Mikel Arteta was quick to rue Arsenal’s luck as two first half injuries and a calamitous performance by David Luiz helped Manchester City on their way to a 3-0 victory at the Etihad.
Here’s what the boss had to say to Sky Sports following a torrid evening for the Brazilian who was sent off after making two terrible errors that led to Raheem Sterling’s opener and a penalty that Kevin De Bruyne despatched.
On the performance…
Everything went wrong from the first minute when Granit [Xhaka] got injured and we had to change the plan a little bit. Every possible accident that could have happened did today and [hopefully will] not [again] in the rest of the 10 games we have left.
On the injuries being a result of the recent break…
I don’t know. If they were muscular injuries, maybe yes. But these ones [to Xhaka and Pablo Mari], I don’t think so.
On what Luiz has said about his performance…
He spoke in the dressing room. he is someone who is very honest and straightforward. he’ll talk to you guys and explain his feelings. My opinion about David hasn’t changed. From the moment I joined, what he’s done for the team, what he’s done for me, it [my opinion] won’t change because of his performance tonight.
On extending Luiz’s contract…
This won’t change things, no. Whatever we’re going to do or we did before today’s game, we’ll keep it internally.
On Ozil’s absence…
It was for tactical reasons.
On whether there were any positives…
Just the spirit that the boys showed not to stop when everything goes against you. Very little more. We had our moments in the first half, two good chances, and we had three or four really good breaks where we could have hurt them. We stayed in the game and then we conceded before half time that we have them basically.
On the players taking a knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement…
It is bringing everybody back together again. It’s a very strong message, more and more people are doing it and hopefully, different behaviours will happen in the future and people will be more alert.
I want him to be the one !! Please be our neo mikel. I am starting to doubt though.
Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. You can hardly blame this performance on him though. Two injuries in the first quarter of the game and two major personal errors are hardly his fault.
I don’t blame Luiz anyone who’s played football knows how difficult it is to judge a bouncing ball on a wet turf he was just seriously unlucky.. He could’ve conceded a penalty with a hand ball and then we would really hate him but he didn’t he tried to do his best not to handle that awkwardly bouncing ball but it landed kindly for sterling just so was the penalty and Red card that was also unlucky how many times do players do that and it’s just a foul no card let alone a red. Also maybe Luiz could’ve done… Read more »
This match was more or less written off as a loss anyways. I wouldn’t be too concerned losing to City away. They are far above our level right now
The loss is not the problem itself. It’s we were sitting ducks. We shoved nothing at all. Like we didn’t have anything to play and fight for.
I like him as our manager. I really hope performances like this where players make stupid mistakes don’t end up costing him the job. He needs help from the board if we are ever going to be a force of the old days under him again.
Difficult to be enthusiastic isn’t it ?
This is all worryingly Emery-esque
Rubbish day. Just as a change of pace from abusing David Luiz. Ozil left out of squad due to tactical reasons? Ooohhh… Something has changed between Arteta and Mesut surely?
Say what you want about Ozil away from home but he’s far superior to what we got from Willock today.
I didn’t say anything much about Ozil =’].
Ozil situation is being dictated from very top. It was same with Emery and it will be same for Arteta. Although today’s team selection was very odd. There was a huge huge difference in playing experience and we were no match at all. Liked performance of Nketiah and Tierney. Saka is wasted on right, willock will not last long.
He needs to be ruthless in the off-season. Putting too much faith in demonstrably unreliable players will cost him his chance.
We have to give Arteta time and be patient. We are 26 games without a win away against top 6 for a reason and that isn’t Artetas fault it’s now ingrained in his players head (and their terrible feet). However I am worried at not seeing progression in our style of play since he took over. We still fail to retain possession, have no style of build up play (same as emery), lose the ball on poor turnovers, make defensive mistakes like a Sunday league side and have questionable line ups. But none of that is a result of today’s… Read more »
I’m willing to write off Wednesday as an exception for Arteta, 1st match after the lay off and knowing the City players so well maybe he picked his team to stop their game rather than focussing on ours. Still by that logic he should have been the first to know that they’d have Luiz for breakfast…
Let’s face it. Luiz cannot be in the team. Mari is not good enough. Mustafi…
Bottom line is, without 100-150 mil this season to sign 3-4 solid players we are going to struggle tocqualify for top 6 cos wolves are improving all the time, and newscastle might have a new sugar saddy too.
