Ouch. Arsenal 3 - 6 Manchester City

Tell 'im, Per!



Because I don't want to ruminate too much on this loss, this post will be shorter than normal.

I'll be honest.  At the start of this game, I was really crossing my fingers for a draw.  I knew the tight schedule of fixtures was running us ragged, and Manchester City were dominant at their home matches.  But I was not expecting so much damage to be self-inflicted.  

Manchester City has a plethora of weapons, the refereeing was rife with errors, but it was our defense that made the most mark on the game.  It unraveled, or rather didn't even deploy itself, which was a trait of Arsenal's past defensive woes.  I think that was the most painful part to watch today.  Collectively we did not defend.  The pundits noted that the singular moment when two Arsenal players worked as a team and shut down City's attack pointing out the solitary manner in which we were defending.

There were a couple of positives to take out of the match.  Theo returned to the starting lineup and scored a brace.  The second was one of the best I've seen him take.  The rust looks off on his part anyway.  Also, Per showed some real steel and leadership after the game, scolding Ozil for not applauding the away fans.  Arsenal of old did not have a leader who would run across field and take on a teammate in public like that.  Well done, Mertesacker.

Like I said, this report is a bit undersized.  The team and fans have nine days to lick their proverbial wounds before taking on Chelsea at home.  Plenty of time to get our heads and hearts back to their right place - and hopefully enough time for Laurent's laceration to heal.

That's all for now.  Take care Gooners, try and enjoy the rest of your weekend.