Result: Arsenal 0 – 2 Manchester City
Competition: Premier League
Date: 12 August 2018
Venue: The Emirates Stadium
Arsenal start the season with a loss to champions, Manchester City. Sterling put City 1-0 up in the first half with a shot from outside the box while, all game, Arsenal were trying to implement their new tactic of playing out from the back with mixed results. Bernardo Silva scored the second goal for City.
The Arsenal Team
Starting XI: Cech, Bellerin, Mustafi, Sokratis, Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Ramsey, Ozil, Mhkitaryan, Aubameyang
Subs: Leno, Holding, Lichtsteiner, Elneny, Torreira, Iwobi, Lacazette
1′ – KEEPING IT TIGHT WITH A 4-3-3
Arsenal start with what seems to be a 4-3-3 formation to cover space in midfield. It’s a big game for young Guendouzi who has shone in pre-season but he will have to learn fast against the champions. And what’s that you hear? Oh, just the sound of every Arsenal fan nervously biting their nails looking at that centre back pairing.
1 – FULL BACKS HIGH AND WIDE IN ATTACK
The full backs are moving up high while Guendouzi and Xhaka take turns to drop in and distribute the ball from deep. The team is hell bent on playing from the back.
3′ – YELLOW CARD STERLING
Sterling catches Guendouzi late when pressing the young midfielder.
7′ – CECH SAVES TWICE
Great link play between Walker and Mahrez to cross in the box but Cech smothers the ball away. City counter again, ending with Sterling dancing through the defence and a weak Mustafi tackle only to have the shot palmed away by the Czech.
11′ – ARSENAL PRESSING HIGH
Arsenal try to win back the ball through a series of tackles from the midfield. Ramsey is up high as a second striker to press alongside Aubameyang.
13 – ⚽ GOAL MAN CITY 0-1
Sterling skips across the midfield and scores from just outside the box. Took a slight deflection but City press their advantage well.
16′ – CECH PALMS THE BALL AWAY AGAIN
Ozil tracks back to try cover Mendy’s overlapping run. Mendy’s low cross is pushed out for a corner.
20′ – BELLERIN SHOT SAVED!
Bellerin receives a cross field pass from Maitland-Niles, skips past Mendy and shoots directly at the keeper from outside the box. Best chance so far for Arsenal.
20′ – AGUERO HITS SIDE NETTING FROM COUNTER
City pushes back and culminating with Aguero attempting a shot from the inside left area.
21′ – CECH ALMOST SCORES OWN GOAL
YIKES! Cech receives a close to the goal and his intended pass to the right wing awkwardly skims closely along the line, to far post. That would have been one for the blooper reel. We escape with a corner.
25′ – ARSENAL MISSING FINAL PASS
Aubameyang has been lurking across that back line and Ramsey has been pressing hard but we’re missing that spark.
26′ – YELLOW CARD SOKRATIS
Xhaka loses possession in midfield and Aguero sprints towards goal. The Greek takes down the on-rushing striker just outside the box.
27′ – CECH SAVES FREE KICK AND REBOUND
Cech dives to the bottom right to save Mahrez’s rocket but spills it into Laporte. He valiantly deflects the follow up. He’s saved us a few times today, the veteran keeper.
29′ – MAITLAND-NILES v WALKER
Maitland-Niles goes toe to toe with the mercurial right back and shields the ball well but may have injured himself in the process. Things don’t look good for the youngster as he limps to get treatment but steps back onto the pitch soon after. Good thing that Welbeck has been training at left back.
32′ – GOOD BREAK BY ARSENAL
Ramsey nutmegs Laporte at the halfway line and lays off the ball to Ozil who threads a pass to Mhkitaryan but the defenders clear it away.
34′ – SUBSTITUTION
Maitland-Niles goes off for Lichtsteiner. We’re really afraid how he’s going to take on the pace of Walker and Mahrez. He needs all his dirty tricks to solidify the left hand side.
41′ – MAHREZ SHOOTS JUST WIDE
A couple of stepovers on the inside right and he tries to curl it to the far post but the ball goes just wide.
41′ – IRONIC CHEERS FOR CECH
A long pass out from the keeper is met by ironic cheers from fans who have seen enough of the build up play that Arsenal have been attempting. Fans do have to be patient while the team is learning this new system. Maybe Cech might not be the right keeper to play in this manner?
44′ – AUBAMEYANG MISS
Arsenal break on the counter and the forward just doesn’t catch the ball right with a knuckle ball from outside the box.
45′ + 1′ – MHKITARYAN PENALTY CLAIM
Nice one-two between Ramsey and Mhki at the edge of the box but the Armenian shoots wide under pressure from Mendy. He calls for a penalty to deaf ears.