I dont begrudge auba for wanting to leave. Why would he want to spend his last 2-3 years playing on our left flank instead of in the CL?
Don’t know where the evidence for Mari not being good enough is. Could you kindly provide?
I will be very short. My opinion is: all the players see no vision in the owner and the board and the result of that is evident. We may buy 5 top players but with the same owner and board those 5 new top player will soon melt in the grey. So we need to root the club from the top if we want to see a real change. If the top of the structure doesnt show ambition, why do you think the executive line (the players) will?
I want to expand my point of view on this. As much as I wanted Wenger to go, I started to realise how important he was – in the context I mentioned above. The man was the club. He managed to do so many things on his own and managed to make that gap between the board and him so the players saw him as a visionary (and a vision itself). He managed to have very good seasons with teams with less stars (compared to today’s team). We all remember the cup games with the youngsters who managed to… Read more »
Why is this thumbed down? Tribe has a valid point. We’ve been screaming that for years now.
Because the reason the board are disliked is because there is no way on gods green earth that we’d buy 5 top players. If they did that it would clearly change the whole ethos of the club.
Buying 5 top players was a hypothesis, for christ’s sake. The point was “even if we buy 5 top players it won’t make a change because of that and that”. Bloody hell………………… Zero understanding, level 100 in thumbing…
Tactics on throw ins , inside opposition half throw back to CB who pass back to Leno. Someone to hold the ball up in opposition half please. To win free kicks lazcette, Pepe , ozil as a false nine would be better
The best player arsenal has had in the past ten years was left out for “tactical reasons”.
The best player on his day but them days have been few and far between since signing his retirement plan sorry contract.
As much as i agree. Ozil has been better than most under Arteta. Watching Willock today made me realize the unseen job Ozil does for the team.
Willock to me his not a creative midfielder, maybe a defensive midfielder, because since I have been watching him is very hard for hm to create one big chance in a game not to talk about assist and you keep playing him there, Ramsey the he is been compared with we can see from his young days how creative he was that we compared him with big Fabrigas but willock can’t see any creativity with him try him in other position maybe it will work
Ah well. On to the next one.
Anyone who had followed David Luiz’s career said before the season started that he was a liability and a cast-off. We were waiting for a decent defensive reinforcement. Waiting. Hoping that mistakes of the past had been learnt from. Transfer deadline day we sign past it David f-ing Luiz on a massive contract. Surprise, surprise, a Kia Joorabchian client. Because there is no strategy anymore. His relationship with the club’s hierarchy is just far too cosy for my liking. Kia helps our technical director Edu get a job, Edu helps Kia out by buying whatever shite is thrown his way.… Read more »
Kia Joorabchian may be fully responsible for David Luiz being in the Arsenal squad. BUT Kia Joorabchian has absolutely fu*k all to do with Luiz being in our starting XI. That is down to two factors – the coach’s preference, and the lack of quality and fitness among our other CBs. Two of those CBs btw, Mavropanos and Papasthathopoulos, were recruited by Sven Mislintat, a talented guy but terrible professional who went whining to the press about BOTH his employers at Dortmund and Arsenal, was then passed over by every big club in Europe when he left us, and now… Read more »
Kaius, thank you.
Kia Joorabchian is not fully responsible for him being in the squad. If David Luiz is called upon however, that is because he is in the squad. If he’s the preferred CB you’re right, it’s because the rest are crock or cack. I don’t think Sokratis and Mavropanos are good examples of recruitment gone wrong. Sokratis we got for a decent fee and filled a gap at the time – he’s had a few brainfarts but he’s not been the worst culprit. Mavropanos was never bought as a ready-made first team player, he was a risk at a low fee.… Read more »
As for claiming that he was passed over or belittling Mislintat’s appointment at Stuttgart, the control he has been given over that project and their position as a sleeping giant would seem like an exciting opportunity to most people who love football.
