If football is a game with circumstances that, so the saying goes, even themselves out, sooner or later Arsenal could do with feeling something might go their way. But right now, they seem to be enduring the kind of spell that is the footballing equivalent of opening an umbrella with a hole in it, missing the bus, and getting drenched as another one zooms past without stopping while speeding through an enormous puddle.
As Mikel Arteta promised, his team spent some of this match flying. For periods in the first half, they showed glimpses of their best football. Bukayo Saka returned and scintillated, inspiring fresh energy and creative spirit.
But midway through the second half, Arteta must have looked over from the dugout to see nothing but a complex set of new problems. Jurrien Timber was down on the turf with legs cramping, unable to continue. Gabriel Magalhaes had already been withdrawn and was watching from the bench with his knee wrapped in ice. His two wingers, the sparkling Saka and ever-chasing Gabriel Martinelli, both looked totally out of juice.
Shortly after, while they tried to carve out an attack, Liverpool raided the Arsenal flank that was suddenly exposed and one of the best wingers in world football was ruthless against a patchwork defence shorn of the entire back line that proved so tough to break down at the start of the season.
Arteta is not an excuses man, but it would have been understandable if he had looked up to the heavens and railed. “The situation we are going through at the moment — probably you cannot imagine,” he said afterwards. “It’s what it is. We had five injuries in the back line. We have to adapt to it and we will continue to adapt.”
This is a season of relentless tests for Arsenal: 10 men here, 10 men there. Injured Martin Odegaard here, suspended William Saliba there. Almost a quarter of the way through the Premier League campaign, a disproportionate number of their games have been blighted by something maddening or unfortunate.
On top of the extending injury list, which took an obvious toll against Liverpool, Arsenal can also reflect on a couple of unfavourable decisions that may have been pivotal. Ibrahima Konate’s clumsy challenge on Martinelli in the penalty area was ignored and Kai Havertz bundled the ball in late on but was denied by a whistle from the referee. Both times VAR went with Anthony Taylor. From Arsenal’s perspective, Murphy’s Law rules.
Arteta is unwilling to be publicly downcast. If life is serving him lemons, his mentality is to go off and make lemonade.
Does he feel like nothing is going for them? “No,” he replied. “This is football. I see the team and I have no doubts. We needed to get the points today to make a reflection of where we are and where we want to be. We couldn’t do it but for sure we are there.”
There, when looking at the nascent Premier League table, is five points behind leaders Manchester City to be exact. “You don’t want to be in that position. You want to be ahead,” Arteta said. “But this is where we are. The team is alive, the team wants it. I feel it every single day. The players that cannot play there are upset. Things will turn up.”
The win they craved would have been a useful lift ahead of a run of four away matches, including a challenging sequence of Newcastle United–Inter Milan–Chelsea in a nine-day period.
What can help to kickstart positive momentum? Well, the fitness of key players is obviously key and they must wait for news on Gabriel and Timber, as well as keep an eye on the longer-term absentees including, most crucially, Odegaard. Saliba will thankfully return straight away from his ban.
One thing that was a boon for Arsenal was the return of Saka. He was mesmerising at times in the first half. The opening goal was like an injection of goodness into the team. Ben White took his time in measuring an excellent floating pass. Arsenal’s main man pushed off like a sprinter at the sound of the gun. He galloped and then abruptly chopped back, losing his marker and opening up the all-important sight of goal. His rasping finish was unsavable. Saka stood in front of the Ashburton Army at the front of the Clock End, enjoying the acclaim. How good to be back.
Mikel Merino, the scorer of Arsenal’s second, looks like he is starting to feel more at home. The cameos for Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, and Ethan Nwaneri, 17, also demonstrated their ability to come into high-octane matches. Although Lewis-Skelly played a part in Liverpool’s equaliser with his forward pass and run, there were others on hand to cover and part of his job was to join the attack. He is learning. Both of them should be given substantial game time in midweek against Preston North End in the Carabao Cup.
There were a handful of players out there who were clearly not in the right shape to complete 90 minutes. Merino had not seen a game to completion in months. None of Timber, Saka and Martinelli were able to last the course. Thomas Partey might have been switched after a big shift if there was an alternative, but given the resources, that was not an option.
Maybe there is a ripple effect with the number of games Arsenal’s players have had to compete in with 10 men. The wave of fatigue in the second half was difficult to combat.
There is nothing like wins to boost energy and adrenaline. Arsenal know full well by now they cannot control everything, but forcing games to go their way as best they can is the only point of focus.
(Top photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