HALF-TIME: ARSENAL 0 – 1 MAN CITY
It’s been a nervy first half for fans as Arsenal constantly tries to play out from the back. The execution hasn’t been perfect but there has been signs of good play despite City dominating. The spotlight has been on Cech who has made some good saves but also provided anxious moments on the ball.
46′ – LACAZETTE WARMS UP
Will he be subbed on the 70th minute as a tribute to the good ol’ days?
49′ – AGUERO SHOT DEFLECTED FOR CORNER
A shot from outside the box got a slight touch and goes out for a corner. The defence freezes a little whenever the Argentine gets on the ball.
51′ – YELLOW CARD XHAKA
Xhaka stretches a lazy leg to stop Aguero who skipped past him. That yellow was never in doubt.
52′ – SUBSTITUTION
History has been made! A tactical sub before the 70 minute mark. Lacazette comes on for Ramsey. Aubameyang goes left and Ozil takes up a central role.
55′ – LACAZETTE SHOOTS JUST WIDE
Guendouzi harries City to win the ball back and start a counter. Lacazette slices his half volley just wide with the outside of his foot. Laca has added a good verve to Arsenal’s attack. More of the same please.
57′ – LICHTSTEINER v LAPORTE
We see the Swiss raising his finger against Laporte. He claims there was a headbutt from Laporte in the lead up to the corner taken but it was not heeded by the ref.
57′ – SUBSTITUTION
Kevin De Bruyne comes on for Mahrez. It’s going to be a baptism of fire for Lichtsteiner.
62′ – GET IN, CECH!
Guendouzi misjudges the ball’s bounce as the last defender on a corner. Aguero races through on goal. Cech saves the one-on-one opportunity excellently.
63′ – ⚽ GOAL CITY
Bernardo Silva makes a run into the middle from the right and hits a fierce first time strike from a Mendy cut back. Excellent technique and movement which caught the defenders flat footed.
65′ – PENALTY CLAIM DENIED
Mendy had his hands over Mustafi while defending a corner. Mustafi goes down but no penalty. Where’s VAR when you need it?
69′ – SUBSTITUTION
Torreira comes on for Xhaka. On a side note, Lacazette is really knitting the play well from the front.
70′ – SKY HIGH
Guendouzi shoots the ball into Row Z from outside the box.
72′ – YELLOW CARD DE BRUYNE
De Bruyne rakes down the ankle of Torreira to earn a yellow.
74′ – “ARSENE WENGER, HE’S WON MORE THAN YOU.”
Great banter from our fans to the City away faithful.
78′ – SUBSTITUTION
Gabriel Jesus comes on for Aguero.
79′ – OZIL MISS
Lichtsteiner cuts back from the left but the ball bobbles a little bit and Ozil mishits it and the ball goes out for a goal kick. Good chance missed.
82′ – C’MON REF! (again)
Lacazette wins the ball fairly against Fernandinho but it was deemed a foul.
83′ – OOOOHHH
Ederson makes a rare mistake in passing out to Ozil. Ozil makes an uncharacteristically bad touch and Ederson collects the ball to his relief.
84′ EXCELLENT TACKLE BY SOKRATIS
It was 4 v 3 in our box and Sokratis made a last ditch save to clear it away.
86′ – SUBSTITUTION
Sterling goes off for Sane.
89′ – ANOTHER POTENTIAL CALAMITY
While in the box, Cech tries to pass the ball laterally to a defender but gets pressed by Jesus and gets his pass blocked. Arsenal escape again.
90′ + 1′ – SO CLOSE
Bellerin cuts the ball for Lacazette but skies the ball high.
90′ + 3′ – DE BRUYNE THUNDERBOLT
Cech tips a rocket of a shot from De Bruyne over the bar.
FULL TIME ARSENAL 0 – 2 MAN CITY
Arsenal lose their opening game to Manchester City in a match that may have come too early for the Gunners who are still warming up to Emery’s new tactics. The game plan was evident as Arsenal tried to play out of the back and press upfront with mixed results. That said, the team looked a bigger threat when Lacazette come on to lead the line. Let’s hope we can improve as the season progresses and that Maitland-Niles’ injury isn’t too bad.
A more gutsy performance than the 3-0 capitulation last spring. I guess that’s good.
I thought we did ok. We were clearly second best but that was not a surprise.
thought we were quite good defensively, especially through the middle. Bellerin struggled in the first half as Özil once again didn’t provide a lot of protection but Mustafi, Sokratis, Maitkland-Niles and Lichtsteiner all looked solid if you consider the opponent. The biggest disappointment for me was how weak we’ve been offensively. Aubameyang had a poor game and Özil was even weaker offensively than defensively. Thought Micky was our best man in the first half going forward and Laca definitely added something when he came on. Also it didn’t help that we had to make our first sub so early as… Read more »
Worried about Ozil and Ramsay that was utter sh!te show. Bellerin was not too impressive either.
