Man City v Arsenal the teams, the recent history, the sequences, and some stuff.

Posted on by Tony Attwood

By Bulldog Drummond

Despite the feeling around that Manchester City are a bit of a difficult team for Arsenal, recent results show this is far from universally so….

Date Game Result Score Competition
8 Apr 2012 Arsenal v Manchester City W 1-0 Premier League
23 Sep 2012 Manchester City v Arsenal D 1-1 Premier League
13 Jan 2013 Arsenal v Manchester City L 0-2 Premier League
14 Dec 2013 Manchester City v Arsenal L 6-3 Premier League
29 Mar 2014 Arsenal v Manchester City D 1-1 Premier League
10 Aug 2014 Arsenal v Manchester City W 3-0 Community Sh.
13 Sep 2014 Arsenal v Manchester City D 2-2 Premier League
18 Jan 2015 Manchester City v Arsenal W 0-2 Premier League
21 Dec 2015 Arsenal v Manchester City W 2-1 Premier League
8 May 2016 Manchester City v Arsenal D 2-2 Premier League

It seems that the oil and gas producers who employ Guardiola spent four years trying to get him to take over the club so closely allied to the local airport that part of its arrangements for the stadium include details of how many flights their airline will run from there.  Nice to know they care about the planet.

Anyway, as a result of this four year seduction period, Guardiola now says, “long-term projects don’t exist” in football and has mentioned that his job at Manchester Airport will be nearing its end if he fails to arrest the team’s slump.

But it seems he blames himself for the club not being top of the league, but won’t change his approach, saying that English football is indeed different from continental football, but won’t change his approach, and he worries that his team is not aggressive enough (what with this number of suspensions???) and won’t change his approach, but thinks he can get it right without changing his approach.

I guess the aaa and of course all the journalists that write on football, would love the statement “Football does not exist as a long project,” to be true, because that would mean we would all focus on the last result only and get rid of history.  But Mr Wenger proves otherwise, and the notion that changing players and changing managers all the time (so beloved of the nation’s media) would give the teams that change the most the best results is clearly faulty.   Sometimes a new manager can bring good fortune but it is normally not the case.

Of course anyone who comes into the English game and doesn’t do it the way the pundits and their camp followers on blogs and phone ins say they must do it, is going to have a rough time of it.  A bit like Tony Adams on hearing the news about Mr Wenger coming to Arsenal said, “What does he know about English football; he’s French”.  Fortunately for us, Tony Adams, great, great player that he was, did not pick the manager and undertook the tasks asked of him perfectly.

However Stan Collymore predicted a while back that Guardiola would leave England “with his tail between his legs if he thinks he doesn’t need to teach tackling or one-on-one combat in training”.

And certainly  PG is finding it tougher at the Airport than he did with Barcelona and Bayern M.  He got 38 points in his first 15 games at Barcelona and 41 points in Germany, but only 30 here.  But then Spain has a three team league, while in Germany the fact that Bayern have to win the league two times out of every three years, is written into the constitution.  Or should be, because it always happens.

If we look at City’s recent results we see

Game Date Against Venue Score Pos
7 02.10.2016 Tottenham Hotspur away L0-2 1
8 15.10.2016 Everton home D1-1 1
9 23.10.2016 Southampton home D1-1 1
10 29.10.2016 West Bromwich Albion away W4-0 1
11 05.11.2016 Middlesbrough home D1-1 2
12 19.11.2016 Crystal Palace away W2-1 2
13 26.11.2016 Burnley away W2-1 3
14 03.12.2016 Chelsea home L1-3 4
15 10.12.2016 Leicester City away L2-4 4
16 14.12.2016 Watford home W2-0 4

Only on two occasions have Man City not conceded.  PG’s explanation is that…

“In many other countries, when one guy has the ball at his feet, people know what is going to happen. That’s why the football is more unpredictable here because the ball is in the air more than on the floor. The second goal at Leicester, it was a throw-in and the second ball is a goal.”

He continued, “I understood English football the day I saw Swansea v Crystal Palace.   Nine goals, eight from set-pieces. You have to control that and we are unable to control that right now. Eight goals from set-pieces – corners, free-kicks, throw-ins. That is English football and I have to adapt because never before I have lived that.”

What is interesting is that I can’t imagine Mr Wenger saying that.  You could ask him about football in Greenland or North Korea and he’d tell you about the style and approach and how this season differs from last.  But PG – no it seems it had to wait for him to have an afternoon relaxing at home some time after he had joined Man C for him to pick up on the issue.

