Arteta’s hopes of winning his second FA Cup as Arsenal manager were dashed on Friday night when Arsenal were defeated 1-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The Premier League table-toppers came into that game full of confidence after outstanding performances against Manchester United and Tottenham in their previous two big games.
Regardless, it was Man City they were up against, and considering Arsenal had lost their previous five games in all competitions against the “Cityzens,” they needed to do something magical to end their losing streak against them.
The Gunners came for a fight against the Citizens, but their fight was insufficient to outshine the home team, as Nathan Ake’s placed effort at 64 minutes propelled City to the next level of the FA Cup.
So, what went wrong for Arsenal?
The first issue was Thomas Partey’s injury. The Arsenal midfield enforcer suffered a rib injury in the first half, forcing Arteta to make substitutions, and Albert Sambi Lokonga was brought on. This was a huge blow for Arsenal because Partey has been the rock of their midfield. Lokonga has never been able to step into Partey’s shoes. Without Partey, the Cityzens found it easy to penetrate the midfield and eventually scored a game-winning goal.
Second, Mikel Arteta’s decision to bench Martin Odegaard was unjustified against a Pep Guardiola team, in which you should play your best players. This season, the Norwegian international has been Arsenal’s standout performer. Arsenal has at least won every game in which Martin Odegaard has started.
The combination of Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, and Martin Odegaard has been overwhelming for opponents. The game was good, but the trio’s combination was lacking.
Partey will hopefully be fit to play against Everton soon when the Premier League returns, but with Maises Caicedo pushing to leave Brighton for Arsenal, Arteta’s midfield will be ready.
Darren N
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