However very impressed with the new kid in the midfield, very promising. Also like the high press game that was tried, it will take a while to get used to the new style, but atleast the Arsenal are trying new things.
Up against a great team, 1st up was a great opportunity to make a statement, but they are the best team for a reason. Lots to look forward to.
thought we should have put a bit more defensive lineup in our first game even more so because it was against city. laca instead of ozil and torreira instead of xhaka or ramsey so that there would be a solid base from where we can nick a goal at the end. going forward it looks like guendouzi torreira is the formation that looks most secure for short term atleast.
Xhaka – Torreira, Guendouzi is getting the praise of the new kid on the block but he needs to toughen up for the Premier League. He has nice passes but tackling and getting the ball back key.
Have a feeling that we ended the game with our starting eleven for next. Both Guendouzi and Torreira should be starting instead of Ramsey and Xhaka. They both are good with and without the ball. That way defense has proper protection and they don’t disappoint in forward passes too. And most importantly, Laca can play. He is a difference maker. Much more involved in the game compared to Auba.
Sorry,but the young french is clearly off the pace. Torreira looks good. But a lot to do for emery to safe the season. Should get rid of Özil as long as possible, turkey? Welcome back to Earth
I think this fixture came too early. Torreira looks good, Gendouzi looks a good partner. I particularly liked the discipline from Torreira, he didnt overun his lines, avoided the temptation to move forward, and his passes…..
Light atthe end of the tunnel if you ask me. Bring on Chelsea.
I love Xhaka but…
That Glenn Doozy kid really showed him up today. What a debut.
Torreira and him to start next game.
The improvement from the Arsenal of old was striking. We were 1-0 down, then 2-0 down but never panicked. We, calmly, just took the loss as it came – there was not that ‘deer in the headlights’ look about the team. If we can keep this up against Chelsea next week, we’re going places!
We were simply outclassed, we lost the gama fare and square. The team is still work in progress, still a lot of work to be done to compete with top team.
People were expecting miracles for a first competitive against probably one of the top 5 sides in Europe. We pressed well, showed that maybe they’re not such hot shit when people press them. Could have scored a goal or two from errors, but could have conceded a couple more. Chelsea will give a better indication of how it’s working for us.
The team looked a bit off the pace today – clearly communication needs work and the new players need time to gel with the rest of the team. Realistically a showdown with last year’s champions was going to end with a defeat, so not a disaster by any means. Let’s hope for a better performance against Chelsea and not just collapse after one defeat. COYG!
Bollocks!!
We looked awful and were Lucky not to concede 5.
As rat-face Gary Neville said, we need to bring in some quality asap.
BTW : I just wish Ozil would go away. He was pathetic again today.
Dick has a mountain of work to do to make this team competitive.
Fatgooner. We know you are a spud. Who the heck is dick? Dick law left us long back. Before coming on and chatting shit update yourself mate.
I think he is referring to “Dick Emery”. A comedy act of many years back!
Not as many years as Sp*rs last league win!!
I didn’t know it was a Dick emery reference. I was a bit harsh there but then again Fats deserves it. If he wants to continue being negative that’s okay but, maybe be a little bit more constructive in his criticism.
It’s a ‘joke’ because Unai Emery shares a last name with a comedian who died 35 years ago called Dick Emery. It’s a real side splitter once you get it….
Dick Emery, Google it…. FG absolutely right we were lucky not to concede more, Citeh were not even in top form.
Of course they weren’t. Nobody is first match after a WC. But they have several easy advantages, and we don’t even need to bring up $. One being 3 seasons now with Pep and 98% of their squad vs 3 or so WEEKS with Emery and several new players. Anyone expecting more and criticizing if they don’t see it were fooling themselves.
Give me a break if I’m a little disappointed. Expecting more, fooling themselves? What? Almost no one I talked to, or heard anywhere, was expecting to be *lucky* to escape losing 2-0. Consensus was we had a solid chance at at least a draw, if not a squeaker win. Far from an unfair expectation. Hindsight’s 20-20. Glad you agree City were not running on all cylinders. More of a WC hangover than us. Mendy barely made the lineup and KDB came in late, etc. I wouldn’t overstate our disadvantages. We’ve been training like beasts for weeks on end, and have… Read more »
Never heard of Dick Emery, you must be very young.
We really were awful going forward until. Laca came on but the overall performance wasn’t too shabby like the shit shows of seasons past. Ozil always has been shit for some time (no surprises there!) but some would always back him no matter what; he needs runners in front of him and whatnot…blah blah. No balls, and he’ll prove this team’s undoing if Emery remains indecisive about his case. Cazorla was always a better signing imho but he never got the recognition he deserved because he didn’t cost £100M. We’ll need some time as we forgot to bring in Cohesion… Read more »
Who does Cohesion play for?
