Man City vs Arsenal 26.04.2023 Match reaction and player ratings

[IBK]

I blame Arteta for the manner of yesterday's loss. The fact we were gonna lose was a foregone conclusion but the manner of it makes me angry. Quite why we werent utilizing a different system against City away from home makes no sense? You know that Holding will be bitch slapped by Haaland all over the place, yet we played a high line. Play on the counter, move Partey in CB and play Jorginho in the middle, play 3 at the back etc etc... Arteta went with exactly the system that didnt work the last 3 games before yesterday. Makes no sense!!

Having said that, we have made tremendous strides this season, especially in the quality of our attacking game, so I am going to cut him slack and acknowledge what a great job he has done. He does need to learn though... horses for courses, having a plan B and C is going to be extremely important if we are to even consider that we will be in the title race in the coming seasons.

Been wondering about the lack of plan B and C. Arteta is not stupid, and he will be able to read the game infinitely better than we can. He saw the potential for Ben White at RB. He played a masterstroke with Tomi at LB in the Liverpool game at home. While the inverted LB role with Zinchenko has let us down recently, for most of the season it was key to our ability to overload the opposition. We thought that he hated Martinelli at one point in time, but under Arteta he has become one of the most lethal wide attackers in the league - and found his scoring boots. I'm kind of thinking that we are seeing something similar to 2 seasons ago when we were rigid as hell and too predictable, but this laid the foundation for a mobile attacking unit once we upgraded our players. He seems stubbornly wedded to a system now, but maybe this is the basis for a further evolution once we upgrade again over the Summer?

[mandela8]

Fair enough re Xhaka - but in mitigation maybe he was still feeling the effects of the illness that kept him out against Southampton (where we clearly missed him).

And I agree 100% that we need a Toney type striker...and that Jesus should be tried out wide. In the meantime I would try Eddie up front next game. I agree also that we should cash in on Balogun. He may be better than Edddie but Eddie has shown he can do it as a second striker while Balogun is an unknown quality in the EPL - despite doing well in a weaker league. We will get more for Balogun right now, IMO.

I take a bit of issue with this notion that we missed Xhaka against Southampton. Viera being shit does not validate Xhaka in any way whatsoever, imo. We had Xhaka for Liverpool, West Ham and Man City and failed to win any of them. Xhaka is a very limited player and this team will never achieve notable success with his likes as mainstays. Last night being the perfect demonstration of why.

[fakeyank]

Been wondering about the lack of plan B and C. Arteta is not stupid, and he will be able to read the game infinitely better than we can. He saw the potential for Ben White at RB. He played a masterstroke with Tomi at LB in the Liverpool game at home. While the inverted LB role with Zinchenko has let us down recently, for most of the season it was key to our ability to overload the opposition. We thought that he hated Martinelli at one point in time, but under Arteta he has become one of the most lethal wide attackers in the league - and found his scoring boots. I'm kind of thinking that we are seeing something similar to 2 seasons ago when we were rigid as hell and too predictable, but this laid the foundation for a mobile attacking unit once we upgraded our players. He seems stubbornly wedded to a system now, but maybe this is the basis for a further evolution once we upgrade again over the Summer?

Thats what I'd like to think, but what are the chances we will be in a real position to challenge for the title again soon? My "glass half empty" view is that we missed a tremendous opportunity. We shouldve evolved or done whatever evolution was needed this season. I think next season is too late...

[fakeyank]

I take a bit of issue with this notion that we missed Xhaka against Southampton. Viera being shit does not validate Xhaka in any way whatsoever, imo. We had Xhaka for Liverpool, West Ham and Man City and failed to win any of them. Xhaka is a very limited player and this team will never achieve notable success with his likes as mainstays. Last night being the perfect demonstration of why.

Tielemens for free is a no brainer tbf.. he hasnt been at his best this season but I put that down to not wanting to play for Leicester anymore.

