Arsenal: 3 damning abnormalities from diabolical Manchester City loss

1. The Kids Went Missing

Arguably Arsenal’s greatest asset at the moment is their youth. Of our starting lineup, we fielded two Hale End starlets and a further two players under the age of 23. Those four players are typically among our standouts, and to an extent they were. In the five minutes Arsenal decided attacking was a viable option, they were involved throughout. Off the ball, though, their influence is limited.

There’s a narrative going around that Bukayo Saka is a defensive player, but it’s mostly untrue. He was fielded at left back to begin his Arsenal career because we needed somebody at the position, but his greatest influence comes off the right flank, in this writer’s estimation.

The aforementioned pairing of Martin Ødegaard and Emile Smith Rowe, too, should be played as two in a front four in an ideal world. Asking them to play as a double pivot is tomfoolery, and it’s no surprise their typical energy and pep (pardon the pun) was entirely nonexistent. Smith Rowe was still arguably our best player, though he was still rather paltry on the day.

We cannot expect our young players to carry us every week. As Aubameyang said in a rare post-match appearance, the veteran players must step up and take charge, especially when experience can be at a premium when it comes to maintaining focus and defending for extended stretches.

I’m not blaming our younger generation for their disappearance. They were asked to do a job for which they were not well-suited, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, they failed. But all the same, it was rather disconcerting to see their normally vibrant influence completely snuffed out.

But disconcerting could be the buzzword for the entire match, if I’m honest. On to the next, though my faith is as shaky as Mikel Arteta’s footing just now. Let’s hope Norwich don’t decide to show up.