Time buys him, but we didn’t have that.
How I wished fatgooner too over from Wenger instead of Emery. We would have been hot on fire right for now
Think we were watching a different game. Thought we played ok. Lacking a bit of verve upfront. Ozil and Ramsey looked like they were playing in each others position..something change around there..or bring Laca in. I.m not an Ozil fan, especially on the right, but he did look like he was trying. Mustafi and Sokratis weren’t awful..did see them on their arses the entire game which was nice. Lichsteiner was v good. Guendouzi v good. Xhaka fairly anonymous..he won.t keep his place for long if he continues to play like that. Transfer market is closed for now so we have… Read more »
Not just any champions. This city side is probably the best in the last 10± years so not judgements should not be passed yet
*Counts back in head to invincibles*
….yes I gues they are!
Some people seem to be saying (as they do so often) that Özil went missing today, was lazy, etc etc. I didn’t think so. He started slowly, perhaps; but he was there in midfield, in attack, and even in defence. His touch was certainly off today, agreed. He wasn’t the only one. As you say, Maniac, communication needs work: new tactics, new manager (and new players) probably need time to gel. But I didn’t think he did worse than most of the others. Guendouzi looks promising, but not amazing (not yet, anyway!). Some big mistakes (but he’ll learn, and to… Read more »
Thanks Mike, what a pleasant surprise to see a considered review.
Always disappointing to lose but I think there were some promising signs. When things start to gel and that sharpness returns I think this team could do well under Emery’s instruction.
COYG!
Pretty poor, though against a team that won last season by a record number of points. Will take a time to get up to scratch, probably more than one season.
Some of the frustration slie with the fact tha we have such high expectations of our players but sometimes our players dont have high expectations of themselves
Ugly game from both sides. Very rusty. Scary that our defense is still so bad. It really is a mystery as to how Mustafi is still a starter as he was the one player we all thought was sure to leave. They would stand off the winger and let him bobble a cross in too many times. They were terrible at the back also but we couldn’t punish them. We had the chances so can’t complain about that. People will give the team a hard time and especially the disconnect up front but it was an awkward game for both… Read more »
It’s trendy to critisize Mustafi nowdays, but today – he was our best defender.
The defense didn’t seem that much of an issue to me. The CBs were ok.
Yes that true buh more seriousness should have been seen from the starting.
I agree. Obviously I was nervous when they were trying to play out, but I was impressed by Mustafi and Sokratis defensively – made some strong tackles and looked comfortable doing it. Most of the problems came from wide areas.
Agree. It looked like Sterling probably should have been shown to the corner or cut off better by Bellerin and Guendouzi, but those lateral runs can be difficult to mark and we know he goes down in a slight breeze. And Bernie could have been tracked better by Liechtensteiner, or the cross from deep cut off properly. One thing we didn’t see at all was Mustafi sliding himself out of the play at the halfway line, which was kind of a nice change. The only really worrisome part was when he was turned inside out so easily by Sterling on… Read more »
Few unnecessary passes and a few completely missed tackles that City should’ve scored from. Given his age and time in the team those just shouldn’t happen so often if we could concentrate.
Torreira should start but I must say that aside from his work n the Sterling goal I thought Guendouzi was quite good. Don’t quite understand blooding him in this particularly game, however.
I also do not see that CB pairing taking us to the promised land.
Also man city were amazing from the back, laporte and stones looked great.
Even though I was the least excited by the signing of Lichtsteiner, today he was my favourite player on the pitch. What a character!
Looks solid. Made a big difference when he came on.
Except for their 2nd goal
Would start over bellerin in no time.
Absolutely agree, you can tell he’s a quality player with (enter platitude) amount of experience to boot! I’d keep him in at left back for the next match
Same here, he must start games.
Downvote me to hell but we have the most disgraceful home supporters
its true. sadly a lot of supporters who used to go have been outpriced
Why?
I was surprised by the empty seats particularly in the middle tier. That’s where the money is – or isn’t. ☹️
Its not like Kroenke invests all the income for the team, we’ve been making biggest profit in England (well maybe not “we” but Kroenke) dispite finnishing lower and lower under him and wenger. So fuck the money in Stan’s pockets, stands is were support is- or isn’t
Couldn’t make the game today so gave the tickets to fellow die hards. Atmosphere was embarrassing, let alone the majority leaving before the final whistle. Final result regardless, give the new management and players a welcome for the love of DB
They’ve been let down too many times. I wouldn’t blame’em.
If I lived in london, I would hesitate to pay top cash to watch these pathetic performances.
They’re not ‘supporters’ though – just entitled whiny fans with no sense of responsibility or understanding of their effect on the team.
