Man City vs Arsenal 26.04.2023 Match reaction and player ratings

Ramsdale 8 - You wonder what it could have been if he hadn’t made so many saves


White 5 - Decent goal line clearance at 1-0 otherwise ineffective


Holding 4. Not his fault but when you play him in a system like ours against Man City he will be badly exposed. Given him a 4 because he scored


Gabriel 5 - Couldn’t do much but has suffered without a decent centre back partner


Zinchenko 3 - Embarassing



Partey 5 - Badly shown up last night, dispossessed constantly and isolated



Xhaka 4 - His usual dawdling



Odegaard 3 - For all the good performances he’s put in, doesn’t turn up in important away games


Martinelli 4 - Isolated as per usual


Jesus 4- Did he play because don’t remember seeing him


Saka 4 - As much penetration as a marshmallow phallus



Jorginho 6
Trossard 6
Nelson 6

Nketiah 4
Smith Rowe 4


Well this was largely what we expected wasn’t it?. We know we were up against it because of how Rampant city were, but what rankles is how easy it was for them. Arteta like last season blames the players saying they have to look at themselves in the mirror when he has set them up to fail. This was a team that never believed it wasn’t going to get a pasting.
The parallels between last season and now are astonishing, when adversity hits we hit the wall because the coach trusts certain players too much and certain players not enough.
If we recruit well in central midfield in the summer I believe we will have a very good squad, but it’s one that the coach needs to utilise more.
Saka has played too many games this season, at times he has been brilliant but recently not so good and I don’t believe it would harm him to sit out a few games, he’s a decent lad with strong self belief but without being arrogant with it
We shouldn’t need to sweat on the fitness of William Saliba or Thomas Partey the way we have. We don’t need to play an inverted left back, it made no difference for us in midfield last night.

Arteta for me is a slow learner because of his total self belief, he’s built a team that has excelled this season but if it crumbles when the obstacles emerge it will have been for nothing.

As I said last night, he has earned the right to another season but it does not erase the doubts I have about him especially as the same mistakes have been present and seemingly not addressed.

Next season will be even harder than this one, city are going no where and on top of that United and Newcastle will be much stronger. That plus champions league….if Arteta cannot adapt and continue our progress then it will be time to part ways

Partey was really, really bad. Feel like he’s downed tools and one of the biggest culprits over the past 4 games.

Signings I would be looking to make are:

2 CM’s, 1 CB and probably a LB if Tierney wants to go.

Also need to make a call on Balogun or buy a striker. Jesus is a great footballer but generally shite in front of goal. You also don’t get that hold up play with him like Haaland was providing De Bruyne with. Not being able to mix it up has made us one dimensional and I think we’ve been figured out because of it.

If changes aren’t made for the Chelsea game I would really begin to question Arteta’s logic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

Ramsdale 8 - You wonder what it could have been if he hadn’t made so many saves


White 5 - Decent goal line clearance at 1-0 otherwise ineffective


Holding 4. Not his fault but when you play him in a system like ours against Man City he will be badly exposed. Given him a 4 because he scored


Gabriel 5 - Couldn’t do much but has suffered without a decent centre back partner


Zinchenko 3 - Embarassing



Partey 5 - Badly shown up last night, dispossessed constantly and isolated



Xhaka 4 - His usual dawdling



Odegaard 3 - For all the good performances he’s put in, doesn’t turn up in important away games


Martinelli 4 - Isolated as per usual


Jesus 4- Did he play because don’t remember seeing him


Saka 4 - As much penetration as a marshmallow phallus



Jorginho 6
Trossard 6
Nelson 6

Nketiah 4
Smith Rowe 4


Well this was largely what we expected wasn’t it?. We know we were up against it because of how Rampant city were, but what rankles is how easy it was for them. Arteta like last season blames the players saying they have to look at themselves in the mirror when he has set them up to fail. This was a team that never believed it wasn’t going to get a pasting.
The parallels between last season and now are astonishing, when adversity hits we hit the wall because the coach trusts certain players too much and certain players not enough.
If we recruit well in central midfield in the summer I believe we will have a very good squad, but it’s one that the coach needs to utilise more.
Saka has played too many games this season, at times he has been brilliant but recently not so good and I don’t believe it would harm him to sit out a few games, he’s a decent lad with strong self belief but without being arrogant with it
We shouldn’t need to sweat on the fitness of William Saliba or Thomas Partey the way we have. We don’t need to play an inverted left back, it made no difference for us in midfield last night.