For years we’ve had defenders who are so error prone it boggles the mind. This time-space loop continues. Not sure what it will take to just get some proper CBs in our team.
“For tactical reason”? because there was a tactic, Mikel? Putting a Willock who has been poor the whole season long instead of an Özil who has created 25 chances under you? Is this tactic? Not even finding a place on the bench for the only guy able to play between the lines? In the end we have got no shoot on target. I do not say it would have been much different with Özil but having him even on the bench would have allowed us to try something else.
UE’s back…
The problem here is Ozil.
The problem is a guy who didn’t play?
The problem is that 4 managers have questions his desire and work ethic.
Wenger Emery Freddie and Arteta.
How can you not see that he is clearly the problem and managers are not leaving him out for the fun of it.
So your answer is to leave a world class player, who is costing the club an arm and a leg in wages, out of the squad? How on earth is that going to improve the teams performance or the players desire? What does it say to the opposition? City must have been pissing themselves with laughter last night, when they saw who they’d be running out alongside. And that was down to Arteta, not Ozil.
I agree, Ozil is a problem for this club to solve. I just don’t see how he can be blamed for this particular loss.
So for “tactical reasons” a player who is costing us £350k a week isn’t even worth a place in the squad? One day, I’d really love to hear the complete story about Ozil’s Arsenal career.
I imagine there are some very conflicted Gooners tonight who slaughtered Emery for his attitude towards Ozil…and went out on a limb with how happy they were about Arteta taking over & how he would get the best out of Ozil.
How will they tie themselves up in knots trying to comment on tonight without acknowledging in any way that maybe the relationship wasn’t all Emery’s fault?
I’ll take you up on that – Emery had it right when he left Ozil out of the team, then he blew it when he backtracked and tried to work Ozil in. He had the teams respect and was getting some results before that happened.
It’s both their faults, and Emery wasn’t the right guy for arsenal, with or without Ozil.
Freddy wasn’t too enamoured with him either. Maybe the tactic is to get him out the door? I think the fact he didn’t take the pay cut has alienated him as now not being seen as a team player by the team and more so the management and executives. As for the apologists saying it would be different if Ozil played tonight I can’t but think of this seasons home game against City where he went missing wearing a bright red shirt in front of 60,000 . David Copperfield couldn’t pull that off.
“Tactical reasons”? Maybe you leave him on the bench for tactical reasons if you think you want to start more defensively. But to not have him on the expanded bench as an option if you need more attack? That’s something beyond tactical.
It’s being stupid…
It will be mission impossible for Arteta with the current squad in the center of the park. There is not one in central defense or midfield you would feel absolutely devastated to see out on a transfer. Not one. No core. No substantial progress.
Wait till next season. Don’t expect anything different.
Summer will be extremely complicated.
The only one who plays at all like an Arsenal player is Ceballos. Willock needs to be used in cup games, he’s not ready for the league. Xhaka OK but slow and error prone, wouldn’t miss him. Guendouzi… Slow, clumsy, runs about a bit, is a bit of shithouse but again shouldn’t be starting in the league, it’s too soon. AMN, good squad player but that’s it. Torreira has a lot of fight but a lot of games pass him by. Out of that bunch I guess I’d favour Ceballos and Torreira… Read more »
Finally someone with sense!
Everything went wrong yes, including team selection. E.g. Saka on the right, while Auba with Martinelli and Pepe on the bench?
Our two to scorers have both been made ineffective, as well as our leading assists maker!
However, what do I know, other than to complain after a loss!