Anyone who criticises the atmosphere clearly wasn’t there and doesn’t go to matches. Was much better today. We understands this is a work in progress, and miles behind ManCity. But you can never stop all outpourings of frustration when your team is being outplayed.
I understand your point. I don’t understand leaving the stadium with 10 minutes to go.
10 more guendouzi please. The kid is so good.
He was everywhere. Still a bit raw but bags of potential.
between him Ozil and Xhaka, two players looked like raw clueless teenagers making big club debuts.
tip: not Guendouzi
Dis boy is good menh
I luv him so much to me he was man of the Match
He was really really good except for Citys first goal
And the give-away to Aguero. But definitely very good aside from those 2 mistakes.
He made plenty of mistakes today but for the goal it was mostly Ramsey’s fault. Yes, Guendouzi was naive but look at Ramsey. If he was where he supposed to be then Sterling wouldn’t have the space to shoot.
Thank you for pointing that out. And to see him raise his hands in exasperation as the ball nestled in the net just exasperated me.
He needs to remember he is better as a central midfielder with a knack for goals and not a striker that occasionally tracks back to defend.
And when he missed the ball at midfield and aguero choked. If that was mustafi fans woulda gone crazy
Yeah well you can expect it from an 18 year old rookie , not a 26-27 year old experienced defender
Stand by your name sir. I was genuinely impressed with his effort but the young man in him shone should have taken Sterling down, but I’m nit picking really impressed when he linked up with Torreira.
Better team won, it has to be said. BUT….I really wonder how the game might have gone if the ref hadn’t decided to pretend not to see Mendy grab Mustafi around the chest from behind with both arms. That’s about as clear a penalty as you’ll see. And from a set play too, and right in the center of the box, so there’s really no excuse for not seeing it. I mean, it’s not like he was being lenient generally. At least two he called fouls by Lacazette that weren’t when Laca had won the ball back in very dangerous… Read more »
I miss VAR already.
Emery out!!
Very droll 😉
Thanks for the memories of beating PSG in preseason, Unai, but it’s time to go!
PARTIALLY agree with your other submission up there but this right here is a right mix between being a cunt and a troll. Cuntroll?
Bring back Wenger-now!!
very funny
‘‘Twas decent. Our lack of width is a bit concerning, as is the fact we finished with our fourth choice left back. Guendouzi was a treat but perhaps playing 5 central minded midfielders is not a good shape.
Ozil is so consistent… in being shit
I think he was dead on his feet by the end
I thought Ozil was fine but miscast as a wing, and no one seemed to be on the same page in the attack. More effective when he roamed, but still not sure how that works with our personnel. I can see him in front of Torreira and Guendouzi. If you are going to convert a player to wing I feel it should be Ramsey, whose more apt to track back as well as run into the box from deep spaces.
This
Or you line him up in the 4-3-3 so he actually has a free role, frequently in behind Laca with Auba attacking the left channel, and there’s still a MF-3 behind him.
And somehow he is always defended by some ignorant blinds. Almost all our opportunities was ruined by an awful pass by Ozil. The rest was ruined by Ozil picking other player’s ball in an offside position. Thank god he doesn’t come back to defend. Iwobi ahead of him, how worse can the young lad be
Rubbish. Sorry, but it is. Özil’s touch was off today, perhaps; but as I’ve said elsewhere, that was true of at least half the team. I’d be interested to see the passing stats, I bet he made as many completed passes as anyone outside the defence.
Hmmm I am not an Ozil fan but lets give him time with Emery, he did put a tiny bit more effort in today.
That being said, I really hope the manager and fans don’t continue to over protect him. No player is undroppable and if his form of the last 18 months doesn’t pick up he has to sit out until it comes back.
I’m a glass half full kinda guy. We were nervous and I feel that in previous performances once that first goal went in, we would have capitulated and seen a 4-0 or 5-0 loss. To his credit, Emery was proactive and looked to adapt to the situation, I mean, for the last 22 years how often have we seen the manager look to bring on an attacker with fervent instructions at the 50-55 minute mark?! You could see from his touch line interactions that he wasn’t seeing the kind of pressing he wanted from his team. Could you read into… Read more »
Wenger out. Oh, wait. Emery out.
how many individuals errors can a team make? we were wasteful in attack and careless in defense. this team needs leaders so bad
Ozil playing 90 minutes was criminal
In all seriousness, I don’t think the young Frenchmen is ready. Still too raw for me. Prefer ramsey and Torreria as our deep mids.
Ozil looked like he over slept this morning. I hope he wakes up this season. We’re gonna need him.
He’s been sleeping since he left Bernabeu
Rome was not built in a day …
And Xhaka isn’t built to play.
Ozil was built to flop
Play a proper DM and watch him come out on top.
