KOMPAS.com — Manajer baru Ursenal, Unai Emery , mengawali perjalanannya di Liga Inggris dengan kekalahan. The Gunners, julukan Arsenal , takluk dari Manchester City dalam laga pembuka. Pada pertandingan yang digelar di Stadion Emirates, London, Minggu (12/8/2018), Arsenal menyerah 0-2 dari sang juara bertahan. Gol-gol kemenangan Man City dicetak Raheem Sterling pada menit ke-14 sebelum digandakan Bernardo Silva (64'). Kekalahan tersebut menjadi awal yang buruk bagi perjalanan Emery bersama Arsenal. Selain itu, hasil tersebut juga membuat Emery menjadi manajer pertama Arsenal yang mengalami kekalahan dalam laga debut sejak Steve Burtenshaw pada 1986.
Baca Juga: Hasil Liga Inggris, Arsenal Ditaklukkan Man City di Kandang Usai laga, Emery pun memberikan penjelasan mengapa Arsenal kalah. Selain karena kualitas yang dimiliki Man City, Emery juga mengatakan bahwa Arsenal sempat bermain tidak sesuai dengan keinginannya, terutama pada babak pertama. "Hasil pertandingan memang 0-2, tetapi saya pikir permainan kami selama 90 menit di atas lapangan semakin baik. Hanya pada babak pertama kami tidak bermain seperti yang diinginkan," ucap Emery seperti dikutip BolaSport.com dari BBC. "Saat jeda, kami berbicara kepada pemain untuk mengambil lebih banyak tanggung jawab pada babak kedua. Kami ingin membangun permainan dengan bola di kaki dan merusak garis pertahanan mereka. Saya pikir pada babak kedua, kami telah bermain lebih seperti yang kami inginkan," tuturnya. Berikutnya, Arsenal akan kembali mendapat ujian dari dua tim sesama London, Chelsea dan West Ham United. Secara berturut-turut, mereka akan melakoni laga tersebut pada pekan ke-2 dan 3. (Verdi Hendrawan)
London - Arsenal menjalani sebuah era baru di Liga Inggris 2018/2019 setelah tak lagi dilatih Arsene Wenger. Tapi gara-gara Manchester City , zaman baru itu dimulai dengan kekalahan. Untuk kali pertama dalam lebih dari 20 tahun, Arsenal menjalani laga Liga Inggris bukan bersama Arsene Wenger. Sang Profesor sudah pensiun musim lalu, dan kini The Gunners menjalani zaman baru bersama Unai Emery . Emirates Stadium, Minggu (12/8/2018) malam WIB menandai dimulainya era baru tersebut. Arsenal mengawali Liga Inggris dengan menjamu sang juara bertahan Manchester City.
Alih-alih kemenangan, Arsenal tumbang 0-2 oleh City. Sebuah hasil yang menurut Emery sulit untuk mereka hindari. "Kami ingin memulainya (era baru) di sini bersama para suporter. Kami ingin menunjukkan performa kami. Kami ingin menunjukkan performa kami, tapi jelas, menghadapi Manchester City kami tak bisa memberi suporter kemenangan. Tapi saya pikir di sini kami bekerja dengan baik," ucap Emery di BBC. Selain City yang kelewat dominan, Emery mengaku kalau skema permainan yang sudah direncanakan tak berjalan mulus. Kondisinya baru berubah di babak kedua. "Di babak pertama kami tak bermain seperti yang kami inginkan. Saya berbicara dengan pemain saat jeda, tentang mengambil lebih banyak tanggung jawab, berupaya sedikit lebih baik lagi." "Kami ingin membangun serangan dengan menguasai bola dan mematahkan pertahanan kereka. Saya pikir di babak kedua kami bermain sepeti yang kami inginkan," ucap Emery. Latih Arsenal, Apa Kata Emery? Simak Videonya:
Seperti sebelumnya, Manchester City mendominasi penguasaan bola pada pertandingan ini. Tim tamu pun beberapa kali mengancam gawang tuan rumah.
