Arsenal's Performance Raises Concerns: What's Next?

The dejected faces of Arsenal's players as they walked up the Wembley stairs to receive their runners-up medals spoke volumes. A promising afternoon for Mikel Arteta's team ended in a disappointingly familiar defeat. Having grown accustomed to watching Manchester City celebrate at their expense, this time was supposed to be different - an opportunity to kick-start a trophy-winning era and potentially take the first step towards a quadruple. Although their season could still conclude with remarkable success, with a nine-point lead in the Premier League and favorable draws in the Champions League and FA Cup quarter-finals, the manner of this defeat makes the setback even harder to accept. Arsenal have been the superior team in the Premier League this season, but they were outplayed in all areas during the second half. Arteta may privately regret his decision to stick with cup goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga over first-choice David Raya. The failure to claim Rayan Cherki's cross was a glaring error that allowed Manchester City to take control of the game. "Unfortunately, it happened at a crucial moment," Arteta conceded. However, the pattern of the second half had already been established by then. After a closely contested first period, in which Arsenal had the better chances, denied by James Trafford's triple save, they struggled to cope with City's quality and intensity at the start of the second half. At their best, this Arsenal side can overwhelm their opponents, pinning them in their own half and piling on pressure. But on this occasion, they were the ones who were pinned back, unable to push up the pitch. The opener came from an individual error, according to Opta, Arsenal's seventh in their last 22 games, having only allowed one from 28 games before that. But this time, it did not come out of nowhere; City's grip on the game had been tightening. Arsenal had stopped playing, and they were not helped by the absence of Eberechi Eze, whose injury, along with that of Martin Odegaard, left them without two midfield technicians. Despite needing a goal from the 60th minute onwards, Arsenal had just 37 per cent of the possession in the second half, registering only five shots worth a meager 0.17 expected goals. Unable to play through Manchester City's press, they repeatedly went long, but the directness that had unsettled City in the early stages of the game kept coming back after that. "We needed to manage the ball much better than we did," said Arteta. There is no doubting Arsenal's excellence off the ball, but managing games with the ball has been a recurring issue in the second half of the season. Against an opponent of the quality of Manchester City, even in their wounded state after their Champions League exit to Real Madrid, it is not sustainable to rely on their defense. Arsenal struck the woodwork twice in the closing stages as they tried to find a route back into the game, but Manchester City were largely comfortable after their opening goal, their superiority on the day suggesting they retain a psychological edge over the Gunners, which may yet come into play in the title race. Arteta dismissed that notion, instead putting the defeat down to the 20-minute spell during which the damage was done in the second half. However, the manner of the defeat raises questions beyond the obvious one about Arteta's choice of goalkeeper. Do Arsenal have a lingering mentality issue? Do they really have the attacking quality to match their outstanding defense? And do they have the mettle to put this setback behind them? Many of those questions will be answered in the remaining months of the season. They have bigger targets than the Carabao Cup, of course, but they still need to pick themselves up off the floor to ensure their hard work to this point does not go to waste. "What this team has done in the last eight months is incredible," said Arteta. "We're going to use the disappointment and the fire in the belly to have the most amazing two months we've ever had together. Now we have to go through that pain and disappointment." On the evidence of events at Wembley, there is work to be done to prove they are ready to deliver the silverware their progress demands.