Did you watch the game? Ozil ending our attacks sooo many times with bizarre balls or fuckin up others by cutting their ball from offisde positions has what to do with a DM exactly? You didnt watch the game did you
Ozil is world class when we control the game. Both Ramsey and Xhaka failed to retain possession. Torreira is exactly the type of player he needs behind him.
Infact we need more of this kind to get through a season. He needs guys like an Arteta in his prime, cazorla before his injury and torreira.
had so many chances and looked a lot better when Lucas came on. Xhaka is a bit of a liability against faster teams sadly. he has a good passing range but looses the ball in bad positions
whats more worrying is that city gave us so many chances and we could not take even one. disconnect between ozil/auba/laca. hopefully ill all change as the season progresses. COYG
Xhaka is a liability against most teams. I feel like Xhaka looks like a class player but he just does not play like one and we try very much to believe he will come good at some point. I am yet to see anything from the man that inspires confidence. He has a good shot. That is about it. His range of passing is ok. Not amazing. His break up play is not the best, his timing for tackles is not the best. For his position, he has very little to guarantee a starting place on the team. Elneny while… Read more »
Agreed mate. Xhaka is an absolute liability. Glad Bach mugged us off. He is one of those players who would be appreciated by fans of mid table clubs for his passing range, occasional shots and so on.
Definitely not good enough for elite football. Not a coincidence that we’ve morphed into a mid table club since Xhaka came to this club.
Never understood those fans who think Xhaka is a captain material.
I think he came in and we all thought he’d be like Xabi Alonso or Pirlo but actually those players were better defensively and better on the ball under pressure. When you think about it, how many DMs have as their best attribute passing and long range shooting as opposed to tackling, positioning, a great engine? He might make a good CM but a DM, not so sure.
Arsenal’s Pirlo was Santi Cazorla
We are not good enough defensively. As much as understand Emery needs time to find his way with this squad, the defensive side of things was never improved sufficiently in the transfer window. I enjoyed the high press, particularly in the first half, but City played through it with ease, which was down to organisation. A word on a couple of below par performances too. Ozil and Mhkitarian are supposed to be our playmakers and they were terrible today. No service to Auba and they gave the ball away so many times it looked abysmal. This needs to be addressed,… Read more »
“Ozil and Mhkitarian are supposed to be our playmakers and they were terrible today.”
They were less than stellar, no one can challenge this.
To be serious, I actually thought the 2 CBs were ok today.
I’m not an Ozil hater, but he was dreadful today. As was Mkhitaryan. Fair enough it’s harsh to criticise them for not working hard, but they were both horrible in possession in key moments.
I hate to say this, as well, because I like Xhaka, but he was very sloppy and lacking in awareness today.
Would agree with that, the game was lost in midfield today, not at the back. Very sloppy in possession and extremely lethargic without the ball. Thought Torreira was a revelation when he came on though and Laca did ok too.
Man City players started acting like massive cunts the moment we got into the game a little in the second half and applying a bit of pressure on them. Guendouzi was the best Arsenal player on the pitch according to me. In spite of that missed clearance that almost lead to a goal. The senior players could learn a thing or two from him. I have no idea what Ozil and Mkhitaryan were doing today. You’d expect more from players of their calibre. All in all, Arsenal looked pretty clueless in attack. One of the positives to take was the… Read more »
As I read the comments above, it seems Torreira and Guendouzi as a midfield base could form a consensus in opinion! Hope they are tried out from the start in the next game.
Signs of progress but a long way to go to be title contenders.
Not replacing Mustafi will be a very deep regret against top sides.
Torreira looks the real deal. Would love him and Laca to start next week.
title contenders? we are a million miles away from that, this club from now on will be built to compete for the top 4 and thats it.
City, liverpool etc will leave us behind to compete with the likes of everton and west ham. Brutal but under this ownership its true and the quicker arsenal fans reconcile themselves with the fact the better they may feel about things.
Totally agree with you, Volders. It’s gonna be interesting to see just how many fans continue to hand over their hard-earned cash to watch mediocre teams over the coming years.
My guess is that last season’s half-empty stadiums will become the norm as true Gooners desert Stan’s “project”.
young Central midfield player playing as a left back, then an ageing right back playing as a left back number ten playing as a right sided winger number ten playing as a left sided winger the attacking midfielder with the weakest technical ability actually playing as a number ten the ONLY out and out defensive midfielder sat on the bench and Xhaka continuing to be Xhaka Different management, same old Arsenal We desperately need some width which we’re not going to get without any proper wingers, and a more adept midfield imo In the midfield behind the front three i… Read more »
No defense, if City was more clinical it could have been a proper disaster. Guendouzi is just too light to be sitting in front the defense. And Ramsey was not match fit. Cech is an old school keeper that can’t play the ball from the back . When Laca came on we had a bit more presence up front. Strange team selection really . The only new player who started was the most unexperienced one and against the champions. Disjointed just like the last Arsene’s teams. Don’t know what to think of this, it sounds too familiar.
