No one expected Arsenal's early trip to Man City to be an easy affair. But no one expected it to be the nightmare.
Unfortunately for the Gunners and their legions of loyal fans, that is exactly what happened. Despite a bright start, Arteta's men found themselves 2-0 down inside the first 12 minutes courtesy of comical defending from the likes of Calum Chambers and Cedric Soares.
Just over the half-an-hour mark, the game took an unneeded turn for the worse as Granit Xhaka was shown a straight red card for a two-footed challenge on an opposition player. From then on, the Citizens made light work of the north London giants, scoring their third before half-time and adding a fourth and fifth in the second half.
The 5-0 defeat leaves Arsenal bottom of the table, having failed to win a single game this month. Three defeats from their first three games is nothing to boast about, but what makes things worse is the fact that the Gunners have conceded nine goals without finding the back of the net once.
And for many fans and followers of the once prestigious English club, things have reached a point of no return. Several supporters took to social media to aim their frustrations at one man and one man only: Mikel Arteta. The Spanish tactician entered the season with many calling for his sacking. However, cries for a managerial change hit an all-time high after their Etihad Stadium thrashing. Check out the best tweets below.
FT: Man City 5-0 Arsenal. Disorganised, disinterested, disjointed, disappointing, lazy, indisciplined, defensively incoherent, offensively apathetic, creatively ineffective. This is the team after 18 months under Arteta. Trust the process? What process? Loyal Gooners deserve more pic.twitter.com/KqbCx22mi2
— Layth (@laythy29) August 28, 2021
"It looks like he's lost the players to me."@fara_williams47 believes Mikel Arteta is now on a tightrope at Arsenal - how much pressure is he under?
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) August 28, 2021
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Get involved using #bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/ThWkym5ngn
These fixtures should not be a lifeline for Arteta. They should be a chance to get a new manager up and running. Sack him today. pic.twitter.com/5BIkiSAi20
— Paddy (@PaddyArsenal) August 28, 2021
Arsenal have failed to win each of their three opening games of a top-flight season without scoring for the first time in the club's 135-year history.
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) August 28, 2021
Mikel Arteta is breaking the wrong records. pic.twitter.com/fFJWYx5UxV
I don't need to hear Pep Guardiola talking up the qualities of Mikel Arteta after Arsenal have just been pumped 5-0 and lost their first three games of the season.
— arseblog (@arseblog) August 28, 2021
Mikel Arteta has failed and things are getting worse not better. He must go.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) August 28, 2021
No points, no goals, no fight, no leadership, no right-back, no energy, no concentration, no clear tactics, no consistent selection and no direction from bench. Tierney and Smith Rowe tried but others, and Arteta, hapless #afc #shambles
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) August 28, 2021
#AFC | Those who have followed me for a while now will know that I try to be positive as much as possible.
— Chris Davison (@cdavison_afc) August 28, 2021
I wanted Arteta to succeed, but I fail to see how he can now. I cannot see the light.
Unacceptable, again. Highest spenders in the league yet same old story. No excuses.
However, not everyone agrees with the #ArtetaOut brigade. Speaking after the game, Guardiola gave his thoughts on his former assistant coach, arguing that his countryman—and more notably, his close friend—is a talented manager in need of time. Check out what Pep had to say in the video below.
"He is beyond a good manager. They have 6, 7, 8, important players injured."
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) August 28, 2021
"If they trust him he'll do a good job at Arsenal."
Pep Guardiola defends Mikel Arteta after City put five past Arsenal.
@TheDesKelly pic.twitter.com/Z0AWMVyBf2