Match Analysis: Arsenal's win over City will banish their inferiority complex

‘Dealing with matters in accordance with practical rather than theoretical considerations or general principles; aiming at what is achievable rather than ideal,’ is how the Oxford English Dictionary defines the word ‘pragmatic’. [caption id=“attachment_2052585” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart watches as he fails to stop Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud (C) scoring a goal. Reuters[/caption] One can safely say, without fear of reprisal, that pragmatic is not a word that has been applicable to Arsenal’s performances in big games in recent years. Reckless, unreasonable and idealistic, yes, but pragmatic? Most certainly not. Until now, it seems. Arsenal will not win the Premier League title this season, and they will still have to battle hard to secure the Champions League qualification that appears to be their birth-right under Arsene Wenger, but the French boss and his charges just may have eradicated one of their defining fatal flaws. Their magnificent 2-0 win against defending champions Manchester City yielded crucial three points, but more significantly, it gave them vital belief and it might well have banished their inferiority complex to the past. Last season at the Etihad, Arsenal conceded after only 14 minutes. Meanwhile at Anfield, Arsene Wenger’s men found themselves 4-0 down with just 20 minutes on the clock. It was a similar story at Stamford Bridge too, 4-0 down at the break, with the second half treated as a futile exercise in damage limitation. All of that was in stark contrast to what occurred in east Manchester on Sunday afternoon. City, who conceded when the majestic Santi Cazorla emphatically despatched from the penalty spot midway through the first half, had to wait until the 36th minute to register their first shot of the match. Despite having the lion’s share of the possession, they were frustrated by their opponents, who defended stoutly and deep and sprung intelligently on the counter-attack, utilising the pace and guile of their attacking components. This was not the Arsenal of recent years, this was not the Arsenal that consistently sought to concentrate on their own strengths while ignoring those of their opponents. This was Arsenal with a discernible game-plan, one which was as much designed to thwart and negate City as it was to find the back of Joe Hart’s net. Aaron Ramsey, ostensibly an attacking midfielder for vast swathes of last season, restricted his forward bursts in order to ensure greater security and presence in the middle of the park and in front of the back four while man-of-the-match Cazorla, who produced an individual display of scarcely believable quality, recorded 10 dribbles, two tackles, one goal and one assist during an all-encompassing performance. That three-man midfield was anchored by Francis Coquelin, the 23-year-old Frenchman who has been catapulted back into Arsenal’s first team after recent spells on loan at German minnows Freiburg and Championship side Charlton Athletic. Ramsey alluded to the plan after the match – “we did not give any room in the middle for David Silva to get into those little pockets he loves” – and it marked a key distinction for Arsenal in their evolution as Wenger seeks to turn them, eventually, into bona fide title contenders once again. The big-money signings of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in successive summers, coupled with the retention of key players, heralded a shift in the club’s transfer policy and it looks as though the transition back toward a big-time mentality is taking place on the pitch now too. “We looked in control away from home and we finally got a big win in a big game away from home – that reinforces the belief of the team,” Wenger enthused after the final whistle. As disciplined and effective as Arsenal were, they were also aided by a City side who were shorn of spark and invention. Their key weapon Silva, normally so penetrative and decisive, was confined to the periphery for the majority of the afternoon, while Sergio Aguero looked rusty on his first league start since the start of December. And tellingly, they once again failed to win without Yaya Toure – they have drawn three and lost one of the four league games the talismanic Ivorian has missed this season. The all-Brazilian central midfield pairing of Fernandinho and Fernando usually excel with the attritional side of things, but they lack thrust and purpose in an attacking sense. Both are shields rather than swords and City miss Toure immensely in his absence, even though he has failed to scale his lofty heights of last season. Arsenal are, it must be noted, 12 points down from the same stage last season, and occupying fifth place instead of first, but it feels like they have turned the page. Before Sunday’s trip to the North West, Arsenal had accrued a mere seven points from a possible 48 in their previous 16 league encounters against Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United. They have had no difficulty in overcoming the Premier League’s lesser lights in recent years with their patented brand of silky technical fluidity, but have always come up short against their true rivals. But having finally sacrificed their utopian approach, they just might be able to call themselves genuine contenders once again in the not-too-distant future.