To be fair, Sokratis started and he is rather experienced.
The youngster Guendouzi looks a good prospect. Xhaka and mustafi woeful again.
Can’t remember the last time I was impressed by Xhaka. Doesn’t get a starting place any more surely.
Well…..let’s finish second for this season then..no?
The play between the defence and goalkeeper was scary. Didn’t trust them with the ball and it also looked like they didnt trust themselves. I liked Guendouzi and thought we were much better when Ramsey and Xhaka came off. Though I could be showing bias as I dislike both players. It feels as if there is an aura of insecurity around this team that no manager can shake off. Though this was City so I could be exagerating. Also, communication needs work but I’m sure that will come with time. Opening games are vital to set the tone. I hope… Read more »
Not surprised by the result, its gonna take time for Emery to fully implement his ideas and even get a proper sense of his best team. Ballsy move to start Guendouzi, I personally think Torieria should have started and would have given more protection, but can understand why Emery decided to go all out.
It’s a work in progress and the worst time to play City, but already I see some fans on other platforms ranting and raving, this won’t be an overnight success. Perspective will be needed here.
Unfortunately Perspective is lost upon commentators and internet comment sections.
I thought they looked more lively then they tended to in recent seasons. You could certainly see them trying to press.
Individually, Ozil had a truly terrible game, uncharacteristically so. Barely noticed Mkhitarian was on the pitch. Gwen showed potential as well as inexperience. Lichsteiner was pretty good. I thought Bellerin underwhelmed (again). The CBs weren’t great. Auba tried, so did Laca.
Overall, we played pretty much as well as I’d thought we would.
I know this is our first of the season against arguably the side in the PL but if this is to continue.. it looked dog shit.
I think Xhaka and Ozil will have a hard time getting in the team against opposition like MC. Lichtsteiner looked like a proper CL player, i.e. a right bastard. How many times have we seen someone dictate the ref in red and white? Not for a while. I think it’s going to be essential for this inexperienced team. Torreira looked like a shoe-in for us. Excited to see him do the 90 soon — was nice and calm, and did more tackling and passing wise than Xhaka did. Not unexpected, just imagined that we would have a bit more bite.… Read more »
Gotta say our fanbase is clouded by the same shroud of deluded optimism as most England fans during the World Cup. We’re an average side, I know it’ll take time to build our team, but I really dont see us finishing above 5th this season. Downvote me all you want, but the truth is bitter and painful
Thing is, we don’t have average players. We’ve played like an average team at times, but, have lot more in the tank. Even getting the “average to really fucking poor” games out of our system means we can get somewhere
I would say our back four are fairly average if not downright poor. Everywhere else we are very strong. Stronger than teams like Liverpool and Manchester United. But our defensive lapses are the downfall of this side.
Never gave up, that’s an improvement. I think some people are getting carried away with their anger. First game and new signings, amongst them I was delighted with Lichsteiner and Torreira the latter probably should have started genuine defensive player that lad. I thought the scary centre back partnership actually played ok together and Guendouzi never stopped trying. Can we give it a few games before we decide to bash Mesut please? He got stuck in defensively and although a lot didn’t come off in attack I think he’ll have a good season. Really impressed with Laca when he come… Read more »
They will always bash Ozil. They want him to do everything on the both sides of the pitch. Today he was tackling, tracking back, defending, pressing… Indeed, he was nothing special going forward, but hey who was?
Tonight he bashed the team tbh
Yeah, the offense will definitely click – I don’t think we have to worry about that long-term. And the center backs were remarkably solid in defense, a lot better than I thought at least.
I’m genuinely optimistic for this side. They’ve got a lot to learn about the new system, but you can tell most of them are really up for it and hungry. Laca sure did look good.
On the basis of what I saw today from the team, I think we’ll be alright this season. I´m specially excited about the of Guendouzi & Torreira partnership, Guendouzi made a couple of mistakes but otherwise I thought he was tremendous, literally everywhere(Gattuso like) and Torreira was really composed and held the ball well everytime he had it. We were a bit off the pace in the first half but that´s partly down to the fact that Niles, playing in unaturally position, couldn´t keep up with Walker´s pace down the right and Sterling had a really good game. Not sure… Read more »
We need to replace Xhaka and El Neny with players who can play with the ball and then we have a team.
It’s always two players away from title contenders.
Ramsey and Xhaka were woeful today. El Neny as one of the backups is not inspiring either.
On a positive note Guendouzi and torreira have done enough to stake their claim in the starting eleven.
Hope Maitland Niles is okay.
I don’t think getting beaten was a bad thing as tempers expectations and we got to see how things might pan out, think Laca needs to start and liked other aspects of the game!! I think things will improve and gain momentum as the season unfolds!!!
