Two back to back defeats in the league had cast doubts over the managerial credibility of Mikel Arteta as the Arsenal chief. The Spaniard had a colossal job this afternoon against Manchester City, but he surrendered abominably at the Etihad as the ten-man Gunners endured a 5-0 humiliation.
Below are the Arsenal players rated in their dreadful defeat against Man City.
Bernd Leno: 5.5
Should have done a lot better at his first post to deny Ilkay Gundogan’s opener. Could have done little to stop the other goals. Made some decent saves otherwise to avoid further embarrassment.
Cedric Soares: 4.5
Looked out of depth and kept on losing duels all throughout. Conceded needless fouls and was the second-best against the pace and flair of Jack Grealish down the wide.
Calum Chambers: 4.5
His marking and positioning were never up to the mark. Made a few no-nonsense clearances to ease the pressure. Another below-par performance from the Englishman.
Rob Holding: 5
Made some timely tackles and recoveries. Struggled aerially, particularly from set-pieces, crosses and long balls. Had a better second half if compared to the first 45 minutes.
Sead Kolasinac: 5
Was handed a surprise start as a left centre-half following a decent midweek outing against West Brom in the League Cup. Had a few key interceptions, but his tackles were mistimed and the movement was slow.
Kieran Tierney: 5.5
Was confined to defending duties against the relentless attacking threats from the Citizens. Hardly had any overlapping runs after being down to ten men.
Bukayo Saka: 5
Kept on losing possession under pressure. Failed to utilize his pace and explore the space down the flank. Was taken off at the break to be replaced by Mohamed Elneny.
Martin Ødegaard: 6
Did not have many touches, yet he tried his best to help the defence with off the ball movements. Made way for Ainsley Maitland-Niles midway through the second half.
Granit Xhaka: 4
The same old story for the Swiss midfielder as his reckless challenge on Joao Cancelo resulted in a marching order just over the half-hour mark.
Emile Smith Rowe: 7
Looked promising with his intent and tenacity. Tried to create something in the attacking third and was close to pulling one back in the early minutes capitalizing on Ederson’s mistake.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 5
Had no impact whatsoever as he remained isolated until being subbed off for Lacazette around the hour mark.
Arsenal Substitutes Vs Manchester City
Mohamed Elneny: 5.5
Added some mobility in the middle of the park.
Alexandre Lacazette: 5
Failed to make any noteworthy contribution.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 5.5
Was brought in to add defensive cover.