Tekanan tersebut berbuah gol Sterling. Mendapat umpan Benjamin Mendy, Sterling memotong ke dalam sebelum melepas tembakan yang tidak mampu dicegah Cech.
The Citizens terus menekan dan mendapat peluang lewat Sergio Aguero dan Aymeric Laporte. Tidak terima, The Gunners membalas dan berusaha mengembangkan permainan.
Serangan balik yang berbuah tembakan Hector Bellerin masih bisa dimentahkan Ederson. Sedangkan tendangan Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang masih melebar.
Arsenal berusaha bangkit di babak kedua. Terutama setelah Alexandre Lacazette masuk menggantikan Aaron Ramsey. Namun, niat Arsenal akhirnya kandas setelah Bernardo Silva meneruskan umpan Mendy.
Unggul dua gol, Manchester City kemudian bermain aman untuk mengamankan tiga angka. Meski begitu, mereka beberapa kali melakukan kesalahan umpan yang berbuah peluang Arsenal. Beruntung kesalahan itu tidak berbuah fatal.
Arsenal started life under Unai Emery more or less where they finished with Arsene Wenger as Manchester City secured a convincing 2-0 win at the Emirates.
Raheem Sterling scored early in the first half with a powerful low finish, and City’s lead was eventually doubled when Bernardo Silva scored from a similar position with a well-hit curling effort.
An Arsenal side with a supposed new lease of life failed to get going and rarely worked Ederson in the City goal.
Here are five things we learned from the Emirates:
Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings 22 show all Arsenal vs Manchester City player ratings 1/22 Petr Cech - 7 out of 10 Made an incredible double save in the first half to keep Arsenal in the game, one of many he was forced to make. Action Images via Reuters 2/22 Hector Bellerin - 6 Had a clear chance in the first half to bring Arsenal level but drilled it straight at Ederson when other options where available. Getty Images 3/22 Shkodran Mustafi - 6 Had a stronger second half than first, successfully challenged Aguero on a number of occasions. Action Images via Reuters 4/22 Sokratis Papastathopoulos - 5 Gave away a tactical free kick on the edge of his own area resulting in a yellow card but was lucky that City didn’t capitalise on it. AFP/Getty Images 5/22 Ainsley Maitland-Niles - 4 Struggled out of position at left-back, frequently out paced and overpowered by Kyle Walker and subbed before half-time. Getty Images 6/22 Matteo Guendouzi - 6 Put in a shift in the midfield going forward and tracking back, he made a couple of minor errors but made up for it with his work rate. Getty Images 7/22 Granit Xhaka - 5 Got booked in the second half with a sloppy challenge, that was about the range of his impact. Getty Images 8/22 Mesut Ozil - 6 Worked hard but lacked accuracy with his balls into the box Aubameyang, 6 out of 10 – Had an attempt on goal from 25 yards that could’ve been better given Arsenal’s lack of attempts on goal. Action Images via Reuters 9/22 Aaron Ramsey - 6 Created Arsenal best chances by making space in mid-field and continuing to run at the defenders on the counter attack. Getty Images 10/22 Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 5 Found himself in the area a couple of times but failed to take his chances. AP 11/22 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 6 Had an attempt on goal from 25 yards that could’ve been better given Arsenal’s lack of attempts on goal. REUTERS 12/22 Ederson - 6 Made some relatively straight forward saves but did so with confidence. PA 13/22 Kyle Walker - 6 Bombed forward down the right with pace and power, making Maitland-Niles look silly in the first 20 minutes leading to the opener. REUTERS 14/22 John Stones - 6 Solid in defence, performed well when Arsenal looked to come forward and was confident on the ball. Getty Images 15/22 America Laporte - 5 Made a couple of errors at the back in the first half but regained his composure and defended well. EPA 16/22 Benjamin Mendy - 6 Was sloppy on occasion when defending but added to City’s attacking prowess when they went forward leading to the second goal. PA 17/22 Ilkay Gundogan - 6 Got forward more after the second goal went in and had a powerful shot blocked by Aguero Action Images via Reuters 18/22 Fernandinho - 7 Does what he does in midfield, controlled the play of the ball when City came forward and fed it out wide with ease. Getty Images 19/22 