Arsenal: 4 talking points from Man City disasterclass

As far as defeats go, the 5-0 hammering at the hands of Manchester City was both cringeworthy and humiliating. A double from Ferran Torres along with strikes from IIkay Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus, and Rodri put a horrid Arsenal side to the sword.

A rather bright opening five minutes from Mikel Arteta’s side at the Etihad had hopes raised but City quickly took control as they utterly demolished a sorry travelling party. What compounded matters was Granit Xhaka’s red card in the 35th minute after what can only be described as a reckless challenge, heaping further misery on the visitors.

City dominated the game as many expected being a man to the good, but it was the way Arsenal lacked any fight or determination to try and claw their way back to hurt deepest. Almost entirely surrendering as City enforced their will on the Gunners, they headed to the sheds 3-0 up at half-time with the game done and dusted.

The second half was just demoralizing for Arsenal. They sat back in two low-blocks to try and limit the damage, none of which worked as City scored two more goals to make the margin embarrassing and rip away any modicum of confidence the Gunners may have had.

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Arsenal: 4 talking points from Man City disasterclass as Mikel Arteta oversees worst start to a season in the club’s history after 5-0 defeat

To say the loss was horrible would be an understatement, but when looking at the stats the true reflection of the game comes to light: City had 25 shots to Arsenal’s one (which came in the first five minutes) and had 81% possession to Arsenal’s 19%. An utter demolition. Arsenal are a club in serious crisis.

Here are the talking points from the loss to Manchester City.

1. Mikel Arteta’s Tactics are Beyond Questionable

Something many knew already, right?

Sticking with a back three, which the midweek game away to West Brom ended up looking like for the most part, Arsenal appeared to be in good shape early on. But once the first goal went in, the Gunners simply faded away.

Arteta looked bereft of ideas on how to get his side back into the game. The midfield was left manned by a single Xhaka, the press was frail and the expansive shape made the visitors simple to play through.

He did not make any changes at half-time to the system or shape to try and get something going. It was damage limitation.

Some will point out the lack of Arsenal’s spine with Gabriel, White, and Thomas Partey missing, however, even with those three playing the style and system employed by Arteta would have possibly yielded the same result: an exposed midfield and disorganised structure would’ve remained in tact.

Watching on the touchline he looked like a broken man as his side were utterly manhandled by one of the best teams in world football. There was no real willingness to change things up for his side and once again many Arsenal fans are wondering if he is the right man for the job.

2. Sead Kolasinac Starting is a New Low for Arsenal

No disrespect to Kolasinac, but if Arsenal and Arteta were serious about the clear-out stated at the end of last season, then the Bosnian would not be playing.

The fact that he is essentially out the door yet is given a starting birth is troublesome. Add to that, William Saliba was deemed not up to the level to play in the first team, yet Calum Chambers and Kolasinac get starts ahead of Pablo Mari while he is loaned out. That is some serious mismanagement.

This is the type of thing that is now becoming the norm for a once powerhouse of English football. There is no way that Arteta can tell the Arsenal fanbase that Saliba would not be a better option than Rob Holding, Mari, and Kolasinac in the heart of the defense.

Of the starting XI against City, eight of those were there when Arsene Wenger was still manager – and that tells you all you need to know. The clear out is still far from over.

Granit Xhaka expressed his desire to leave for Roma and was inches away from joining, only for it not to work out, so, as a result, Arsenal handed him a new deal.

Something is seriously wrong behind the scenes. A lack of guidance and clarity, leadership and experience.

3. Total Lack of Organisation

While everyone agrees that City was the clear favorites heading into the clash, Arsenal still had their part to play – except they didn’t. Defensively the Gunners looked like an amateur side, not one that is in the Premier League. Sitting bottom of the table, there is a strong case to make for there being 19 better defenses in the division.

The ease in which City was able to waltz through the midfield, bypass the ‘press’ and pull defenders out of position was laughable. This comes down to what Arteta does on the training ground. So many times Chambers and Cedric did not know when to come and press and when to sit back, causing mass confusion. That’s mostly on Arteta and how he sets his teams up.

With City in possession, Arsenal swilted and did not put up any semblance of a fight in a match that they were seriously outgunned in. There were acres of space for Jack Grealish and co to sit on the ball and wait for an opportunity to present itself, which it did on numerous occasions. Spaces between the lines were vacated and the roaming playmakers had the freedom of Manchester.

Often we see teams that go down a man stay compact and tight in their defensive formation and even play better with one less player. For Arsenal, it went the other way and they effectively were put into submission by City. Nobody knew when to squeeze, push or who to cover, even with 11 men.

Arsenal was amateurish in how it went about its work defensively, with no leader of communicators in that defence speaking to one another, or crucially the goalkeeper, to prepare for the onslaught.

4. Mikel Arteta’s Days Are Now Numbered

No real surprise.

Many had conceded a loss to City on Saturday before a ball was kicked, but it was the manner of defeat: no fight, no structure, no game plan (that was visible to the naked eye) and no determination. The badge weighed too heavy for a few.

The players shoulder as much blame as Arteta but it is the Spaniard’s job to motivate and get the best out of them, something he is not doing at present. The discipline and organisation from earlier in his tenure has dissipated.

Sitting rock bottom of the Premier League after three consecutive losses to start the campaign is now the worst start to a season in the club’s history. Not scoring a single goal and conceding nine is simply not enough for a manager to keep his job.

We now head into the international break with the August 31 transfer window deadline fast approaching. Something has to be done to solve this team, is that in the market?

Were Arsenal to sack Arteta, it would give the incoming manager two weeks to get used to his squad but it seems like something the Gunners will not do.

It is dark times at the Emirates. The clock ticks on Arteta’s tenure.

Follow Adam Schultz on Twitter at @adam_schultz15