New year, same old problems for Arsenal.
The January transfer window closes four weeks from Monday morning; you can assume the hotline of interim sporting director Jason Ayto will be very busy indeed.
On the evidence of Saturday, a lack of creativity in the final third and goalscoring options up front are issues that will rear their heads again and again going forward this season, just as they have done for months — unless an attacking signing is made in January.
Yes, a club which got through the absence of Martin Odegaard across September and October are dealing with the aftershocks of Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury and his plentiful supply of goals and assists.
Every club across the Premier League, bar Liverpool maybe, would lament the loss of Saka if he were in their side. That, though, masks the wider problems at play here.
Aside from the incisive forays of promising 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who put the Gunners ahead against Brighton, there was a stodginess in the midfield — typified by Mikel Merino — and a lack of spark in the front three.
Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw with Brighton on Saturday night, despite taking an early lead
Bukayo Saka missed the game through a long-term injury which will keep him out for months
The Gunners failed to make a significant indent on Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table
Compare the starting attacking triumvirate of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Nwaneri against Liverpool’s Mo Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo, and the difference in goals and threat is abundantly stark.
Unless Arsenal have a shrewd January window, title talk could well become redundant, the conversation instead turning to securing a top-four spot. An unfathomable thought just one month ago — and one Gunners fans do not wish to imagine after coming so close to the title in the two previous seasons.
It’s the striker or wide forward position, in particular, that needs to be addressed — and fast.
The north London club were facing a Seagulls side on seven consecutive league matches without a win. Make that eight now. A team like Arsenal with title aspirations should be beating such opposition.
The visitors weren’t terrible, no. But, neither were they good. Mikel Arteta’s men were able to get through the Brighton press. It was the next parts, such as threading passes through to create meaningful chances, and their finishing, which severely lacked.
The cold, wet, windy weather on the south coast highlighted this even more. As seen with Nwaneri’s goal, which went straight through goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who ought to have done better, the conditions leant towards testing the keeper. In such weather, the ball can do funny things.
Yet the visitors only had nine shots, three of those on target.
When asked whether the lack of shots at goal was down to a creativity issue or lack of a striker, Arteta said afterwards: ‘You can’t rely on just one player. I think the process in the second half especially we lacked certain things and it’s normal because the fluidity that we have in certain areas with the players that we have is not the same.
Arsenal dropped points for the third time in six league games with their 1-1 draw with Brighton
Mikel Arteta’s side have scored five goals in their four games without Saka this season (1.25 goals per game), compared to 34 goals in the 16 games he has played (2.1 goals per game)
‘But certainly it’s something we can do much better and that’s on us.’
There also appeared to be a reluctance to strike from outside the area — even when the opportunity was there. It’s a theme. Among the league’s top six teams, Arsenal have had 66 shot from outside the box. That’s markedly lower than Man City (123), Chelsea (99), Nottingham Forest (91), Liverpool (75) and Newcastle (74).
More immediately, Arteta also has to patch up his right wing once again. Nwaneri, who has started the last two league matches in that position, was hooked at half-time due to a muscular issue. Raheem Sterling is back training and expected to be available for their match against Aston Villa next weekend.
But before then, Arsenal have a tricky set of fixtures to navigate: a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Newcastle, Manchester United in the FA Cup third round and a league match with north London rivals Tottenham.
This illness bug going around their camp at such a crucial time will be a concern.
Kai Havertz was omitted from the squad for a second consecutive game because of illness, and Odegaard was ill, too, but made the bench. The fact he was even a substitute, coming on after 64 minutes, just three minutes after Joao Pedro’s penalty strike, just shows how desperate the Gunners were.
It all amounts to a January transfer window that could define Arsenal’s season.