Riyad Mahrez - 7 Had a decent debut for City, he wasn’t afraid to get stuck in and get the ball into the area. Getty Images 20/22 Bernardo Silva - 7 Had an okay first half but stepped up in the second and smoked a great shot to double City’s lead. Getty Images 21/22 Raheem Sterling - 8 Caused lots of problems in the first 20 minutes, Arsenal looked unwilling to close him down and they paid the price as he scored the opener with a cracking strike. REUTERS 22/22 Sergio Aguero - 6 Held the ball up strongly but couldn’t find a way through the centre-backs for a clear shot on goal. Getty Images 1/22 Petr Cech - 7 out of 10 Made an incredible double save in the first half to keep Arsenal in the game, one of many he was forced to make. Action Images via Reuters 2/22 Hector Bellerin - 6 Had a clear chance in the first half to bring Arsenal level but drilled it straight at Ederson when other options where available. Getty Images 3/22 Shkodran Mustafi - 6 Had a stronger second half than first, successfully challenged Aguero on a number of occasions. Action Images via Reuters 4/22 Sokratis Papastathopoulos - 5 Gave away a tactical free kick on the edge of his own area resulting in a yellow card but was lucky that City didn’t capitalise on it. AFP/Getty Images 5/22 Ainsley Maitland-Niles - 4 Struggled out of position at left-back, frequently out paced and overpowered by Kyle Walker and subbed before half-time. Getty Images 6/22 Matteo Guendouzi - 6 Put in a shift in the midfield going forward and tracking back, he made a couple of minor errors but made up for it with his work rate. Getty Images 7/22 Granit Xhaka - 5 Got booked in the second half with a sloppy challenge, that was about the range of his impact. Getty Images 8/22 Mesut Ozil - 6 Worked hard but lacked accuracy with his balls into the box Aubameyang, 6 out of 10 – Had an attempt on goal from 25 yards that could’ve been better given Arsenal’s lack of attempts on goal. Action Images via Reuters 9/22 Aaron Ramsey - 6 Created Arsenal best chances by making space in mid-field and continuing to run at the defenders on the counter attack. Getty Images 10/22 Henrikh Mkhitaryan - 5 Found himself in the area a couple of times but failed to take his chances. AP 11/22 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 6 Had an attempt on goal from 25 yards that could’ve been better given Arsenal’s lack of attempts on goal. REUTERS 12/22 Ederson - 6 Made some relatively straight forward saves but did so with confidence. PA 13/22 Kyle Walker - 6 Bombed forward down the right with pace and power, making Maitland-Niles look silly in the first 20 minutes leading to the opener. REUTERS 14/22 John Stones - 6 Solid in defence, performed well when Arsenal looked to come forward and was confident on the ball. Getty Images 15/22 America Laporte - 5 Made a couple of errors at the back in the first half but regained his composure and defended well. EPA 16/22 Benjamin Mendy - 6 Was sloppy on occasion when defending but added to City’s attacking prowess when they went forward leading to the second goal. PA 17/22 Ilkay Gundogan - 6 Got forward more after the second goal went in and had a powerful shot blocked by Aguero Action Images via Reuters 18/22 Fernandinho - 7 Does what he does in midfield, controlled the play of the ball when City came forward and fed it out wide with ease. Getty Images 19/22 Riyad Mahrez - 7 Had a decent debut for City, he wasn’t afraid to get stuck in and get the ball into the area. Getty Images 20/22 Bernardo Silva - 7 Had an okay first half but stepped up in the second and smoked a great shot to double City’s lead. Getty Images 21/22 Raheem Sterling - 8 Caused lots of problems in the first 20 minutes, Arsenal looked unwilling to close him down and they paid the price as he scored the opener with a cracking strike. REUTERS 22/22 Sergio Aguero - 6 Held the ball up strongly but couldn’t find a way through the centre-backs for a clear shot on goal. Getty Images
Guendouzi showed glimpses of potential but, like Arsenal, falls short when it comes to top quality
‘So who’s that new David Luiz looking lad then?’ asked those who may not have been following Arsenal’s pre-season with a huge amount of detail. The 19-year-old midfielder showed flashes of talent on his surprise debut after joining from French second tier side FC Lorient.
