Manchester City collapsed to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday in arguably their most repugnant display of the season. The Blues now sit five points behind league leaders Chelsea and have conceded more goals than Manchester United's much-criticised defence.
Arsenal shuffled into Eastlands having not won on a reigning Premier League champion's ground since May 2002. Nervous showings at the Etihad, Stamford Bridge and Anfield last term earned Arsène Wenger's side the title of the league's 'big away day bottlers', but unusually astute tactics from the Frenchman earned the Gunners a superb victory against Manuel Pellegrini's men this weekend.
Yaya Touré's trip to the African Cup of Nations saw Fernandinho and Fernando line up together in the heart of City's midfield, but the Brazilian duo failed to offer the drive and solidity of their Ivorian teammate. Constantly hounding and harrassing, a trio of Aaron Ramsey, Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla forced City's vulnerable midfield into an unacceptable number of mistakes and onto the back foot from the off.
Fernando, who was caught napping for Arsenal's second goal, has failed to reassure Manchester City fans of his value since moving from FC Porto in the summer and his abrasive tackling style often presents opponents with space to surge into. The 27-year-old has created just 8 chances this season, less than any other City midfielder, and surely cannot be legitimately regarded as an able replacement for Touré this month.
Vincent Kompany and Sergio Agüero were welcomed back into the side after respective injury lay-offs, but failed to influence the tie in any positive way. Kompany's rustiness was exploited after just 24 minutes when he obstructed Nacho Monreal inside the penalty area and Agüero's ability to wrestle back the game was hindered by David Silva's anonymity.
City's ponderous display was largely affected by Arsenal's monitoring of the illustrious Spaniard. 23-year old Coquelin was tasked with cutting off supply to the game's most authoritative player and the Frenchman did an immaculate job.
With the hosts lacking options, Jesus Navas' pace became City's main outlet. The former-Sevilla winger has been impressive for the champions this season, creating more chances (46) than any other player in the team, but his distribution into the box is too often lacking. The 18 failed crosses he registered summed up a disappointing performance.
The Blues certainly missed the neat interchanging play David Silva, Samir Nasri and Yaya Touré consistently treat the Etihad Stadium. Arsenal successfully cut off the supply to City's game-changing players and exploited the incredible amount of space available in the heart of the midfield.
With a daunting trip to the home of table-toppers Chelsea in 13 days time, Manuel Pellegrini must show why he has been voted the Barclay's Manager of the Month for January and assemble his side back into the title race.
