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Arsenal player ratings vs Man City: Guendouzi produces mixed display – several stars flop
ARSENAL fell to a 2-0 defeat against reigning champions Manchester City in their opening game of the Premier League season.
Unai Emery was given a tough introduction to Premier League football as Arsenal were swept aside by Manchester City at the Emirates.
The Spanish boss named a fresh line-up to mark the start of a new era in north London, but it wasn't a good day for several of the Gunners' key players.
Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka and Henrikh Mkhitaryan produced poor performances, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was isolated up front.
Teenage star Matteo Guendouzi was given a baptism of fire in his Arsenal debut, but how did he perform against the rampant City stars?
Petr Cech – 5
Reacted too slowly to Raheem Sterling’s goal, inspired zero confidence in the first half with poor distribution. Produced a terrific one-on-one stop to deny Sergio Aguero though.
Hector Bellerin – 5
The right-back had a lot to deal with down his flank, but Benjamin Mendy ultimately won the battle and recorded two assists under Bellerin's nose.
Shkodran Mustafi – 6
Looked nervous at times as City flooded forward, but he can't be held responsible for the midfield collapsing in front of him.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos – 6
The former Dortmund man has added some physicality to the Gunners rearguard. Made a couple of great tackles, but couldn't single-handedly fend off City.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 5
Endured a rough time against Riyad Mahrez in the opening stages before leaving the field with an injury.
Matteo Guendouzi – 5
Tough to boil down into one number. The youngster made some big, costly mistakes during the 90 minutes but, unlike so many Arsenal players before him, he never went into hiding, worked hard for the team and always tried to make up for his errors.
Granit Xhaka – 4
A performance that typifies his spell at Arsenal so far – simply too passive in the middle. Regardless of his opposition, he's got to start making a consistent impact in games.
Mesut Ozil – 5
Like Xhaka, it was a typical performance from Ozil today. His passing was loose and his final ball looked too casual to cause City any real issues.
Aaron Ramsey – 6
The Welshman wasn't helped by the team-mates around him but was one of the most positive players wearing red and white.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 4
Anonymous. Looked way off the pace, a frustrating performance from a player who clearly has plenty of talent hidden away in his locker.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 6
Threatened to cause problems when he got the ball, though he was largely isolated. Needs more purposeful, sharper service from players behind him.