Emirates draw helped both sides a little but Pep Guardiola’s team had something Arsène Wenger’s side are lacking
To borrow an old sporting joke, Arsène Wenger hasn’t managed 1,163 Arsenal matches. He has instead managed the same Arsenal match 1,163 times. At a time when Wenger’s team stand accused of congealment and standing still, it seemed oddly fitting that England’s second greatest modern-day spin-bowler Monty Panesar was guest of honour on the pitch at half-time against Manchester City. Although in fairness Shane Warne’s famous, and indeed unfair, jibe about Panesar playing the same Test 33 times without learning or progressing doesn’t really fit here.
With Arsenal the real stasis set in around the end of the austerity years, as opportunities appeared to push on and find a new gear. Mesut Özil arrived. Wenger talked about having the best squad of his time at the club. And yet somehow ignition has failed to come. Arsenal continue to wilt at the same stage, make the same mistakes, follow the same pattern, a team always crashing in the same car.
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