City v Arsenal – Arteta Takes 2025 Honours!

• Tweet
• Pin It

Mikel Arteta’s former boss had his worst possible season in charge at Manchester, with City losing out on the title race last year with back-to-back losses. 

After years of dominating the Premier League, all of a sudden fans with Man City were thrown an unchartered territory. Their team couldn’t get their act together; they were lazy in defense and eventually, the results didn’t keep in. 

For the first time, Mike Arteta had a chance to face his former boss, Pep, and his team came out with a 5-1 win. 

The 5-1 win meant everything for the club. It was a statement that Arsenal aren’t ready to back down from a fight but are willing to go all in when things get tough. 

For years, fans with Man City tickets have seen Arsenal play their team, and they’ve always had the confidence that their side will have the edge against the Gunners. 

This year changed it all. They were exploited, and their vulnerabilities were out in the open.  Arteta won. 

He failed to take the side to the Premier League title, but the win was one that the Arsenal boss will cherish for a while. 

Arsenal 5-1 City – What We Learnt 

In April, the Arsenal thrashed Manchester City in a humiliating defeat in the Premier League. 

While the Gunners fans rode on the victory, those with Man City tickets were petrified. 

City conceded after just a minute after Manuel Akanji gave the ball away cheaply to Kai Havertz, who squared for Martin Odegaard to score.

After Havertz missed a golden chance a few minutes later, City actually improved to be the much better side. They maintained this until Erling Haaland drew City level in the second half, heading home from Savinho’s cross.

Just 38 seconds after they resumed play, however, Thomas Partey scored to put the Gunners back in the lead after a hospital pass from Phil Foden and a big deflection off John Stones.

Myles Lewis-Skelly effectively sealed the deal when he scored with approximately half an hour to go, and Havertz bagged his goal not too long after.

Ethan Nwaneri scored in injury time to seal a miserable afternoon for City but gave a scoreline that somewhat flattered the Gunners.

Here are three things we learned from the defeat against Arsenal:

City not good enough

It’s mad to say that, given that they conceded five goals, other than a poor first 20 minutes and an awful final half an hour, City was quite good.

They controlled the game and carved out chances. They were clinical up top, with Haaland taking his one opportunity very well by throwing William Saliba to the ground and finishing excellently with his head.

But the mistakes from Akanji for the first goal, Foden for the second, and backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who was somewhat to blame for the third, ultimately sealed City’s fate.

Leandro Trossard did well against Matheus Nunes, Havertz had a good game up top, whilst Declan Rice proved that if City had managed to sign him in 2023, they wouldn’t be in anything like the pickle they’re in now.

Nico Gonzalez is set to join to boost defensive midfield, but ultimately, City could do nothing.

They need to get Rodri fit again, rebuild with a few new signings, go again next season, and try to win their Premier League crown back.

Haaland was proven right.

Arsenal FC v Manchester City FC – Premier League

When Myles Lewis-Skelly sat down in the meditation pose after scoring Arsenal’s third goal, he more or less proved it – Haaland was right about Arsenal all along.

Arsenal operates as a club differently from all other elite teams. Instead of letting their football do the talking, they tend to embrace the conflict and banter that the fans of the respective clubs engage in.

Everything about the culture Mikel Arteta has installed is artificial, from the chanting of “North London Forever” before the game, the ultra section of fans, the constant whinging and hyperbole regarding refereeing decisions from people within the club and the emotional support dog called “Win.”

Gabriel’s antics when Odegaard scored, Lewis-Skelly’s celebration and the playing of Kendrick Lamar’s song “Humble” at full-time summed it all up perfectly.

Despite all this talk both on and off the pitch, they have won just one major trophy—the FA Cup, which was won in Arteta’s first season in 2020. They were also out of the UEFA Champions League after a humiliating defeat to PSG and now will have to be just happy with second place. 

Now compare that to Haaland, who has two Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, a FIFA Club World Cup, a PFA Player of the Season, and 250 career goals to his name before age 25.

Perhaps Arsenal do need to “Stay Humble, Eh!”

Arteta Needs To Build on City’s Success Story 

For those with Man City tickets, their worries will worsen. Next season will be the first without their key player, Kevin De Bruyne. Undoubtedly the best midfielder the Premier League has ever seen, the Belgian changed the game for the club. 

His pivotal status in the midfield allowed Guardiola to have that flexibility in playing around him, so he had little to worry about. This season was a tough one for De Bruyne, with him missing several matches due to injury and finally deciding to leave the club. 

The fans know that they will need to find a new De Bruyne to anchor the midfield and allow the team to return to its usual form.

Arteta could also infuse this into his side, which is still struggling for its first league title, with the likes of Martin Odegaard. 

Odegaard’s influence on the Arsenal side has been pivotal to their success on the pitch so far, but the Norweighian can bring in a lot more. 

Arsenal has talented wings, and if Odegaard could replicate De Bruyne’s role, Arsenal could soon be nearing a league title.

• Tweet
• Pin It