Arsenal lose the battle, but might still win the war
Friday night was supposed to be something of an amuse bouche before we feast on the title-deciding clashes between Manchester City and Arsenal that are set to come in the next few weeks. In that sense it probably lived up to the billing. However, if you were hoping for an indicator of who will have the psychological edge when the pair meet in the Premier League over the next few weeks you were probably still left hungry.
There wasn't much to be learned from this game that we didn't already know. Both Arsenal and City are very good football teams and both played very well, but their similar styles largely cancelled each other out on the evening.
One fresh takeaway from an Arsenal perspective was perhaps proof that they could come to places like the Etihad Stadium and go toe-to-toe with the side that has dominated English football for half a decade. Despite the Gunners' impressive form against the 'big six' this season, the postponed October clash had meant they had never truly had a chance to test themselves against Pep Guardiola's men. Having exposed themselves to the best they've shown that they can definitely compete.
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It's probably not easy for the Arsenal squad to be too philosophical about the defeat right now, and Nathan Ake's superbly taken goal was something of a gut punch. However, even in the immediacy of his post-match press conference, Mikel Arteta was willing to admit that he would soon see the positives.
"At the moment it’s disappointment because we are out," he told football.london when asked his overriding emotions at full time. "We could have taken much more from that game and we didn’t. Probably when I watch it back tomorrow the feeling that I have will be that we really competed and we made it really, really difficult for them, but we lacked something to win against a team like this."
That "something" is what he and his coaching staff will look to discover over the next few weeks as he and his coaching staff begin to prepare for the game. The reality is though that even with a heavily rotated line up, this Arsenal side went to the Etihad and could easily have come home with a victory. The battle may be lost, but the Gunners will be hopeful they can still win the war.
Horrible Holding
As football.london broke news that Rob Holding would be starting the match before kick off it's safe to say the mood among the Arsenal fanbase was apprehensive. The last game against a 'big six' opponent that the 27-year-old had started was the traumatic defeat to Tottenham that more or less sealed Arsenal's top four fate last season, and the scars for many still haven't healed.
As the night began it seemed as though Holding was still suffering from them too. Just as he had done against Son-Heung min, the former Bolton defender looked to get incredibly tight to Erling Haaland to try and win the physical battle. Few would have bet on Holding to win that contest though, and as the night went on it appeared he didn't think he could either.
The most obvious error came as he let a simple pass slide under his foot straight into Haaland's path only to be bailed out by Matt Turner's sharp sweeping, but each time he came close to the Norwegian he appeared to panic. On almost every physical duel the 27-year-old was moaning to officials at the rough treatment he felt he was receiving and as Haaland received treatment for a head injury Holding spent time complaining to the fourth official about the physical battle instead of listening to Mikel Arteta's instructions.
The booking inevitably came just before half time, and in reality Holding was probably lucky that Paul Tierney hadn't already carded him by the time he hauled Haaland to the ground. For the good of the team and arguably Holding himself this gave Arteta the license to take the defender off at half time without needing to make it seem like a tactical decision. The reality is though that card or no card, Arteta would surely have taken the 27-year-old off at half time anyway.
The display does call into question a slight area of weakness in the Arsenal squad that has gone under the radar. The difference was night and day when William Saliba came on, but the Frenchman can't play in every game. Jakub Kiwior has been brought in and would be able to provide further cover if needed, but should Saliba be absent for a big game for some reason you have to question whether Takehiro Tomiyasu or Ben White might be shifted back in from full back instead of taking a gamble on Holding again.
Having been with the club seven years now, Holding is one of the longest-serving players and a likeable presence around the dressing room. With this display though questions now are surely rife as to whether he can be trusted to cover against top opponents.
Midfield madness
It almost feels like Groundhog Day for Arsenal in the transfer window. Just like in the summer, the Gunners find themselves facing the prospect of a long-term injury for Mohamed Elneny, and now it seems as though Thomas Partey could be struggling too.
The Ghanaian was forced off at half time with a rib problem that caused him so much discomfort that he could not continue. He will have an MRI scan on Saturday to determine the severity of the injury, but if it is long-term then Arsenal find themselves in a real predicament.
The only other player who has played the six role under Mikel Arteta in the squad is Albert Sambi Lokonga, and the Belgian did little on Friday to suggest he could be a viable solution there for the remainder of the season. Defensive awareness has always been something of an issue for Lokonga and his positioning saw him demonstratively called out by Martin Odegaard late in the match as the Norwegian was forced to give away a free kick.
That though had always been offset by his quality on the ball, but now even that appears to be sliding away. Each time he received possession Lokonga never looked to quite have the ball fully under control. Where once there was a confident progressive passer, now the 23-year-old is now content far too often to go backwards and sideways. This was much to the frustration of his manager who at one point snapped on the touchline as Lokonga opted to turn back towards Takehiro Tomiyasu when the option to release Bukayo Saka was on. The Belgian looks a player shot of confidence, and while that may come back with more playing time, Arsenal aren't in a position to hang around with the Premier League title at stake.
Of course external solutions do still remain an option with four days remaining in the January transfer window. Prior to the game on Friday Arsenal had a £60million bid rejected for Moises Caicedo and are expected to go back with another. For his part the Ecuadorian is determined to force a move and even took the risky step of posting on social media to plead with Brighton to allow him to go.
As is his custom, Arteta refused to be drawn specifically on the matter after the game. What he was willing to accept though is that he and Edu could be very busy before the window shuts on Tuesday. "We have some necessities and if something else is available the club is willing to try to do it when it’s reasonable and hopefully it’s a player that can improve our squad," he said. Regardless of what happens it's safe to assume that it's going to be a busy few days around the Emirates Stadium.
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