[IBK]

I take a bit of issue with this notion that we missed Xhaka against Southampton. Viera being shit does not validate Xhaka in any way whatsoever, imo. We had Xhaka for Liverpool, West Ham and Man City and failed to win any of them. Xhaka is a very limited player and this team will never achieve notable success with his likes as mainstays. Last night being the perfect demonstration of why.

I respect your opinion but I am of (a minority on here) view that Xhaka is a lightening rod for disaffection with our team. He has been an important part of a team that has done so well this season (but dipped recently). That's not to excuse him for an anonymous performance on Wednesday - and there is hardly a member of the team that played well - but this may have been contributed to by the fact that he had been unwell previously.

I've said before that we can upgrade on the player, but we have come close to success with him as a mainstay of this team and I think that there are several others in it who could be subject to your comment about never achieving noteable success...including Jesus (as a striker at least).

[Chippy]

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

The most annoying thing about Arteta is that he will not try and change the team around! It was the same set up as the last three games where we dropped so many points. Gabriel and Holding are a terrible pairing. Why not stick Ben White in there and move Partey back? Just try something different FFS.
Xhaka, Partey, Holding, Tommi and Gabriel should start the summer clear out.

[mandela8]

I respect your opinion but I am of (a minority on here) view that Xhaka is a lightening rod for disaffection with our team. He has been an important part of a team that has done so well this season (but dipped recently). That's not to excuse him for an anonymous performance on Wednesday - and there is hardly a member of the team that played well - but this may have been contributed to by the fact that he had been unwell previously.

I've said before that we can upgrade on the player, but we have come close to success with him as a mainstay of this team and I think that there are several others in it who could be subject to your comment about never achieving noteable success...including Jesus (as a striker at least).

Fair enough, man. Mental to me, but fair enough. From a purely footballing perspective it just blows my mind that there's people out there who can't see how inferior he is to those around him. Just the way he takes the ball and transitions, the slowness of it, his decisions with the ball and how basic they are. Just his general lack of fluidity and comfort on the ball. He's just so limited and one of my major hardon reason for Partey is that we've been so close despite the burden of carrying Xhaka this far.

Agreed on Jesus though. Always good to end on a positive, mate ha.

[Mac76]

The most annoying thing about Arteta is that he will not try and change the team around! It was the same set up as the last three games where we dropped so many points. Gabriel and Holding are a terrible pairing. Why not stick Ben White in there and move Partey back? Just try something different FFS.
Xhaka, Partey, Holding, Tommi and Gabriel should start the summer clear out.

Xhaka and Holding yes, we should also lose Zinchenko and Eddie but don't agree on Tomi, he had Salah in his pocket in the home game against Liverpool and is versatile

Also Gabriel is a good defender but like Kos in the past he's having to cover for other's mistakes - he's got Xhaka. Partey (who's in dreadful form but we should keep him as a backup DM) and Zin in front of him ffs, give the guy a break

[HCZ_Reborn]

The most annoying thing about Arteta is that he will not try and change the team around! It was the same set up as the last three games where we dropped so many points. Gabriel and Holding are a terrible pairing. Why not stick Ben White in there and move Partey back? Just try something different FFS.
Xhaka, Partey, Holding, Tommi and Gabriel should start the summer clear out.

Don’t know about massive exodus of players like that, and don’t at all agree about moving on Partey, Gabriel or Tomoyasu

Viera, Holding, Zinchenko, Elneny and Xhaka are the players I’d like to see gone…and Lokonga….utterly useless

Frankly for me the priority in the summer should be central midfield. If it were me I’d bring in Caicedo to alternate with Partey in the number 6 role and bring in Tielemans at number 8 and either bring in another one or give Charlie Patino a chance (not sure he is that kind of midfielder though)

[Mac76]

I'd rather have Elneny in midfield than Partey in his current form for sure - very solid reliable sensible player - we could do with a few more of those...