Covidiots

MANCHESTER CITY 3 ARSENAL 0

SO, PREMIER LEAGUE football is back after a three-month break but how many Arsenal fans this morning wish it were not?

The 3-0 defeat at The Etihad last night was not the restart we were all hoping for but in many ways, we got off lightly. In all honesty if could and should have been six or seven.

If we thought the days of the heavy away defeats were over when Arsene Wenger left, then we really need to think again. 

This performance was as bad as anything we have produced over the last 10 years and had it not for the magnificence of Bernd Leno this would have been even more embarrassing.

I am sure I was not the only one who was shocked when the starting line-up was announced. No Alex Lacazette, no Nicolas Pepe, no David Luiz, no Gabriel Martinelli, and a fit Mesut Ozil not even in the 20-man squad.

Our three-man midfield of Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Joe Willock looked out of its depth compared to the City trio of David Silva, Ilkar Gundogan and Kevin de Bruyne so the omens were not good.

While videos from the club throughout lockdown have portrayed a happy and motivated camp, this team selection suggested troubled waters and some bizarre post-match comments from both Mikel Arteta and David Luiz merely confirmed this.

“Ozil was left out for tactical reasons,” said Arteta, completely failing to answer why he was not even on the extended bench. Your highest paid player, if fit, should surely always be in your match-day squad.

Then there was David Luiz. Having been one of our best performers in the last few matches before lockdown it was a surprise to see him start on the bench. But clearly he was not fully fit or focused.

Having to enter the fray inside 25 minutes due to injury to Pablo Mari, he produced one of the strangest performances I can ever recall from an Arsenal player. 

I have tried to defend him this season when others have seen fit to criticise but there was not much defending going on here.

“It is my fault, not the team,” said the Brazilian after the match.

“I took the decision to play. I should have taken a different decision over the last two months, but I didn’t.”

Make of that what you will.

To be fair he was slightly unfortunate with the first City goal, misjudging a ball from de Bruyne that skipped up off the wet surface and bounced through to Raheem Sterling.

Shkrodran Mustafi however had switched off, allowing Sterling a clear run in behind rather than following his man and therefore being in a better position to clear the danger. 

That was the turning point of the match and the first goal scored in the month of June in the English top-flight since 1947.

Arteta’s pre-match plan, whatever that was, had to be thrown out of the window as early as the second minute when Xhaka fell awkwardly on his right ankle and had to be stretchered from the pitch.

Dani Ceballos replaced him and did well for 20 minutes as we soaked up the City pressure while looking dangerous on the counterattack. So far so good.

I was a little confused to see Bukayo Saka playing on the right. His strength this season has been his ability to go past defenders and whip in early crosses with his left foot. 

Playing on the right he was having to cut back inside, slowing down the attack and giving defenders the opportunity to reset.

It is the same problem we have when the left-footed Pepe plays there as well, but at least he has experience of that role.

It would have made more sense to have played top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang through the middle with Saka on the left and maybe Reiss Nelson on the right, but Arteta obviously had a plan.

The injury to Mari then changed everything. Playing only his third game since his January loan move from Flamengo, the Spanish centre back has yet to concede a goal for the club. 

The injury did not appear too bad at first, but he broke down again soon after clutching his right calf and that was that.

The introduction of David Luiz coincided with City stepping up their intensity. They had already started cutting through our midfield with ease, de Bruyne having a field day, and Leno was called on to produce several good saves to keep the match goalless.

With half time approaching it seemed as though we had weathered the storm but then David Luiz failed to clear de Bruyne’s through ball and Sterling had an easy finish.

What was vital now was that we stayed in the match. Keep it tight for the opening 20 minutes of the second half and then try to gain a foothold. But no.

Within six minutes of the restart we were caught out by a long ball over the top by Ederson and Riyad Mahrez got the wrong side of David Luiz.

The initial foul started outside the box, but Mahrez, never shy of going down under the merest of touches, stayed on his feet long enough to ensure his fall was inside and referee Anthony Taylor, who loves to give penalties against us, could not wait to point to the spot.

It was a soft penalty so the red card that accompanied it was certainly a shock. Whatever happened to the double-jeopardy rule? Of course, this is not the first time this season we have been on the wrong end of such a decision, the same thing happened at Chelsea back in February to…David Luiz.

2-0 down away at City with ten men it was game over. Even Pep seemed to feel sorry for his old mate Arteta and it was not until stoppage time that City substitute, Phil Foden, added a third after another great save from Leno had denied Sergio Aguero.

In the end there was 11 minutes of stoppage of time due to a horrible collision between Ederson and his own defender Eric Garcia but interest in this game was over way before that.

When summing up it is difficult to know where to begin. 

I will never get used to no fans in the stadium so as far as I am concerned these last few games will be like a series of friendlies before the real football starts again in September.

Does it matter where we finish? In all honesty I do not care. The problems at the club go far deeper than if we finish fifth or ninth. 

Major changes are needed and apart from Leno, Mari and Saka I would not be especially bothered if we got rid of all the rest and completely rebuilt.

As for Arteta, he has been above criticism until now, but he made far too many mistakes last night. 

From team selection to tactics to substitutions he got most things wrong. The look Pep gave him at the end was as if to say, ‘you have a lot to learn, son’ and that is a fact.

It was telling that the club appointed someone with no experience as a head coach. Not many number twos have gone on to become great number ones and while I really like Mikel and really want him to succeed, the jury is still out I am afraid.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season the club must back the coach and give him the players he wants. If not we are set for more frustration and the gap between us and the top teams will grow even further than it currently is.

But come on, it is great to have football back, isn’t it…