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Ten-man Arsenal slumped to their third defeat in as many games in the 2021-22 Premier League, conceding five goals and scoring none on their visit to defending champions Manchester City.
By the 45th minute, the away end of the Etihad Stadium already seemed half-empty. The Gunners had travelled to Manchester City with 3,000 fans on Saturday but very few stayed till the final whistle.
At the moment, watching the Gunners play is akin to torture. Mikel Arteta’s side neither have the character nor the spirit of the big club they once were. All the traits that Arsenal Wenger spent years imbibing in the team are gone, and what is left now is a team that crumbles without a semblance of a fight.
Manchester City certainly knew what to expect against Arsenal, who are very far from an elite club now. But even they would have been left surprised by how easy things turned out against the Gunners.
For the record, this was never a contest. Pep Guardiola’s side turned up at the Etihad and took a stroll, which culminated in a comfortable 5-0 victory.
Gunners battered in Manchester again
The irony of Arsenal's heavy defeat in Manchester marked exactly ten years since their 8-2 hammering against Manchester United at Old Trafford. A decade on, and not much has changed about the Gunners, as they were on the receiving end of another battering against another Manchester club.
It’s very difficult to defend a team that goes down at the slightest hint of adversity. The Gunners didn’t show enough fight against Manchester City, allowing their opponents to have an easy ride. Granit Xhaka’s sending off was just the final nail on the coffin, but even before the midfielder was red-carded, Arsenal didn’t look like a team that looked likely to take anything away from the Etihad.
When one looks at the 5-0 scoreline, one might be tempted to think it was harsh on the Gunners. The truth, though, is that it could, and should, have been worse. That is how bad Arsenal were on the night.
Arsenal’s misery continues under Mikel Arteta
Arsenal have now made their worst start to a Premier League season, having lost their first three matches. Even worse, the North Londoners are yet to score in the league and have conceded a whopping nine goals in this period. This is certainly a club in crisis, and it’s now only a matter of time before Mikel Arteta is shown the exit door.
The Spanish manager brought a bit of progress when he was first appointed, but nothing seems to be working at the moment as the club continues their miserable start to the season.
“After the red card (there was) obviously a mountain to climb. When you lose games, it's impossible (to sell the idea of a project). But you saw we had 3,000 fans today and the way they reacted to the team and to the club,” Arteta told Sky Sports after the game.
“The support they were giving, it was unconditional, that was why everyone went over to say 'thank you', and that was why I am really proud of that. I am sorry we cannot give them the result right now, and we will have to fix it."
At any other club, Mikel Arteta would have been sacked by now. But his pedigree as an ex-Arsenal player means he is now on borrowed time. What is evident, though, is that Arsenal, at the moment, are going nowhere with the Spaniard in charge.
