Pep Guardiola's angry reaction against Arsenal can't hide obvious Man City problems

Manchester City manager was seen kicking a spot during his team's Premier League gully against Arsenal connected a pugnacious day for the champions astatine the Etihad Stadium

When Pep Guardiola landed a karate footwear into his bucket seat’s midriff, the main root of his choler was not instantly obvious.

It mightiness person been that the Arsenal free-kick that led to the equaliser had been taken immoderate mode from wherever the offence was committed. Or that Michael Oliver had allowed it to beryllium taken quickly, adjacent though helium had called Kyle Walker implicit for a chat. Just arsenic apt was that Guardiola was annoyed with his defenders for switching disconnected a little.

But if lone subconsciously, what mightiness person truly been astatine the basal of this peculiar Pep tantrum was that helium had, moments earlier, seen his astir important subordinate limp from the tract successful tears. The magnitude of Rodri’s lack volition intelligibly person a hugely important bearing connected City’s prospects of making it 5 Premier League titles successful a enactment - and Guardiola knows it.

But what Guardiola volition besides cognize is that aft Rodri’s unfortunate departure, his City squad produced one of their astir unimaginative and uninspiring performances for immoderate time.

Don’t get carried distant by the play of it all, don’t get distracted by the edginess, by the accustomed nonsensical hysterics successful the method area, by the snide time-wasting, by the standards fuss implicit the refereeing, don’t get carried distant by Erling Haaland throwing the shot astatine Gabriel’s head. City were fortunate to cod that last-minute John Stones leveller and, heavy down, Pep volition cognize it.

He won’t admit it, but helium volition cognize it. Yes, until they switched disconnected successful those dying seconds, the 10 men of Arsenal defended with large subject but determination was thing last-ditch astir it, thing hopeless astir it.

There was thing retired of the mean required from David Raya, arsenic bully arsenic helium was. You could marque a lawsuit for his prevention from Josko Gvardiol’s volley being precise decent but had helium allowed that to find a mode through, helium would person been slaughtered.

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Ignore the possession statistics, for each but that past infinitesimal of a tortuous 2nd half, Mikel Arteta’s broadside held connected to a pb - fixed to them by Riccardo Calafiori’s quality and Gabriel’s header aft Haaland’s precise well-taken opener - with immoderate grade of comfort. And had Leandro Trossard not been sent disconnected conscionable earlier half-time, immoderate fair-minded perceiver would person predicted an Arsenal victory.

That City did not person the ingenuity to decently instrumentality attraction of the depleted Gunners successful the 2nd fractional volition not lone springiness Arsenal superior encouragement, it volition besides beryllium a fillip for Liverpool and for somewhat little apt rubric challengers, specified arsenic Aston Villa and, don’t laugh, Chelsea.

Guardiola inactive has an array of endowment to telephone connected and for the archetypal 4th of this contest, they were arsenic bully arsenic they person been each season. But successful the clip erstwhile a afloat Arsenal complement scored twice, City’s antiaircraft vulnerability and slackness was again exposed.

The champions merit recognition for someway uncovering a mode to instrumentality thing from a crippled erstwhile their good of ideas - usually brimful - seemed to person tally dry. They merit recognition for showing immoderate patience erstwhile Arsenal’s time-wasting became silly. And the information is that they beryllium connected apical of the Premier League table, having dropped lone 2 points from a imaginable 15.

But careless of however superior Rodri’s wounded is - and let’s anticipation helium is backmost soon - this is simply a City broadside that is not going to tally distant with the title. Bucket seats beware.

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