So the Arsenal team to face PG could be

The Wonderkid Alexis

The Ox   The Magician  The Theo

The Swiss guy with the yellow cards   The kid Untold spotted aged 16

Monreal   Koscielny   Gabriel   Bellerin

Cech

You will notice how much more all encompassing and thus more effective the defensive midfield has suddenly become, just because of the simple decision to extend the style of naming of Oxlade Chamberlain to other players.

Beached we could have The Ospina, (The Jenkinson), The Gibbs, The Holding, The Elneny, The Iwobi, The Giroud, The Pérez

I have put Jenkinson in brackets, as he must come back to the fold sometime, but I have no idea when, so I am just covering my options.

On the discipline front here’s an analysis from a different source this week (Footcharts).  It’s premise is that a red card is worth two yellows in created the cards totals.
Position Team Played Cards Cards per game
For Agst For Agst
1 Watford 16 44 33 2.75 2.06
2 Sunderland 16 42 25 2.63 1.56
3 Man United 16 40 26 2.50 1.63
4 West Ham 16 40 40 2.50 2.50
5 West Brom 16 37 26 2.31 1.63
6 Man City 16 37 39 2.31 2.44
7 Everton 16 36 25 2.25 1.56
8 Crystal Palace 16 36 32 2.25 2.00
9 Chelsea 16 35 36 2.19 2.25
10 Middlesbrough 16 33 30 2.06 1.88
11 Stoke 16 32 38 2.00 2.38
12 Tottenham 16 30 46 1.88 2.88
13 Bournemouth 16 29 42 1.81 2.63
14 Leicester 16 28 24 1.75 1.50
15 Southampton 16 28 32 1.75 2.00
16 Hull 16 27 31 1.69 1.94
17 Arsenal 16 27 40 1.69 2.50

The particularly high number of cards against the Airport is down to the fact that because the defence isn’t always working right, and because they receive no coaching in tackles, some of the tackles they do make are made in desperation, and can go flying in.   Arsenal’s disparity between cards given and cards against, which is I think the largest in the league (but we will come back to this) shows something quite different.  But more on this anon.

Here’s some of the funny facts I do love to put in…

  • Giroud has scored in his last four games against Man City.
  • The last six Premier League games between the two have give us 24 goals – an average of four per game.
  • Manchester City’s 2-0 win against Watford was the first time they had scored more than one goal during in five games.
  • Manchester City have not managed to stop the opposition scoring in two consecutive matches since last March.
  • Arsenal haven’t lost consecutive League away games since April 2014: 0-6 v Chelsea and 0-3 v Everton.
  • We still haven’t been losing at half time in a League game this season.
  • Petr Cech has never gone eight successive games without a clean sheet in the League but he will do if he lets one in today.
  • Alexis Sanchez has 12 goals, 5 assists so far this season.  Last season his total was 13 goals, 4 assists.

Have a good game.

Manchester Airport vs Arsenal

Wenger ponders whether Yaya Sanogo will ever really be good enough for Arsenal. 

 

Guardiola doesn’t do tackles, doesn’t know who to buy, and dithers. Or is that Wenger?

Manchester City v Arsenal 18 Dec 2016 – The Match Officials. Expect a totally biased cockeyed performance

Man City’s problem is that they are no longer able to steal players from Arsenal

Man City v Arsenal: a change of tactics is predicted, and the psychological game

 

 

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69 Replies to “Man City v Arsenal the teams, the recent history, the sequences, and some stuff.”

  1. Bulldog

    You have ommitted the best part of statistics:

    Arsenal haven’t lost last six v City – W3D3 – including a 2:0 victory at Etihad in 2015 (which counts as a 10:0 victory as Dean was the ref).

    COYG!

  2. Even the Gunners and not only us the Arsenal supporters know that Arsenal MUST beat Man City to the collections of all the 3 points that will be at stake in this match this evening at the Etihad. So let the Gunners do the job very well without conceding any room for failure in the game as we are all expecting they’ll win the game.

    In particular, let Ozil forget about showing any trait of profligacy in front of goal in this game. Being one of the 2 of him and Sanchez we are mostly depending upon for creativities, assists and and goals scoring in our matches, I am imploring Ozil not to be timid in front of Man City goal, but be absolutely calmed and be confident in front of goal so as not to balloon over or hit the woodwork but hit the back of Man City’s net once or twice unfailingly during this match.

