Author: Kshitiz Choudhary

Manchester City narrowly defeated Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of a game that saw Sergio Aguero return for City.

Kieran Tierney started the game after returning from isolation and deadline day signing Thomas Partey was named on the bench.

We had our chances with Saka and Aubameyang but couldn’t convert them and failed to equalize. This was our second defeat in five league matches this season. Let us look at the biggest lessons from the game.

1. Saka is a star in the making – Bukayo Saka broke into the scene last season with some stellar performances. The youngster has continued to impress this season and served as the main threat in our attack. Although he still needs to work on his finishing, his overall contribution in our attack is exemplary.
2. Aubameyang needs to play Central – Aubameyang has been deployed on the left when Lacazette has played centrally. But in this game, he continued on the left with Willian deployed as a false nine and Pepe on the right. Aubameyang’s positioning in the opposition half has been questionable lately, which has resulted in him getting fewer opportunities to score.
3. Three at the back formation is not working wonders – Mikel Arteta has used a 3-4-3 formation in most of his games. Although it has worked in many games, it is not giving the required results against better opposition. With additions in the summer, a more balanced 4-2-3-1 could be the way ahead.
4. Thomas Partey will shine – Partey’s addition on deadline day gives Arsenal the much-needed steel in mid-field to protect the backline. His debut in this game didn’t show much, but the performance without him showed why Arsenal paid his release clause. He is the missing piece in the puzzle for Arteta to define his first choice 11.

It is still early days in the season, and we occupy the 5th spot having visited the two most daunting places in the league – Anfield and the Etihad. Gooners can expect a fruitful season going ahead once the team starts to gel.

Photo: DSanchez17 (2015)