Arteta for me is a slow learner because of his total self belief, he’s built a team that has excelled this season but if it crumbles when the obstacles emerge it will have been for nothing.

As I said last night, he has earned the right to another season but it does not erase the doubts I have about him especially as the same mistakes have been present and seemingly not addressed.

Next season will be even harder than this one, city are going no where and on top of that United and Newcastle will be much stronger. That plus champions league….if Arteta cannot adapt and continue our progress then it will be time to part ways

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Very generous.

Ramsdale gets a 7 and the rest get 1 imo.

Didn't even turn up until the 70th mintue.

What a total fucking shit show.

But it's ok, Arteta is 'over achieving' and the players think 2nd + CL is alright.

Get in the bin.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Partey was really, really bad. Feel like he’s downed tools and one of the biggest culprits over the past 4 games.

Signings I would be looking to make are:

2 CM’s, 1 CB and probably a LB if Tierney wants to go.

Also need to make a call on Balogun or buy a striker. Jesus is a great footballer but generally shite in front of goal. You also don’t get that hold up play with him like Haaland was providing De Bruyne with. Not being able to mix it up has made us one dimensional and I think we’ve been figured out because of it.

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I think we should keep Tierney and sell Zinchenko quite frankly

I expected us to get a beating last night, it was a non-contest, we were defeated before a ball was even kicked. Our form and general confidence has pretty much gone and the team we are seeing now is performing like the Arsenal of last season. Arteta certainly has a part to play in this, he is just repeating the same things now with the line up of the team and the tactics, he is expecting to see different results which clearly isn't happening. This team even with everybody fully fit is not good enough to go to City and win, especially a City who are now in top form.

City are great and all that but we have made it very easy for them with our recent form, we have dropped points in unexpected places and have performed way below the level we maintained earlier this season, our form nosedived from the Liverpool game onwards.

Despite the above, it has been a successful season in terms of my personal expectations of the team / squad. To maintain this standard going into next season with the added bonus or headache of CL! We need to invest in real quality, as others have said, 2 CM's, a CB that is good enough to properly challenge for a starting place and possibly a LB if Tierney goes. The squad as it stands is clearly not strong enough to mount a challenge next season in PL and CL, we have to buy ready made players like Rice, Caicedo if we want to maintain this standard going forward.

P.S. Agree with what others have said about Arteta use of the squad, it's become a bit of an issue now, changes most certainly should be made for Chelsea, especially offensively where you could argue 2 of the 3 starting players (Saka and Jesus /or Martinelli) could and should be rotated with the likes of Trossard and Nelson. I would also rotate Jorginho with Partey, Partey has been really bad in this run-in.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KSE Comedy Club

Didn't even turn up until the 70th minute.

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That's not what happened.
We didn't suddenly "turn up", City took their foot off the gas, it was job done and they have the CL to think about.
Arsenal used to do this in their pomp, blow teams away and then coast, that's what City did last night.

Quote:

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But it's ok, Arteta is 'over achieving' and the players think 2nd + CL is alright.

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Given where we've been over the last few seasons where did you think we'd finish this year? Top 4 was my expectation or hope.
If you'd told me that we'd be in a genuine title race I'd have laughed in your stupid face.
Any reaction to or analysis of this season has to be in the context of where we've been over the last few years.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Letters

That's not what happened.
We didn't suddenly "turn up", City took their foot off the gas, it was job done and they have the CL to think about.
Arsenal used to do this in their pomp, blow teams away and then coast, that's what City did last night.

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You have to be in the game from kick off for that scenario to apply though, we weren't until the 70th minute - so I stand by what I said.

Quote:

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Given where we've been over the last few seasons where did you think we'd finish this year? Top 4 was my expectation or hope.
If you'd told me that we'd be in a genuine title race I'd have laughed in your stupid face.
Any reaction to or analysis of this season has to be in the context of where we've been over the last few years.

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Expectations change with result and time though.
I would have agreed with you at the start of the season.

However, being so many points clear for most of the season, having our destiny in our hands and then throwing it all away in the same manner we seem to do every season is a bit different.

I feel completely let down now, and us finishing second just seems like a loser mentality to me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KSE Comedy Club

You have to be in the game from kick off for that scenario to apply though, we weren't until the 70th minute - so I stand by what I said.




Expectations change with result and time though.
I would have agreed with you at the start of the season.