    And 2ndly, the in the spotlight this week – Sanchez must raise his game to ultra performance level in this match to score at least 2 goals for us in this match so as to live to the billing of being spotlighted this week. I implore him to pass the ball in time and not to deliberately play to instigating being closed down by the marking Citizens. Thereby losing pocceession to the opponent players unecessarily.

  3. Josif, I think Bulldog didn’t want to rub it in.

    Meanwhile on the Evening Standard at 3.16pm UK time

    Man City team news: To be confirmed at 3pm

    Arsenal team news: To be confirmed at 3pm

  10. Good to see 13 is here! Too many not great fans of late.

    Come on Bulldog, just Bellerin? You’ve got “The Ox” and “The Theo”. Flash comes to mind (I used to read comic books a long time ago).

    I was sending email, and missed the start. Nice to see a goal is up already (I am just reading, the referees are too screwy for me to watch any more).

    COYG!

  15. Some games, the commentary has little content. This game, is generating lots of event descriptions. So, I am guessing it is a good game.

    COYG!

  16. Hector…..Come on.

    We have surrendered possession of the ball. But what ever we have, we’ve used it better. Have to be more clinical in finishing. Come on Gunners.

  17. Hopefully Alexis is fine. Theo took his goal well and we have a lead at the break for 789th time this season.

    Excellent and mature display from our team aside from a few moments.

    COYG!

  19. A few too many misplaced passes for my liking, but apart from that, a good half overall and what a lovely taken finish from Theo!

    COYG!

  24. Monreal was offside before Iwobi’s goal.

    Sane got played onside by Koscielny.

    Let’s play something in this bloody second half!

  32. This half has just been embarrassing so far. Absolutely dreadful. Can’t even string more than 1 pass together.

  35. Arsenal have scored two goals, one was offside. Other team scores two goals, both are offside. Who wins?

  37. The second goal looks offside to me as the Man City player can be seen to have interfered with play.

  38. 2 mancity goals with offside now….Was Silva interfering enough is debatable….I don’t think Silva was too close to the ball….

  42. Sterling’s goal shouldn’t have stood as Silva attacked the ball.

    Absolutely horrible performance in the second half. Our players left their guts in the locker room. Kudos to City, they have been giving us a football lesson from attractive and positive football.

    Let’s concentrate on the hunt for the Champions League place.

  47. the AAA’s need their happy days as well.
    to long without hysterics is pretty unhealthy

    arsenal will bounce back

  49. Josif – I don’t know what channel you were watching but both City goals were debatable.. The first was off side according to all but PGMOL laws. The second had a player off side within a few feet of the keeper in active play. He caught the keepers vision. The blind PGMO twats didn’t see a thing.

  51. @Menace

    Sport Klub. They were debating about the first goal but I think that’s something our reviewers usually call “marginally offside”, a situation in which the referee has an instruction to give a benefit of a doubt to the attacking player.

    The second goal, however, should have been chalked off as Silva attacked Sterling’s ball from the offside position. Under the new rules, if I recall and interpret them well, it is offside.

  52. Just a question. The last time Atkinson refereed City/Arsenal, who were the 2 linesman?
    Because that time also, there were a lot of debatable offside decision, all going City way. If I recall correctly
    – City first goal came on a corner gained after a offside position were forgotten
    – Monreal and Walcott both were flagged offside in the first half, when they would have been in a 1vs1 situation against the keeper.
    – 2 Arsenal goals were disallowed in the second half (you might argue that one of those 2 was scored after the referee blew the whistle, kind of like Iwobi today)

    A little too much to think of a coincidence…

  53. Marginally – with these officials? Atkinson was never marginally selected. He was one of the chosen cheats to officiate in England.

  55. I deliberately avoided watching today for I knew we’d get shafted and just coming here to see how the game went on, that’s exactly what happened. Is there much point in following this league??

    I see the same idiots still going on about blaming the team, open your bloody eyes! Can’t you see you getting robbed blind year after year?! What kind of fools are you?? How can you let your hatred for Wenger blind you to daylight robbery like that?? Shocking.

  56. Yes. Our second half performance was poor. Defence sat too deep and midfield was over-run. No disguising these facts.

    However, We had had a perfectly good goal wrongly disallowed for off-side. They had one (definite) and two (arguable) offside goals allowed.

    Also, why were MC allowed to stop the game and waste time for the majority of the 4 minutes stoppage time, without more time being added?