His one-on-one defending was very tidy, there’s no doubt about that. He showed against Sergio Aguero and Sterling that he is no pushover as he shepherded them away from goal, and made some important blocks and interceptions.
What was less impressive, however, was what he could do in possession. While Mattoe Guendouzi was comfortable in making himself available to receive the ball, once he got it the poise and confidence he showed when defending was absent. Passes in the final third were poorly weighted and too often panic set in as the ball was aimlessly fired forward, which allowed City to quickly get back on the front foot.
It was his debut, and he is 19, and it’s perhaps a sign of the hand that Arsenal are playing with.
City will once again make light work of the title
Surely there’s no other outcome? Against Chelsea in the Community Shield Manchester City were frighteningly good, and that form has continued into the Premier League.
Liverpool are City’s most likely challengers this season, but Guardiola’s side look so complete and in tune with each other. The addition of Riyad Mahrez was a real statement of intent. On his debut he showed some promising moments, but there is definitely more to come.
Raheem Sterling looks like he is going to have an even better season than his electric campaign last year. Silva, who showed glimpses of promise last season, had an excellent game and doubled City’s lead with an emphatic curling finish to turn in Benjamin Mendy’s cross.
Leno must become Arsenal’s number one
To spend £20m on a new goalkeeper and then play someone who appeared to be out of his depth over the last couple of seasons was an interesting decision by Emery. Petr Cech’s name on the teammsheet was an unexpected one, but Bernd Leno, who was named as a substitute for only the third time in his club career, may not have to wait too long to get his turn in the first team.
To say Cech could have done more to prevent Sterling’s opening goal may be a little harsh. Even though the ball was not hit into the corner of the goal, the goalkeeper had several players in front of him and the effort was very well struck. What is fair to say is that Cech very much represents the old guard at Arsenal, the kind ofplayer which the club need to begin moving away from.
Cech’s distribution often put players in difficult situations, and he almost scored a calamitous own goal with a backwards pass. Leno must become Arsenal’s new number one as a sign of the new era at the club - that, and he’s probably a better keeper.
City’s wing-backs take centre stage
Not many sides will have a greater appreciation for their full-backs than Manchester City. Both Mendy and Kyle Walker had superb games down their respective flanks. Walker’s pace was hugely beneficial when City stretched Arsenal, and was called on when the home side attempted to break forward.
Walker’s defending is often leaves room for improvement given his attacking nature, however, his recovery tackles were very sharp and his one-on-one defending much better than it has previously been.
How many more points would Manchester City have won last season if Mendy played over 30 league games instead of Fabian Delph? While you suspect there is still a bit more to come from the French defender, he was certainly lively against Arsenal. His assist for Silva’s goal was particularly impressive. Mendy showed real desire to make an overlapping run and then displayed real composure to pick out the Portuguese midfielder with a well weighted pass to the edge of the box.
Lack of chances will worry Emery
With Arsene Wenger at the helm the defending towards the end got progressively worse each season. What remained constant was the wonderful attacking play that his sides produced, no matter how calamitous the back four or five became.
Against City, Arsenal really struggled to work Ederson. There were very few times where you really felt that the Gunners were going to create a chance to score, which will be a huge concern for the new manager. Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were largely ineffective, which meant that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was receiving very little service and even less support once he eventually got the ball.
Alexandre Lacazette came on and flashed a half-volley wide from the edge of the area, but that’s about as good as it got for the Arsenal fans who are so used to being treated to attacking play.
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