match report – player ratings – arteta reaction
At the end of the first half, I was quite animated. Even though we had given Man City a goal, the way we played, the way we went toe to toe with the reigning Premier League champions, was very positive. When they beat us 5-0 last season at home, I remember thinking it would take us years to close that gap, but the evidence on the field last night showed we’d done it much faster than that.
It gave me hope for the second half, but as they say, it’s hope that kills you. Well, that and poor defense and decision making. City pushed noticeably higher after the break, and even before the tactical change that saw Bernardo Silva push further, they were putting pressure on us.
A penalty was awarded in the 57th minute after a tangle between Gabriel and Erling Haaland. He wasn’t very good defending, but this time the VAR saved our skins. Someone remembered to draw the lines and the Norwegian was in an offside position. Penalty annulled, yellow card to Gabriel annulled. Haaland’s frustration was evident when he left an elbow to the back of the Arsenal man’s head in the next step of the game, for some reason VAR wasn’t all that interested in that, and it seemed quite deliberate to me.
Jorginho cleared one over the line as City’s pressure built, and when Gabriel missed a pass in midfield, we were punished to the max. Haaland found himself in the space where Gabriel should have been, they had an overload that sent the ball to Jack Grealish but despite that there was a touch of good fortune with the shot. Desperate to make a block, Takehiro Tomiyasu saw the ball catch the slightest cut that deflected past Aaron Ramsdale. Otherwise I think the goalkeeper would have made an easy save.
It wasn’t really Tomi’s night. It was his mistake that led to the opening goal. Kevin de Bruyne brilliantly and mercilessly dispatched his pass back. The focus will be on the Japan international, of course, but looking back, I think Gabriel could have done more. Obviously, he didn’t expect the mistake, but just in case he should have been more attentive to the Belgian, who was the only potential danger in that scenario.
City’s third was an archetypal goal from Guardiola. Good passing and decent movement against a tired team looking to pressure the other end to find an equalizer. It’s been amazing to me how consistently a 6’5 blonde-haired guy is left unchecked throughout this Premier League season, and while part of that is down to his excellent movement, it’s not there was no reason why he should have only been in our box to make it 3-1 to score the goal that absolutely sealed the game for them.
Subsequently, Mikel Arteta was unhappy with the way City’s goals came out, saying:
It is exceptionally difficult to play at the level that they require you to play for a chance to win. I think we did and in many moments we had them, but if you score three goals like we did, just give them the game, and especially when you don’t waste the great chances we had, the margin of error for them is almost zero. It’s a shame because we really had them.
And that might sound a bit like a manager looking for positives on the night we lost our lead at the top of the table (although we still have a game to go), but I think he’s right. It’s not just the possibilities, it’s the timing of them, and it’s something that has been a problem lately.
In the match against Everton a couple of weeks ago, Martin Odegaard had a good chance to score, he finished and within minutes Everton were up. Last night, Oleksandr Zinchenko’s cross found Eddie Nketiah with a free header in the 22nd minute. He only needed to use the pace of the ball to score, instead he missed his header, the ball hitting his shoulder and going wide. Tomiyasu’s mistake and City’s first goal came in the 24th minute.
In the second half, despite the opposition improving, Tomiyasu provided a glorious opportunity for Eddie. The striker slipped in, but missed the ball. Was he in the full extent of him? We’re talking a couple of inches tops, but that’s still a huge mistake in the context of a game like this. It was minute 66, City’s second goal came in minute 72.
In the 75th minute, Granit Xhaka had a chance to feed Gabriel Martinelli, or even shoot himself, but he got caught in two minds, fell behind and was brought down. Early in the season, that’s a decision he makes quickly and executes well. Not that it was a certain goal, but it was certainly an opportunity to cause them a problem and we didn’t make the most of it. City’s third goal came in the 82nd minute.
Great games, good margins. Those moments could have shifted the momentum of the game in favor at key moments.
If you were looking for positives, you would definitely choose the first half. Not to mention, we played very well without Thomas Partey, who got injured at the worst moment (something that deserves more discussion another day), as well as without Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe (last season’s second leading scorer). The fact that we had those chances is worth adding to that list, but the stark contrast between the two centre-forwards on display last night is obvious.
It is not a criticism of Eddie who at least got into those positions, but you have to take those risks. He botched his lines again at 3-1, the sort of goal, had he scored, that could have created a grandstand finish with the entirety of extra time to play. To be fair, he did win the penalty (how cool was Saka’s take, placing him right where Ederson was goading him?), and the whole game from him was fine, but at this level against this opposition you have to do better with those opportunities. Especially when your main threat as a striker is your ability in the opposite area.
However, the second half was a concern. We looked tired, mistakes often come from fatigue, either physical or mental (or both), and there were just too many players who have been so good this season whose form is slipping at the moment. When you make mistakes like that against most Premier League teams you will be punished, when you make them against City there is no question.
So, you can say it’s not a big problem to fix. Just don’t make the mistakes, but you should ask yourself why they were made. It could just be one of those nights, but a point out of the last nine suggests there’s something more. With Aston Villa off to an early start on Saturday, Mikel Arteta has to find a way to bring his team back to life. I can think of a few changes he would make for that one, but I’ll stick with them for now.
Overall, on a night that more promised than delivered as we entered halftime, it’s a blow to lose ground the way we did. There is also a psychological element to being outplayed in the title race, especially for a team that has dominated the league in recent years. Those 2 stolen points in the Brentford game are already playing a part in this title race.
It was always going to be very challenging though, with bumps in the road, as we’ve said all along. We do have a match on our hands that, if we win, will put us back on top. However, that only applies if we get going again and win the matches leading up to that one.
Starting with Villa out on Saturday, which won’t be easy, but it hasn’t been easy all season and we have results. Regroup, mix a little and start again.
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Right, that’s all for now. James and I will be recording an Arsecast Extra for you later this morning. Keep an eye out for calls for questions on Twitter @gunnerblog and @arseblog on Twitter with the hashtag #arsecastextra, or if you’re a member of Arseblog on Patreon, leave your question in the #arsecast-extra-questions channel on our Discord. server.
We should have the podcast for you by lunchtime. Until then.
