Arsenal’s two games against Manchester City this week told us quite a lot about where Arsenal are as a club and a football side, and it’s not a pretty place.
Well, it perhaps confirmed it more than revealed, but there is no denying that this week the club, players, supporters, and press all seemed to cross the Rubicon.
There can be no going back…
3Arsenal are in worse shape than we feared
Although there’s no shame in losing to Manchester City, there was plenty of it to be found across the two games for different reasons.
The final last weekend showed us that Arsene Wenger can no longer get these players to bounceback and that the players themselves, so long self-motivators when a final rolled around, have no longer got that in their locker.
The league game on Thursday night delivered a far better performance from Arsenal. Unfortunately, that was matched by an even better one from City and the true gulf in class, with all mitigating factors removed, was clear for all to see.
Arsenal could not say they had been unlucky or below par. There was no referee to blame.
They were simply outclassed comprehensively.
There is a reason that Manchester City are 30 points ahead of Arsenal and we saw that clearly on the pitch this week.
Arsenal’s move to the Emirates was supposed to bring us level with the biggest clubs on the planet.
Instead, we seem even further away than we were before the move to the new stadium.