Arsenal have been heavily criticised for their poor performance as they lost 1-0 to Manchester City yesterday.
The Gunners were always likely to be the underdogs in this game after their poor form this season, while City look unbeatable at the moment as they race towards the title.
Still, it was certainly too easy for Pep Guardiola’s side at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal barely put up a fight, with Garth Crooks far from impressed with what he saw from the home team.
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Writing in his column on BBC Sport, Crooks noticed that City goalkeeper Ederson actually looked bored at points, with Arsenal allowing their opponents to play at a walking pace.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game quite like it,” Crooks said. “A match played practically at walking pace at times and where the champions-elect were just allowed to coast by Arsenal.
“There was even a moment when Ederson appeared so bored he totally unnecessarily volleyed a back pass off his goal-line straight back to the opposition for the fun of it.
“This surely can’t go on. There was no attempt by Arsenal to mix it and play a game that would make nice ball-players feel uncomfortable, put them under pressure or even harass them.
“At this rate Ruben Dias will play the game until he’s 47.
“The Portugal international is about to win the Premier League title without so much as a scratch and that can’t be right.
“Is somebody going to make it uncomfortable for City? What is the English game coming to?”
It’s certainly sad to see how far a great team like Arsenal have fallen in recent times, with Mikel Arteta perhaps increasingly looking like the wrong man for such a difficult job.
A major rebuild is needed at Arsenal, and the inexperienced Arteta may have come in at the wrong time, even if he has shown plenty of promise early on in his coaching career.