Mikel Arteta is believed to have replaced Arsenal, which makes the most damaging aspect of Saturday's 5-0 defeat at Manchester City, the fact that it was the same: an embarrassing performance beyond organization, discipline and belief. , the kind that was paid for by his predecessors Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery.
The 39-year-old's early promise as Gunners boss was based on his ability to structure a team to compete against opponents with better resources. They beat City and Chelsea to win the 2020 FA Cup final at the end of a campaign that included a July victory over then-Premier League champions Liverpool.
There was a similar theme between last season's general disappointment with victories at home and away against Chelsea, success against Man United at Old Trafford and only a narrow 1-0 defeat against City at the Etihad.
Given that Arsenal lost 13 Premier League games last season and finished eighth, if Arteta loses his touch in implementing an infrastructure for the team, what is there to suggest that he should be given the job. should continue? It is basically an issue of appointing a manager with no previous experience, an issue Arsenal doubled down on last September when effectively he was promoted from "head coach" to "manager", so that at that point the club potential progress can be identified.
Yet now his ability to turn things around is based purely on belief, his ability as a coach and the development of the club behind the scenes, addressing a culture of low achievement. Arsenal will give him time, which includes games against Norwich, Burnley, AFC Wimbledon [in the Carabao Cup], Tottenham and Brighton, taking into account a kindly post-International break fixture list. But the humble surrender here was too troubling for the Spaniard, something Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang didn't even try to hide the whole time.
"We have to play with courage, that's the kind of game you have to play with everything, take risks; we didn't do enough today and that's all," he told BT Sport. "Of course we have to talk among our players, it's important because we are Arsenal and we have to be proud. That is, we have to talk, to tell the truth, to be honest."
Arteta could hardly dispute such clarity. "If he [Aubameyang] feels that way, I completely agree because he's on the pitch and has feelings that nobody else can have except him. If that's the case, that's good," he added. They said.
City were the clear favorites before kickoff and Arsenal's critical absences are undoubtedly mitigating - most obviously centre-back pairing Gabriel and Ben White, along with midfielder Thomas Partey - but Arteta adopted a game plan in which he did not have personnel. were for.
The club has been eager to move on to left-back seed Kolasinac all summer, yet he started as a left-side centre-back in a three-man defense that, let's face it, almost the entire There was a five-man defense. Play. Pablo Mari was released on the bench; Cedric Soares starts on the right wing back; And Granit Xaka was left as the only pivot in midfield, with the more attacking trio of Martin Odegaard, Emil Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka ahead of him, while Albert Sambi Lokonga, the new signing who actually played in Arsenal's opening two premieres. showed some promise. League games, remained an unused option.
Each decision before kickoff seemed odd and saw that scene validated shortly after. City have won 10 of their last 11 meetings against Arsenal in all competitions - on nine occasions, they scored in the opening 25 minutes. There is probably a psychological problem in playing against City, a "rabbit-in-the-headlights" feeling that Arteta, focused and meticulous, with schoolboy defenses and inferiority complexes, was about to address.
Yet they were down 2–0 in 12 minutes at the Etihad Stadium: the younger Ilke Gundogan was somehow allowed a closer home run to Gabriel Jesus' cross, and Ferran Torres had a more ridiculous home run in one second. Took advantage of the defense.
Arsenal's performance brought a dangerous complacency, lacking the basic commitment and appetite needed to bridge the apparent gap in the class. Precious was little discipline in either, as evidenced by Zacca's silly 35th-minute dismissal for a two-foot lunge on Joao Cancello, an unnecessary tackle with reckless force that put his teammates numerically against the best passers-by in the league. put at a loss. For a senior player who recently signed a new contract, receiving Xhaka's 11th red card of his club career was unforgivable.
Last weekend by a Chelsea team signing a big-money striker in Romelu Lukaku, Arsenal looked equally vulnerable to another who failed in that attempt. City missed out on signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane, but despite winger Torres playing as a striker, his firepower overwhelmed Arsenal.
After a fine work from Jack Grealish, Jesus scored the third goal at the stroke of half-time. The second half was a training game, attack versus defense. Rodri hits the fourth home from the edge of the box; Torres led in a fifth; And there could have been many more in town if they had actually gone for a hug.
Arsenal pitched and camped on the edge of their own box, while City had an 86.3% possession in the second half. The spectators attempted only 68 passes and one shot throughout the game.
It's hard to imagine how bad this start was for Arsenal. They have lost their first three league games for the first time since 1954 and are only the second team in Premier League history to start with three losses and a minus-9 goal difference. Wolves did so in 2003–04 and were relegated.
That fate certainly won't befall Arsenal, but they have spent more than £130m this summer to make it to the top six, not avoiding the bottom three. He did so with the confidence that Arteta was able to develop a team based on the foundations already laid. But those foundations are definitely looking shaky right now.