, Hincapie could contribute significantly to mimicking the feat he pulled off in Germany.
A battle-hardened lieutenant
There is another reason to believe in Hincapie for a side that have struggled to hold themselves together in previous run-ins: Hincapie is one signing who fulfilled an important role in a successful trophy bid.
Bought from Bayer Leverkusen, the 24-year-old has a strong recollection of what it feels like to rewrite history against a domestic giant. He was a starter in the squad that completed an invincible domestic double under Xabi Alonso in 2024, breaking the 12-year reign of Bayern Munich.
Arteta’s men have been going off the boil in terms of their results since the start of the new year, but Hincapie has been standing out as one of a few exceptions to the drop-off. He has certainly punctuated the first four months of 2026 with some significant contributions for the club at both ends of the field.
An exception to that form was the final of the Carabao Cup. He received a caution for a foul on Matheus Nunes, and Antoine Semenyo started to shift momentum in the match as he exploited the matchup. The winger would happily reveal that he had enjoyed the duel by the final whistle.
“I have that freedom to do what I want, get at defenders, and cause problems. That’s what I did. I had Hincapie running around a little bit, it’s just what I do. It’s my job. It’s that freedom. As soon as he got booked, he was backing off a lot, so it gave me the opportunity to drive at him and cross and shoot.”
Lockdown defensive displays in 1 v 1 battles are one of the best ways for backlines to contribute to high-level games, and Hincapie must be ready to battle for his pride. But if the last few months are an accurate indicator, then he will leave it all on the floor, and that is the least that the fans can ask for.