Important lessons that Arsenal must learn from its loss to Manchester City. by Kennedy
Manchester City ended Arsenal’s dream of winning this year’s premier league by whipping the Gunners 4:1 at the Etihad.
There is no shame in losing to the rampant Cityzens, and the dominant display by Guardiola’s men demonstrated clearly the gulf in class between the two sides.
What is surprising is that Manchester City is pursuing success in three different competitions and getting results, while Arsenal is only competing in the Premier league, but they are not performing as expected.
In addition to chasing the Premiership glory, the Cityzens are also competing in the FA and the UEFA Champions league.
What is the secret behind Guardiola’s success in spite of a crowded fixture schedule and what lessons can the Gunners learn here?
Depth, quality and synergy are a prerequisite for success.
Manchester city is firing on all cylinders and overpowering all opponents because it has depth in its squad, and Pep Guardiola is rotating his players to protect them from getting fatigue and injuries, without compromising on the team’s quality.
Moreover, the Manchester City players are playing with focus, determination and unity of purpose with Guardiola’s tactical guidance.
Squad depth without quality and unity may not produce results. For instance, Chelsea has acquired many top-class players, but there is no synergy and that explains why the team is not performing.
Arsenal needs to learn from Manchester City and add depth and quality to its wafer-thin squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The Gunners midfield and defence urgently needs reinforcements. For instance, Thoms Partey is approaching the peak of his playing career and his understudy Jorginho is over 30 years. Even Granit Xhaka is getting on in years.
In contrast, Pep Guardiola has a wide reservoir of top-drawer players to choose from and is actually spoilt for choice when deciding which player to utilise and in which competition.
Arsenal should fix its leaking defence.
In the last four games against Liverpool, West Ham, Southampton and Manchester city, the Gunners have conceded 11 goals, clearly showing that there is a problem with the Arsenal’s backline.
Fixing the defence at this time of the season may not be easy, given the fact that Tomiyasu has undergone surgery and is not available for the rest of the season, while Saliba has a back injury, and it is not known when he is likely to be fit again.
However, managers are hired to solve problems and Mikel Arteta, together with his coaching staff, should be able to find a way of tightening the Gunners’ backline for the remaining fixtures until a permanent solution is found during the summer transfer window.
Imagine how the Gunners would struggle defensively if Ben White or Gabriel Magalhaes got injured today?
Arsenal must find a way of defeating top premier league teams.
It is virtually impossible to win the English Premier league by only defeating the mid table teams and those fighting relegation.
Arsenal has lost this season to Manchester City home and. away.
The Gunners failed to beat Liverpool recently and only settled for a draw after winning the first leg match. They lost one match against Manchester United and won the other. Against Newcastle, Arsenal only managed to get a draw and the return match is yet to be played.
If Arsenal hopes to savour Premier league success, then it will need to improve its performance against the dominant teams in the EPL, such as Manchester City as well as its traditional rivals.
The Gunners should also learn to get maximum points from the weaker teams the way Manchester City does. Recent draws against West Ham and Southampton put paid to the Arsenal’s premier league aspirations.
This is not the time for the Gunners to feel sorry for themselves or look for excuses.
They need to learn from their mistakes, plan for the next game and get as many points as possible from the remaining premier league fixtures in order to secure UEFA champions league football next season.
Kennedy Mwanzia
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