---
title: "It went badly last week so surely Emery must drop these 2 Arsenal men today"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/it-went-badly-last-week-so-surely-emery-must-drop-these-2-arsenal-men-today/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Adam Willmott"
section: "Arsenal Football Club"
published: "2018-08-18T07:30:24Z"
modified: "2018-08-18T07:30:24Z"
---

# It went badly last week so surely Emery must drop these 2 Arsenal men today

**Arsenal were comprehensively beaten by Guardiola’s seemingly unstoppable Manchester City on Sunday.**

It was a brutal introduction for new Spanish manager Unai Emery on Sunday. An opening fixture as tough as they come against the imperious Manchester City, fresh off a win in the Community Shield final.

It was not a total surrender to the talents of the Sky Blues, [as it was last season when Arsenal went down 0-3 at the hands of City at the Emirates](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43150331). Wenger’s Arsenal conceded three goals in the first half in a game which looked like it was men against boys.

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TALKING-TACTICS2.png)

However, Arsenal did struggle to create, mainly profiting off of mistakes from Manchester City’s ball-playing stopper Ederson. A goal in each half was enough for City to see-off the North London outfit.

There was certainly a move to more pressing under Emery, and Manchester City were never allowed to be too comfortable in possession. However, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cut a frustrated figure for much of the game, as Arsenal were simply unable to get the ball to his feet.

## **Granit Xhaka**

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Xhaka.jpg)

His performance on Sunday did little to inspire. The young Matteo Guendouzi looks like he needs better protection, as the young midfielder is prone to a mistake.

Guendouzi would look more comfortable alongside the tenacious Lucas Torreira. The Uruguayan international has the legs to cover for Guendouzi, as a mistake the young 19-year-old made nearly lead to a Manchester City goal on Sunday.

Granit Xhaka is a frustrating an inconsistent presence in the middle of the park for the Gunners, trialling a system in which he was dropped for Torreira could be profitable for Arsenal.

## **Petr Cech**

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Petr-Cech-warming-up-for-Arsenal.jpg)

The 36-year-old stopper is being asked to do a job by Emery which is totally unfamiliar to him.

The veteran Czech is a world-class shot stopper, but he is not a modern-day stopper in which distribution is everything. He had a couple of shaky moments against Guardiola’s City.

Considering[Emery has signed former Beyer Leverkusen stopper Bernd Leno](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/11410249/arsenal-complete-move-to-sign-goalkeeper-bernd-leno-from-bayer-leverkusen), who is much more familiar with this style of play, surely Cech should be dropped in favour of Bernd Leno.