It’s been a disastrous season so far for the London-based club ARSENAL, they were pummeled by Pep Guardiola’S Manchester City side with five goals as they slumped to their worst start to the season in 67 years.
The Gunners were beaten by Citizens at lunchtime at the Etihad Stadium by the champions as they lost their third Premier League game in a row in the 2021/22 season.
The Gunners are only the second club in English topflight football-Premier League history to lose their hattrick of games with a goal deficit of -9 at the beginning of the season. The other football side that have been in such a situation are Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2003-04 season and they ended at the bottom of the table.
Should we preempt or assume the same fate could befall arsenal if they stick to this poor run? Arsenal and their fans are still earnestly looking and patiently waiting for their first league goal after a calamitous start into the new season which in truth, has piled the pressure on the gaffer, Mikel Arteta.
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Granit Xhaka was red-carded 35 minutes into the game. This further sank Arsenal’s hopes of making a difference even though there was no visible evidence that they had it in their sleeve to take a point from the Guardiola-led side.
The Switzerland international has seen red and dismissed four times in the league since the start of the 2016-17 season and this is the joint highest number on record.
The dominance at the Etihad resulted in Arsenal recording the second-lowest Premier League possession ever after managing a meager 19%. With this paltry possession especially against a high-flying team like Manchester City with runners and relentless players in almost every department, be sure of being battered.
Season ticket holders, admirers, watchers, mockers, sportswriters, and pundits alike are pondering and asking questions on what has been the problem of Arsenal since Mikel’s arrival. He was expected to bring the cape of his master(Pep Guardiola) to the Emirates but from all indications, it’s been the opposite of what people envisaged.
The only saving grace and consolation for Arsenal followers now are that they will not have to see another horrible defeat this coming weekend because of the international break. This would provide a much-needed breather and escape from the horror show of football that Mikel and his boys are serving.
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Arsenal will face newly-promoted side Norwich on September 11th after the international break and Arteta, who’s underfiring and considered to be the next top-flight gaffer to leave their job, cannot afford another defeat.
If the result raises eyebrows again, It would further buttress those points being raised on his managerial inefficiency. Truly, football is like a biscuit and nobody knows where it will crack, but the bad outing by Arsenal is unlike Arsenal.
The retrogression is glaring. Their first blow came after their first game of the season at newly-promoted Brentford. No one would have thought of Arsenal with a barrel of guns submitting to a hive of bees, a club that just got promoted to the English top-flight for the first time in over 7 decades.
They wouldn’t have had a fine start if arsenal were not the opposite of what they ought to be. How can we forget their lackluster and miserable loss at home to close rivals, Chelsea in a hurry?
Arteta was already under increased pressure and any slight sloppy outing again could further put the nail on the coffin. It’s been two solid years and the results haven’t shown that he is a gaffer who knows his onus is managing the club.
Arsenal under his guidance failed to qualify for Europe last season and the record of losses under his belt is nothing to write home about.
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Questions from different quarters are trooping in and people who had witnessed arsenal glory days including card-carrying fans are demanding answers to why Arsenal are rock bottom when they should be flying higher considering the money spent so far in player acquisition.
Many were surprised when the Gunners paid Brighton €58.5million for English defender, Ben White. From all indications, he’s a youngster without much experience at the highest level of football.
Other acquisitions were made. They brought in the likes of Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid, Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield United, Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht, and Nuno Tavares from Benfica.
Arsenal’s total summer spending is in the region of €147m. They’re the highest speeding club so far in Europe but the result hasn’t justified money spent.
What has been the problem with Arsenal? Is it tactical a problem, poor business model, an absentee owner? Could it be a disconnected fans base?
Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.