2 Arsenal Players Who Should Be Ashamed Of Their Performance In The 3-1 Loss To Manchester City
Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal fell to yet another loss this season, this time to a predictable one, as they travelled to the Etihad to face a 3-1 defeat at the weekend. Wenger decided to use Alexandre Lacazette, the only Arsenal goal scorer, from the bench, a decision that backfired, as Arsenal failed to take even a single point from the game and dropped to 6th position in the points table.
They did have a few bright moments on the field but Arsenal were just not good enough on the night, as Guardiola’s side dominated the game and ran away with a result. While Wenger will bemoan the controversial decisions that went against his side, he will also be angry with the performance put forth by most of his players.
Here are two such players, who should ashamed of their performances at the Etihad this past weekend.
Alexis Sanchez
The Chilean winger was expected to step up to the occasion and show the world that he still belongs at the highest stage. He has not been at his best so far this season, and the game at the Etihad was no different. He was time and again frustrated by the lack of services and was often a lone figure, screaming at his teammates to show more energy.
However, whenever he got the ball, he was just wasteful. With a passing accuracy of just 75%, Sanchez registered just two key passes to show for and failed to have a single shot on target all night. He drew 5 fouls but was dispossessed 7 times, which in turn affected Arsenal’s chances in front of goal. A truly awful night for the winger, who will not want to look back at this performance.
Granit Xhaka
The Swiss international has been inconsistent so far in his Arsenal career and his performance at the Etihad was on the wrong side of the line. Playing in the middle of the park, where he was responsible to keep City’s midfielders on their toes, and to stop them from passing freely, Xhaka did quite the opposite.
With just 54 touches of the ball all game, Xhaka won just one aerial duel against City. He made just one tackle, and one clearance, making no interceptions. He was dispossessed a couple of times, picked up a yellow card for his only foul in the game and was usually reckless, giving City time and space to build up play from the back.
He needed to be a lot more innovative and strong in the midfield, something that affected Arsenal’s chances in this game directly.