Chapter 459: The Despair of Arsenal Fans
"What a surprise! Arsenal is clearly dominating. Is this really the Arsenal I know?"
Seeing that Arsenal was leading in the first half and clearly outplaying Manchester City, many fans who had just turned on their TVs were shocked. In their minds, Arsenal wasn't usually this strong. How did they suddenly become so powerful?
"Oh, I get it. It must be the 'Man City effect' at work!"
Recently, in the Premier League, it seemed like every team, whether regular or top-tier, played with an unexpected intensity whenever they faced Manchester City, often performing above their usual level. This phenomenon was dubbed the "Man City effect" by fans.
"Arsenal is indeed playing very well in this match, especially Özil. He's been fantastic in the first half. If he can keep this up for the whole game, he'll definitely be the MVP."
On the sidelines, Wenger, like the fans, was also pleased with Özil's performance in this match. Since joining Arsenal, Özil had received mixed reviews. Some criticized him for being too soft, afraid of physical confrontations, and not adapting well to the pace of the Premier League. Others praised him for his outstanding technique and vision, calling him a true midfield maestro.
Both assessments were true. Özil indeed didn't like physical confrontations and sometimes even feared them, often getting outmuscled by opponents in Premier League matches. This sometimes made him a target for opposing teams. His mental fortitude and drive were also questioned, as he often played with a slow, laid-back style, never seeming hurried, and his facial expression always looked half-asleep, showing little emotion.
Such a player was clearly not suited to be a team leader, nor could he be expected to step up in difficult moments. He was more suited to be a support player for stronger teammates. If paired with a top player like Messi or Ronaldo, Özil could deliver excellent passes that would help these star players score more goals.
When Özil first joined Arsenal, Gunners fans had high hopes, thinking he could become a core player like Fabregas or Van Persie. But within a season, Özil proved that he couldn't live up to the fans' expectations. As Arsenal's most expensive signing in history, it was only natural that disappointment began to grow when he couldn't meet the fans' high hopes.
Wenger was also aware of this issue. Realizing that Özil couldn't carry the team alone, he spent a lot of money to bring in Barcelona's winger, Sanchez, solving the problem. Sanchez was a very strong player, one of the top wingers in football at that time. However, Sanchez had a flaw—he played somewhat selfishly and didn't always link up well with his teammates. Arsenal's current passing game still wasn't as smooth as Wenger had envisioned.
Thinking about this, Wenger couldn't help but glance once again at the player in the light blue Manchester City jersey, number 10. If only he had chosen Arsenal instead of Manchester City, how different things might have been!
This wasn't the first time Wenger had thought this. Every time Arsenal played against Manchester City, he couldn't help but lament the missed opportunity. Throughout his career, Wenger had missed out on many outstanding players—Zlatan Ibrahimović, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and later Lin Quan. The top football stars of today had all slipped through Arsenal's fingers.
To miss out on so many top players in a row was a skill in itself. But this also showed that Wenger and his team had a good eye for talent. They just didn't have the resolve to bring the players they liked to their team for various reasons.
In the first half, Arsenal was relentless in their attack, while Manchester City played more defensively. But Guardiola didn't let Arsenal's midfield run wild. He assigned Kanté to mark Özil. Once Özil was marked by Kanté, he could no longer freely survey the field and deliver accurate passes. Under Kanté's pressure, Özil found it difficult to even hold onto the ball, let alone pass it forward.
So, Özil was forced to pass the ball back to his teammates, leaving Ramsey or Cazorla to reorganize the attack. However, Ramsey and Cazorla didn't have Özil's passing ability or vision. When the ball was at their feet, they couldn't make the kind of threatening passes that Özil could. And because of their positioning, they struggled to link up with Sanchez, causing Arsenal's attacking threat to diminish significantly.
On the sidelines, Wenger, who had been smiling while watching Özil's excellent play, saw Özil being pressured into passing the ball back and his smile quickly faded. Arsenal's first-half strategy relied on pushing the ball forward and constantly threatening Manchester City's goal. If their attacking rhythm was disrupted, Manchester City's counterattack would soon follow.
Sure enough, as Arsenal's attack was stifled, Manchester City began to push forward. Their wingers moved inward to play as midfielders, joining in the midfield battle. Seeing that their midfield was outnumbered, Arsenal was forced to adjust, with their wingers also dropping back to join the midfield fray.
The frequent physical confrontations and challenges caused the game's pace to shift toward the traditional style of the Premier League. Although Manchester City wasn't a team that relied heavily on physicality, given that they had better tools at their disposal, Arsenal was even less suited to a physical battle. In terms of squad strength, Manchester City clearly had the upper hand. Given this, Guardiola had no qualms about exploiting this advantage.
As the physical battle on the pitch intensified, Özil's performance started to drop dramatically, eventually fading from the game altogether. In contrast, the diminutive Cazorla, who stood less than 170 cm tall, performed better than Özil. At least he could hold onto the ball under intense pressure and didn't immediately lose possession, leading to a counterattack.
But just holding onto the ball wasn't enough. Without dominating the midfield battle, it was hard for Arsenal to maintain their attacks. This caused Arsenal's earlier momentum to wane rapidly, as if they had lost the energy that had been driving them.
