Wrong Substitutions Mikel Arteta Made That Cause Arsenal's 1-0 Defeat To Man City
It was a disappointing night for Mikel Arteta's side, Arsenal FC as Nathan Ake's goal secured a victory for Pep Guardiola's side, Manchester City at Etihad Stadium in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Gunners' performance was not bad as the players displayed character as well as passion to score but could not edge past Manchester City's defenders.
Despite the players' performance, it was Mikel Arteta who made the wrong substitution that led to Arsenal FC's defeat. The first half ended in goalless as Gabriel Magalhaes was able to hold Erling Haaland. Replacing Thomas Partey Sambi Lokonga at the start of the second half is a great mistake on the part of the coach.
The moment Thomas Partey was substituted, Manchester City got the chance to operate in the midfield which cause pressure on the like of Granit Xhaka and Fabio Vieira as Sambi Lokonga displayed how inexperienced he is. Though the moment Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Martinelli were introduced, the pressure in the midfield was reduced.
Mikel Arteta further went on to complicate this issue as he substituted Bukayo Saka and left Fabio Vieira on the field. The Portuguese now played in the Bukayo Saka position but could not attack with the ball. Had the coach left Bukayo Saka on the field, Arsenal could have earned a draw or probably win the game as Oleksandr Zinchenko continually played the ball towards Fabio Vieira but he could not utilize the ball efficiently as the Englishman would do.