Arsenal vs. Manchester City: Gunners Defeat No Reason to Worry

Arsenal lost 2-0 to reigning English Premier League champions Manchester City on Friday in a preseason friendly, but the absence of several impact players makes this a meaningless result.

Yaya Toure assisted Pablo Zabaleta for City’s first goal in the 41st minute. He then scored himself before the halftime whistle blew to complete the scoring for the day. 

In addition to Toure, the Blues had Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany on the pitch. Having said that, the team did not play anyone who competed in Euro 2012.

The Gunners, in contrast, did not have Robin van Persie, Laurent Koscielny or new signings Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski. 

When the calendar shows that it is still July, there are no conclusive lessons to be learned from any match. At this point in the summer, the transfer window is significantly more important to a team’s success than any friendly.

A quick look at some of the results from friendlies over the past few weeks illustrates how seriously the players take these games.

Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw against Ajax Cape Town, who finished in ninth place in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League a season ago. Chelsea managed to achieve European supremacy in May, but lost 3-2 to the MLS All-Stars in late July. Meanwhile, City has been subject to similarly poor performances, losing 1-0 to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.

The managers view these matches as glorified scrimmages, and the players’ form often reflects this mindset.

Without some of the most important members of their squads, it is difficult for the rest of the players to be truly motivated. With David Silva suiting up for the Blues, and any one of the Gunners’ missing strikers on the pitch, this would have been an entirely different match. 

Fans across the planet are still suffering through withdrawals due to lack of Premiership action, and this match offered a clash between two of the league’s top three teams from last season. It's easy to get carried away and look too much into the result.

The fact is, City supporters should not get too excited about the victory, while Gooners have no reason to be concerned over the result.