(Let me preface this reaction with that Man City were by the far the superior team man for man, tactically, physically, mentally, energetic performance, in all areas on and off the pitch, they get paid higher wages, probably have better looking wives/gfs, just in all areas, City were the better team today. Just a straight up, ole fashioned ass whooping, boys against men, insert any saying that resembles someone getting dominated by their opponent. So while I going in on Arsenal keep it all in mind that most of it wouldn’t have mattered anyway cause City are just better.)
Imagine a world where Arsenal were in a title hunt with about 8 or 9 games left to go in the season with Man City 5 points back, and they played 3 games where and inexplicably dropped points in each of those games, and and then you play against the best team in the world or direct rival to the title, YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY THE SAME PLAYERS WITH THE SAME TACTICS. Like how dumb/incompetent do you have to be.
“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”
There aren’t really words to describe the assault that took place at the Etihad stadium tonight with Arsenal getting battered by Man City with a gracious score of 4-1, should and could have been much worse. The title is well and truly over, I don’t have an issue with losing to a better team but the fashion we did it tonight was just well and truly embarrassing. So lifeless and useless when considering everything that was on the line.
THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH:
- I never want to see Rob Holding in an Arsenal shirt again: Rob Holding is 100% my scapegoat tonight for all of Arsenal’s failures, this loss is not all on him but it does start with him and ends with Mikel Arteta, let me explain, the reason why Arsenal couldn’t get the ball out of our own half, had trouble stringing 3 passes together was because we employ and played Rob Holding in our most important game of the season. We payed around 2m Euros for him from Bolton Wanderers and that is about what we have gotten from him in terms of value. When you have a team that is as disciplined and intelligent as Man City are in their pressing, all they need is 1 target to hound out and Rob Holding fit that to a freaking T. For City, it was so easy to press and get on top of us because they made it their mission to not cover or press Holding, what this means is that Rob Holding was always open when we were playing out from the back, Haaland literally stayed away from him, and what that did is gave two options, Rob Holding then would have time to fuck up a pass OR he would pass to Gabriel, Ramsdale, Partey etc. and then City would press like maniacs. City was able to maintain this press because they didn’t waste their time and energy on Rob Holding and saved it everywhere else which explains why they pinned us so deep so often and why they always won it back immediately when Rob would hoof it up to a City player. And whenever Zinny, Gabriel, Thomas, Ramsdale was under pressure, the only player that was open was Rob Holding, so they would then play it to him and then it was a revolving nightmare that would never end. Rob isn’t at fault for whole the performance tonight but he is the antithesis of the shit form we have been on.