    PGMOL agenda fulfilled!

  59. This is why they don’t want video refereeing to be introduced, because if it was in use today the worst result for us would have been a draw. How do men like these refs sleep at night?

  60. Al you are right. I am letting my love of the game & Arsenal blind me into hope.

    I have never seen Wenger so angry at the officiating & actually make an open statement. I hope Arsenal take this matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Untold has sufficient evidence.

  62. Menace, not surprised Wenger said that, it happens consistently on a regular basis that you’d think they’re following script. I spent the whole afternoon watching the discovery channel, as I couldn’t stand the idea of watching the robbery unfold.

    It’s just too predictable, you know these things before the team walks on to the pitch. The only thing left for me to do is one day wager my house that this or that will happen in this match and make myself a fortune in the process. Even a blind man can see a pattern here; if there’s going to be a controversial moment it has to go against Arsenal. Yet some fail to see this…, and choose to blame Wenger.

  63. “But both goals saw marginal offside decisions go against Arsenal, first as Sane was deemed onside when Silva played his through ball though replays suggested part of his foot may have been past Laurent Koscielny. The Spanish midfielder intervened in controversial fashion for City’s winner as well, seemingly running in front of Cech and attempting to divert Sterling’s shot.” – from the Evening Standard.

    Two offside goals against us, but we should all blame Wenger and the team…How do some people’s minds function?

  64. @ AI – If you read the comments here, you will see that as of yet, not one person has blamed Wenger. The team played absolutely dreadful, regardless of how poor the officiating was. Even if we had won whilst playing like that, I still wouldn’t have been 100% happy. From the start of the second half until about the 80th minute, we gave the ball away before we could complete even 1 simple pass, literally every single time. It was shockingly bad.

  65. Jammy J,

    There were countless matches that manure won while playing badly, and the pundits said “this is the mark of champions”. Yet, when Arsenal has a bad day, they get slaughtered. If this is not double measures I don’t know what is.

  66. Jammy J
    I absolutely agree with your 7.07pm post. I watched snatches of the 2nd half performance of the match with my TV volume completely turned down; this allowed me to assess the play without the noise and interference from the commentators. My reaction by the 75th minute was that AFC was playing without conviction, their clearances were woeful – some ended up going straight to City players. My thoughts were ‘did someone get sent off’, ‘do our boys need someone’s permission to play?’ I mean it was all so un-Arsenal like.

    Could be that the Pigmob rep’s tactics got to them and got them all disoriented, it just looked to me that the few minutes of play I watched was some sort of play acting by AFC while City were the ones actually doing the real playing. It seems like there might be some truth in Untold’s hypothesis that there is a Pigmob agenda against Arsene and AFC. Walter’s recent article on how a referee can tilt a match came to mind and I just feel like this is just exactly what happened.

    If the Pigmob agenda is allowed to continue unabated I am afraid AFC has no chance of winning this league no matter how many ‘next match’ focus we have; the same thing will happen with clock work regularity. When next I checked play I saw the City players clutching themselves I knew they had scored, by then I didn’t need a seer to tell me that we had lost. I switched off and checked back after play had ended to see that the match ended 2 – 1 to City.

    The English Premier League stinks like the stench from a sewer with the sort of refereeing performances I witness every weekend in their football matches not just in AFC matches, although our matches appear to have more accentuated bad refereeing than others. I am looking at voting with my feet by discontinuing my cable subscription to EPL matches. If AFC lose matches fair and square I would have no complaints but what is happening does engender confidence in the whole set up. The EPL is robbing viewers by not attending to genuine complaints on how the PGMOL is set up as a secret organization or the mounting bad calls refereeing calls. My money can be employed elsewhere for better value.

  68. Jammy J
    You said it, but who else has to take the blame but AW?
    After our first goal(only goal) i thought Manc are going to get a thrashing. Then signs of the horrible Arsenal started appearing, loose passes, no closing down, no fire, while Manc did the usual “injuries” and fouls unhindered.

    If there was a better excuse for Arsenal not to pay our two “stars” £300.000 weekly, this is it. Sadly they are just about worth £200.000 and this game proves it.

    The game plan and team play were just not going to cut it.

  69. AL
    “it happens consistently on a regular basis that you’d think they’re following script. ”

    Well they(the refs) probably are following a “script”, but i am beginning to think that the clubs have to follow the “script” too, how else can a team play so “bad” and lose when we know that they are so much better?

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