To Nektiah’s defense, he scored a hat trick in warm up games and I believe on target again with Brentford. So can see why he was preferred to Martinelli. I think the younger players preferred for graft. Pepe and Ozil do not track back enough and it compromises the team further. So understandably Arteta willing to risk the younger but faster players with Granit’s long release in the locker. Whether we got midfield correct with Willock AND Guendouzi is another issue. Personally would have preferred a bit of craft of Ceballos from the start in concert with… Read more »
I am starting to come to the sad realization that Arteta is not my cup of tea when it comes to managers. I like what he says most of the time, except when he says he wants to keep Xhaka, Luiz, Özi, but I am not a fan of 4231 at all. And he chooses Nketiah ahead of Martinelli, which is fucking bullshit and probably based on some idiotic hierachy.
To be fair, there is good reason to start Granit and Fast Eddie. …balls over the top from deep to catch City’s defense (vulnerable this season) could have worked. BUT I think the big miss was january. I don’t think he asserted himself enough and certainly they have NOT brought in convincing enough reinforcements. Instead itw ill look to certain key players of ours that we are still applying band aid with Mari and Soares instead of showing genuine gumption to fix critical areas. And this is a VICIOUS cycle bc some of our better… Read more »
My work day went pretty much like David luiz s , went to work late had an absolute nightmare and went home early ?
I went to work on time, came home early to watch this nightmare of a match. End result…same
A family member had a covid emergency so I didn’t get to see the game at all. Was still expecting us to get a result but yeah. Bad day all round.
Don’t blame circumstances. I’ve seen “lesser” teams come away with more shots on target even with a man down against City. A vardy would have got 3 on his own. BUT more perplexing is the omissions on the bench : 1) Ozil – I can understand bc he will drop his head if proceedings weren’t going his way but at least as an option late in game… 2) Sokratis – One of our better defenders an a leader but of late he has been experimented as some sort of surrogate Rback. This is business end of… Read more »
Arsenal players must be ready and learn keep ball and time to pass and where to go also can play aggresive play,
Diffence must learn not to touch in the box ,
Arsenal Manager must watch city game let him see how city player composse and pass on time.
I have said this before, and say it again. Arteta is a great guy, and one day with time he will be a great manager. Right now we need a manager with a great CV. Saying that, let’s say Klopp joins us tomorrow. With this team he cant do much. We need major investment in all positions. I would keep Leno, Abu, and a few of the youngsters. The rest are just bang average, or below.
Fake it til you make it Arteta cuz that was a poor game plan and player selection. Forget Ozil; he’s been amiss for some time now. This wasn’t some summer tour game where you run a mixed squad of prospects with regular starters. I wasn’t expecting a win, but this was STRAIGHT UP Arteta getting mentally psyched out by Pep/ Pep match-up before the game even started. Not impressed at all
He’s beginning to sound like Emery….
Luiz has done this many times and Arteta still rates him. Reminds me of the Wenger sticking with Mustafi. Arteta has done really well but insistence on players like Xhaka and Luiz who always have mistakes in them, could be his downfall.
Maybe it says more about what Arteta thinks of our other centre-halves than it does about Luiz himself.
To be fair, my opinion of Luiz and “what he’s done for the team” hasn’t changed either.
I would suggest he be left out of the squad for the same tactical reasons as Ozil.
Both teams were kneeling on the ground before the kickoff but the Arsenal kept that position and stayed there till the final whistle.
“This won’t change things about Luiz”. Meanjng he will stay and he could play ahead of Holding, Chambers, and Mari. My friends, Emery won’t be forgotten soon. Brave yourselves for hard times.
Mari started the game ahead of him and Chambers is still out with a torn ACL. So beyond maybe Holding (who has struggled since coming back from his own torn ACL) your point doesn’t really make sense.
You can’t expect brilliant job from those players who have gone through a series of horrible phases in their careers, recently. Those mentalities won’t be fixed anymore. It’s my assumption for apparent lack of motivation by watching them walking around and do nothing. I don’t know!
By “horrible phases”, I meant managerial changes and failed attempts.
And got horrible salaries for nothing.
Much though I would be happy to see the back of Luiz, Arteta is astute in keeping the whole team happy by supporting players.
Tactical for ozil. Does anyone think he would have been worse than willock?
Tes Mikel. Everything went wrong. Including your decision to omit Özil totally from the squad!!