Took me some time to digest how poor we played against a good but not in form Liverpool, at Emirates. We lost 0-3 with Jota striking twice and a goal from Mo Salah. It was one of the worst performances of this season, our key players were injured (Saka, ESR) and seniors decided to have a day off but we will come to that in detail later.
First thing first, we are suffering from player poverty! When the game performance dips so much when two of the youngest players do not feature in the team due to injuries, you have to believe that. Should you though? Pepe has played a lot at right wing and he should have grabbed the opportunity with both hands and make a mark. Instead, he was abysmal and lost balls everywhere. ESR has moved to left to accommodate Ødegaard but Willian and Auba should have been playing better at that position with years of experience. They both didn’t show up at all!
Our defense is still crap. The center back pairing of Holding and Gabrielle didn’t work out. Luiz was out injured and Gabrielle was not great either. We need a good cover for Tierney, he is playing a lot and has a history of injuries. Once he went off, our left side completely turned off.
I should not even talk about the midfield. Xhaka was out injured and Ceballos should be sent back to Madrid. We need an attacking mid to partner Partey.
Coming back to senior players, it was one of the worst performances individually and combined from Lacazette, Pepe and Aubameyang. Mikel needs to make it work or find a replacement. Willian played 20 odd matches with little or not contribution before being benched. It’s happening with Auba now, he looks disinterested on that left side and should either be shifted to Center Forward or benched.
It’s devastating seeing one of the best in Premier League in last 3 seasons struggling for goals and having a poor game. He was winning us matches alone last season, was a joint top scorer in one season but looks totally disinterested now. Is it because of what Arteta is asking him to do rather than what he does best? Don’t know but if that’s happening, it’s on the manager! You build the gameplay for your best player which gives you higher changes of winning. If you don’t want that, select the player who does it best in that position – where is Martinelli?
I’m a bit frustrated and gonna keep it short for today. I had to change the site’s layout since last one looked extra funky and Arsenal is all about class.