As a result, the game began to shift in Manchester City's favor, with City gaining control of the midfield and gradually launching their counterattacks.
"As expected, Arsenal is still the same Arsenal we know. Nothing has changed!" Seeing his opponents quickly revert to their usual form, with City beginning to dominate, Manchester City's assistant coach, Blatt, couldn't help but comment. If he had to pick a Premier League match to watch, excluding Manchester City games, he would most likely choose an Arsenal game. The reason was simple: Arsenal's style of play was very attractive, with intricate passing and fluid attacking moves that were a joy to watch.
However, getting Arsenal to play such fluid football was incredibly difficult. And when Arsenal couldn't execute this style of play, their threat level dropped significantly.
As the focal point of this Premier League round, this match attracted a lot of attention. Afterward, many coaches would likely study and analyze the game thoroughly. Guardiola's approach to handling Arsenal would certainly be adopted by other teams. There was no doubt about that. Just look at how quickly other Premier League teams started experimenting with a three-man defense after Guardiola introduced it.
Of course, most teams failed to replicate the system successfully and quickly abandoned it, but some persisted, like Liverpool's Klopp, who found the system quite effective in attack. In this match, Guardiola's solution was to turn up the intensity and strangle Arsenal's midfield. It was a simple yet effective strategy that almost any Premier League team could copy. After all, most Premier League teams had tough squads, with some relying on physicality and brawling to compete, like West Ham.
As Arsenal began to lose their grip on the game, Wenger grew increasingly anxious on the sidelines but couldn't think of a good solution. Wenger was never known for his ability to make quick decisions or adjustments during a match. His personality wasn't decisive enough to make the kind of bold, early substitutions that some coaches would make, even if it risked upsetting the players.
Wenger planned to make changes at halftime, either by bringing on substitutes or adjusting the tactics. To be fair, Arsenal's players were still giving their all. Despite being physically outmatched, they fought hard in the midfield battle against Manchester City.
The first half ended with Arsenal holding onto their 1-0 lead. Wenger sighed in relief, grateful that they managed to hold on. It was clear to him that changes were needed at halftime; otherwise, if the match continued as it had towards the end of the first half, Manchester City would soon equalize.
Wenger planned to make tactical and personnel changes at halftime, and coincidentally, so did Guardiola.
"Forget about the goal we conceded. You played well in the first half, but you can do even better!"
Guardiola was a perfectionist who always sought to achieve the highest standards, so it was rare for him to praise his players, except for Lin Quan. The players had expected to be criticized when they returned to the dressing room, but they were pleasantly surprised when Guardiola praised them instead. This lifted their spirits, and they all looked up at their coach, listening attentively to his tactical instructions.
The 15-minute break quickly ended, and the second half began. Both teams made changes. Arsenal brought on defender Gibbs for midfielder Campbell, signaling a more defensive approach. Manchester City did the opposite, bringing off a defender for a midfielder. Just from the substitutions, it was clear who would be attacking and who would be defending in the second half.
"No way, Arsenal only played well for half a game?"
"Arsenal was doing so well in the first half. Why make such a change?"
"Ha, Wenger chickened out!"
Fans were baffled by the changes made by both teams. Arsenal had played so aggressively in the first half, but now they had taken off an attacking player for a defender, as if they were planning a complete 180-degree shift in strategy. The change was too abrupt, too complete.
"Arsenal is leading, so it's not wrong to play more conservatively. As long as they hold onto the lead and get the win, that's all that matters."
"Exactly. The success of their first-half tactics was based on the players running themselves into the ground. But the players aren't machines; they can't keep that up for the whole game."
Not everyone was critical of Wenger's move. Some level-headed fans saw it as a pragmatic decision. Arsenal wasn't Liverpool; they couldn't run at full throttle for 90 minutes. Using such tactics occasionally might catch opponents off guard, but it wasn't sustainable over a full match. If they didn't change their approach, they would be out of steam by the 70th minute, and Manchester City would win without much effort.
"Can they really hold on?"
"Yeah, we're only one goal ahead. That's not much of an advantage!"
Many Arsenal fans were reminded of the home game against Bayern Munich, where they blew a two-goal lead and were ultimately defeated. Now they were facing a team as strong as, if not stronger than, Bayern Munich, and many fans feared a repeat of that nightmare.
Sure enough, in the 56th minute of the second half, Manchester City launched an attacking wave, besieging Arsenal's goal. Lin Quan, Son Heung-min, De Bruyne, and Kroos all took shots, putting Arsenal's goal under immense pressure and causing countless Arsenal fans' hearts to race.
Although Arsenal survived this wave of attacks thanks to Cech's heroics, it was clear they wouldn't hold out for long. Without control of the midfield, they couldn't stop Manchester City's relentless attacks.
In the 67th minute of the second half, De Bruyne and Lin Quan played a one-two, with Lin Quan faking a shot and then delivering a perfect through ball to Agüero in the box. Agüero didn't waste the opportunity, calmly slotting the ball home. The score was now 1-1.
The Emirates Stadium fell silent. There's nothing more heartbreaking than having your hopes raised, only to see them dashed. At that moment, Arsenal fans were living through that despair.
(End of the chapter)
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