City are on a different level to us, we’re not competing with them anytime soon.
As long as Emery has the support of the dressing room? I hope he’s given 2 seasons.
But we’re clearly light years away from getting anywhere near a title bid
I’m afraid that “uncharacteristically bad touch” was the theme of Ozil’s performance today… don’t know what was up with him.
The best team won… Simple…
Positive, we fought for 90 minutes ” no heads down “
Not sure if I saw the same game as some of the TV watchers on the site tonight. Sokratis was slow, couldn’t control the ball and I would guess 90% of his passes were to Cech or Mustafi. Mikhy was awful and totally lost for second goal instead of tracking back. Not sure what Ramsey role today was supposed to achieve – left Ozil to do the tracking back, hardly a strength! Gwen looked our best player and never shied away from the play. Xhaka was still on holiday. Lucas looks like the player we need in front of the… Read more »
I think the game you watched was the one you played out in your head before the actual game had happened. This season’s fan narratives: 1. Sokratis is fat and slow and therefore the worst CB ever 2. Guendouzi is waaay better than Xhaka and Elneny and is super awesome 3. Torreira is the Second Coming who can single-handedly right our defensive ship 4. Leno is a liability (let’s wait for him to play until we can trot that one out) 5. Lichtsteiner should play instead of Bellerin because Bellerin is a dead loss. In fact, Lichtsteiner should play both… Read more »
At the risk of reading too much into things, especially considering the opposition and the time Emery has had with the team, a couple of observations: (1) Hopefully that’s the last time we see Ozil and Mkhi on the flanks together. You can get away with maybe one or the other but realistically neither are athletic enough getting up and down or potent enough in front of goal for that position long term. (2) Speaking of Ozil surely he needs to be in the middle, either at 10 or maybe at CM. I’m all for Ramsey at 10 and it… Read more »
I’d like to see the 11 who finished the game, start against Chelsea. … and Leno please.
I already see some improvement from last season. It’s not every week we’ll be playing the 2nd best ever Premier League team.
Guendouzi even with his occasional mistakes was very impressive, especially for his age and is already better than Xhaka. Still a lot of work to be done, but I’m optimistic for the future. Lacazette and Aubameyang both have to start next weekend, so does Torreira and Guendouzi.
Except for a good part of the game it was their “B” team
Yeah Laca and Auba should play – they work well together.
We let Arsene go, so we can be brave and drop Mesut……. in the hopes he might cop on and give a crap
Around 35th minute our attacks ended in Ozil giving away bizarre passes to City defenders, three times in a row!!! By the end of the game I lost count of the senario happening again and again, even the times he were not involved in build up he ended our chances by intervening from offside positions and cutting off onside players. Looked like a teen debutant rather than highest earner of a top club. How does he get away with these performances is beyond me. He even got to finish the game!
Let’s see how Emery reacts to poor performances.
I’m hoping he’ll be more ruthless than Arsene and give game time based solely on ability and performance rather than any perceived team seniority. The new players looked good so should be given a fair playing field.
Specifically Xhaka and Ozil should be benched if they put in further poor performances, however key they are supposed to be.
Mustafi and sokratis were solid..the problem is with our midfield matteo and torrira should be starters ahead of xhaka and ramsey ….with ozil as number 10 nelson auba and laca as front 3 we would have pace width and creativity
This. Though I would consider a wing rotation that includes Ramsey.
Why is everyone so melodramatic these days. The way people are going on, both on here and the ‘pubdits’ on Sky, you’d think both that Man City played like 1970 Brazil and Arsenal got turned over 6-0 by Barnsley. Anyway. Positives: – Guendouzi has real potential – Central defence pairing weren’t as bad as I expected – The style of play really suits Ramsey and Guendouzi Negatives: – Poor in the final third – Mkhi was awful – Xhaka does not suit this league – Cech does not suit this style of play although he did pull off an amazing… Read more »
So I concur Andy Townsend had clear instructions to suck pep’s dick once every sec or he’d get fired. That commentary was tiresome to hear. Making fun of Cech’s playing from the back , Ederson the supposed god among ball playing GKs was shittier than Cech in that regard. But no that was City switching off.
Decent fight. Lot of positives.
COYG !!
Lets have couple of ‘Guardiola quality’ seasons with Arsenal and then commentary ppl would suck Emeri’s dick too. Its not like Pep is getting undeserved praised, when was the last time we didnt lose to his teams?
It was odd at both ends of the pitch today, not sure why we are so intricate at the back against the best team in the league – and then our attackers barely managed to string two passes together.
That being said, nice to see the team actually have a visible approach.
Aubameyang and ozil need to step up.
Don’t know what xhaka has done to deserve to be at arsenal.
Bellerin is going backwards.
Gendouzi I liked.
Overall, boring.