Arsenal vs Liverpool: 4 talking points from pathetic Arteta defeat

Arsenal were crushed 3-0 by Liverpool on Saturday night on one of the darkest days of Mikel Arteta’s reign as manager. Here are the talking points.

With the international break finally coming to an end, the no man’s land fans found themselves in would either result in a morale-boosting push over the line or a weak retreat back into their shells hoping San Marino vs England was still on.

Arsenal had the capability of putting in a strong performance and testing Liverpool just as they could easily embarrass themselves: the so-called ‘two faces’ of this team.

Within five minutes of kick-off it became apparent which face rose to the occasion.

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Arsenal vs Liverpool: 4 talking points as Mikel Arteta oversees pathetic defeat

The visitors were magnificent, with Thiago and Fabinho running the show from midfield and leaving Dani Ceballos in particular chasing shadows.

A meek, lifeless first half with no structure was a far cry from the storming second half show the Gunners put on in east London, and while woeful in every department, being level at the break offered the chance of a stirring improvement.

It was Liverpool who improved, and Arsenal who worsened.

Diogo Jota got the ball rolling, planting a header past Bernd Leno after a magnificent Trent Alexander-Arnold delivery, with Mohamed Salah giving Gabriel the slip to poke home and put the result beyond doubt.

Some more woeful defending saw Jota grab his second, as Arsenal bowed out with a performance that showed regression, not progression.

It was painful to watch.

Dani Ceballos Has His Worst Game in an Arsenal Shirt

Dani Ceballos was not to blame for Arsenal losing 3-0 on Saturday. Not one player can put their hands up and claim they played ‘well’, although the Spaniard’s worst display in a Gunners shirt throughout his near two years with the club stands out as it was a wonderful opportunity for him to rediscover himself.

Thomas Partey might as well have been playing by himself in midfield as Ceballos regularly held on to possession for too long, inviting Liverpool pressure and gifting the ball away. In his defence, all three goals came when he wasn’t on the pitch. If only that could save him from scorn.

Every tackle was challenged half-heartedly, every action seemingly working against Arsenal’s best wishes.

When Kieran Tierney went to ground in the first half, Arteta immediately called his countryman over to bark orders, none of which seemed to manifest in his disjointed thinking. He was given another run out after the break but to no avail.

The damage was done and the structure non-existent. There is no hope that his better qualities – of which there are few – can be of any use to Arsenal for the rest of the season without the baggage they come with.

£180m Front Three Falter

The three most expensive players in Arsenal’s history started a game together today for the first time this season. Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who cost a combined £180m, played together from the start for the first time all campaign.

It won’t happen again in a hurry.

Two players in wide areas who are not the half-space technical operators who will help progression through the thirds fronted by a No. 9 who does not boast the pace needed to add threat in counter-attacks was no masterful tactical blueprint.

Arteta stated pre-game he wanted to see a different Arsenal from the one who won last season, indicating more control of proceedings, yet the plan to be more possession based falls flat with the choices made.

Of course, injuries prevented him from fielding Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, but the tactical setup was lacking in realism. Arteta is someone who has become known for fielding horses for courses. His runner didn’t leave the starting gate.

The three didn’t cover themselves in glory. Lacazette was his usual self but didn’t win a single duel; Pepe had no influence on the game and never got in behind Andrew Robertson and Aubameyang put in a shift playing at left-back yet was weak in challenges and slow to press.

That’s what £180m gets you?

Mentality Monsters vs Mentality Minnows

It took too many players on Saturday far too long to come to terms with the occasion. Liverpool at home in the Premier League was mistaken for Gibraltar on neutral ground in a World Cup qualifier.

Accruing just six points from their last eight league fixtures, that barren run of form evidently could have been mistaken for that of the home side, not the visitors.

One must be proud to wear the Arsenal badge. If it takes you 95 minutes to start to realise that you’re in a game against superb opposition, then you have to question whether it weighs too heavy for you.

Poking legs into challenges with no belief, or care, of winning the ball is not acceptable. Taking to the pitch without any identity, there was no self-respect on show. Even if you don’t put up a fight for the supporters, do you not care enough about yourself and your profession to not roll over and die before a ball is kicked?

Nothing adds up. This is a team who were 3-0 down away from home in the previous game. A side who should’ve learned that you have to be 100% switched on to stand in chance in this division. They learned nothing. After the disappointment of only clawing back to a draw, you’d imagine doing everything in your power to ensure that doesn’t repeat itself would be in the back of your mind.

The mentality is weak.

Pressure Like None Before

Not being able to attend football matches is saddening: the buzz of a matchday, the atmosphere in the ground and the chance to will your team on to success. Saturday would have been a cacophony of boos and jeers. It was shameful.

And perhaps that’s what this team needs, as Thursday is one of the most important football matches in recent memory. The pressure on that fixture is immeasurable.

It’s only the first leg of the quarter-finals and yet failure there ends the season at this early stage. Arsenal have the potential of five matches to save their season. It’s as simple as that.

Slavia Prague are not Liverpool. They don’t boast the wizardry of a Thiago in midfield. They’re also not pushovers.

A better side than they’re given credit for, pre-Liverpool you’d still have backed the Gunners to oversee a two-leg victory against the Czech side. Now, on the eve of the Emirates meeting, anything even remotely resembling the frail shambles that was on show on Saturday will constitute defeat.

How damaged will Arsenal be from losing in that manner to Liverpool will be evident against Slavia. Even with a win over the Reds the pressure was immense. It’s now seismic. The lasting effects could prove too poisonous.