However, being so many points clear for most of the season, having our destiny in our hands and then throwing it all away in the same manner we seem to do every season is a bit different.

I feel completely let down now, and us finishing second just seems like a loser mentality to me.

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We have had one decent season in god knows how long, expectations change but we are by no means a certified Top 2 side like Liverpool have been over the past 4 or 5 seasons up until this season.

This current Arsenal team at the moment is more like the Liverpool side that challenged under Rodgers with Sterling, Suarez and Sturridge than the Liverpool side that challenged repeatedly under Klopp. Whilst I do think we look like a certified top 4 side on this seasons showing, we certainly need to improve both the team and squad to maintain this challenge next season especially with the added CL games. To take the next step forward is all about further internal improvement, both the manager and players and also recruiting very well. We pretty much need to follow the "Liverpool Template"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by selassie

I expected us to get a beating last night, it was a non-contest, we were defeated before a ball was even kicked. Our form and general confidence has pretty much gone and the team we are seeing now is performing like the Arsenal of last season. Arteta certainly has a part to play in this, he is just repeating the same things now with the line up of the team and the tactics, he is expecting to see different results which clearly isn't happening. This team even with everybody fully fit is not good enough to go to City and win, especially a City who are now in top form.

City are great and all that but we have made it very easy for them with our recent form, we have dropped points in unexpected places and have performed way below the level we maintained earlier this season, our form nosedived from the Liverpool game onwards.

Despite the above, it has been a successful season in terms of my personal expectations of the team / squad. To maintain this standard going into next season with the added bonus or headache of CL! We need to invest in real quality, as others have said, 2 CM's, a CB that is good enough to properly challenge for a starting place and possibly a LB if Tierney goes. The squad as it stands is clearly not strong enough to mount a challenge next season in PL and CL, we have to buy ready made players like Rice, Caicedo if we want to maintain this standard going forward.

P.S. Agree with what others have said about Arteta use of the squad, it's become a bit of an issue now, changes most certainly should be made for Chelsea, especially offensively where you could argue 2 of the 3 starting players (Saka and Jesus /or Martinelli) could and should be rotated with the likes of Trossard and Nelson. I would also rotate Jorginho with Partey, Partey has been really bad in this run-in.

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:gp:

A sensible take, because it’s largely the same as mine :haha:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn

Ramsdale 8 - You wonder what it could have been if he hadn’t made so many saves


White 5 - Decent goal line clearance at 1-0 otherwise ineffective


Holding 4. Not his fault but when you play him in a system like ours against Man City he will be badly exposed. Given him a 4 because he scored


Gabriel 5 - Couldn’t do much but has suffered without a decent centre back partner


Zinchenko 3 - Embarassing



Partey 5 - Badly shown up last night, dispossessed constantly and isolated



Xhaka 4 - His usual dawdling



Odegaard 3 - For all the good performances he’s put in, doesn’t turn up in important away games


Martinelli 4 - Isolated as per usual


Jesus 4- Did he play because don’t remember seeing him


Saka 4 - As much penetration as a marshmallow phallus



Jorginho 6
Trossard 6
Nelson 6

Nketiah 4
Smith Rowe 4


Well this was largely what we expected wasn’t it?. We know we were up against it because of how Rampant city were, but what rankles is how easy it was for them. Arteta like last season blames the players saying they have to look at themselves in the mirror when he has set them up to fail. This was a team that never believed it wasn’t going to get a pasting.
The parallels between last season and now are astonishing, when adversity hits we hit the wall because the coach trusts certain players too much and certain players not enough.
If we recruit well in central midfield in the summer I believe we will have a very good squad, but it’s one that the coach needs to utilise more.
Saka has played too many games this season, at times he has been brilliant but recently not so good and I don’t believe it would harm him to sit out a few games, he’s a decent lad with strong self belief but without being arrogant with it
We shouldn’t need to sweat on the fitness of William Saliba or Thomas Partey the way we have. We don’t need to play an inverted left back, it made no difference for us in midfield last night.

Arteta for me is a slow learner because of his total self belief, he’s built a team that has excelled this season but if it crumbles when the obstacles emerge it will have been for nothing.

As I said last night, he has earned the right to another season but it does not erase the doubts I have about him especially as the same mistakes have been present and seemingly not addressed.

Next season will be even harder than this one, city are going no where and on top of that United and Newcastle will be much stronger. That plus champions league….if Arteta cannot adapt and continue our progress then it will be time to part ways

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:gp:

I agree with almost every word of this post.