Arsenal vs Manchester City Match Review

3 games. 0 points. 0 goals scored. 9 goals conceded. 20th place.

Dead last.

I’ve taken a bit of time to calm down and try to analyse this game fairly, but no matter which way I look at it nothing changes.

City took the piss out of us and we stood there and let it happen.

Line-Up:

Firstly, let’s talk about the line-up. A 4-2-3-1 didn’t look the worst against Chelsea. So what did Arteta do? Play a 5-4-1. To think that Cedric and Kolasinac made the cut is somewhat sickening, especially given the fact that we sent Saliba back to France. I was confident that even 5 defenders, there was bound to be defensive errors.

Defence:

Oh how right I was.

The first goal? Second time that City have scored through a small player heading the ball. As soon as the cross went into the box I knew we would be walking back to half way to kick off. Our aerial defense is quite honestly pathetic, no matter who is in there.

The second goal? I’m not completely sure if Cedric thought he was still stretching or whether he decided to play Twister, but what was he doing? How on Earth do you even make that shape? What instinct causes you to make that movement? Absolute joke.

The third goal? Again, five defenders on the box and we couldn’t block off the dribble, pass or shot. Brilliant.

The fourth goal? Nice hit by Rodri to be fair.

The fifth goal? Barely even noticed that City had scored again due to the fleeting will to live that the other four goals had left me with.

Attitude:

What about the attitude though? I think Ederson had about 15 minutes on him just standing there with a foot on the ball. Do we press him? No. The one time Smith-Rowe pressed him we nearly scored. So do we press him from then on? No.

In terms, of Xhaka’s red card – not a red in my opinion, but it’s not like it would’ve changed the course of the game.

Statistics:

(as per Man City v Arsenal, 2021/22 | Premier League).

Speaks for itself really.

I said Arteta out after the Europa League exit. Then I said let’s see what he can do in the window. Then I said the Chelsea match wasn’t the worst, there were a lot of injuries, but I have to stop making excuses for him. This is the bottom line.

You can’t build for the future by neglecting the present.

According to multiple reports, Arteta was told he had 5 games to decide his future. That fifth game is against Brighton on the 3rd of October. I’ll cheer on the Gunners, no doubt, but deep down I think all Arsenal fans are hoping for a Maupay hattrick.