Arsenal are humbled by Liverpool – and will be better for it

The Arsenal had chances, but they were ephemeral in comparison to what Liverpool was able to conjure up at Anfield. 4-0, and the home team were convincing in achieving that success and victory. Meanwhile, the Gunners were simply outgunned, and swallowed up by the moment and expectation of the occasion.

That is OK. Not every defeat has to be catastrophic, and not every setback is chutes-and-ladders-esque. Arsenal are a good team, and they have a real chance at winning a domestic trophy this year should things break in certain ways, as well as getting back into Europe. All that was learned is that, to be sure, there are three elite teams in English football currently, and Arsenal is not yet one of them. But we already knew that.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are by far the best teams in England, and it does not take a master prognosticator to arrive at this conclusion either: they have dominated most of what they have faced this season, and will likely continue to do much of the same going forward.

So, how should the Gunners feel?

Arsenal felt the pressure of Anfield and Liverpool – but they’ll be better off for it

Well, they should feel like they feel right now: frustrated, a bit embarrassed and likely itching to have another go at someone as soon as possible. To paraphrase the boss a bit, the team will learn and will not sulk, and with a mentality like that, Arsenal will have learned and grown from the defeat, no matter how disagreeable the result is to everyone in north London and afar.

This is the lesson of the defeat, and should be the lesson of all defeats, for all people, always. The Gunners have had a great run of matches and played really well on defense during those games, but now they have been shown what they can further aspire to play like. Just like in the 5-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City at the end of August that bore this long undefeated streak, this 4-0 loss will be but a memory in the months and years to come.

There will be better days to be had by all, from the backline, to Albert Sambi Lokonga, to the offensive midfielders and forwards; no one was great on a day when greatness was swelling in the north of England. The next four matches will be a test in themselves, as the team will face desperate clubs in their own, particular rights.

Newcastle, who are currently bottom of the Premier League table after their draw with Brentford, will play as though their future depends on securing more points, likely because it definitely does. After them, Manchester United, fresh off of sacking their boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, will be hoping to improve their own form too, and nothing helps solve issues like three points.

Everton, after that, will be another test between teams that want to be up in the top half of the table, where only a limited number of spots exist to be earned. Then Southampton, another club that could use points, will present Arsenal with a different test. We will discuss each match in more detail as they come closer to us, and yet, the Gunners will have to bounce back against the Magpies to set a proper timbre moving forward into tough matches with a variety of opponents.

For Arteta, it is all about securing this team, even after a loss, for the journey moving ahead. If his team were shaken by one loss, it would be a definite sign of a lack of confidence, but should they demonstrate the necessary mental fortitude to overcome this bump in the road, then they will only be better for having experienced a match such as the one they played in at Anfield on Saturday.

All teams have days like we just suffered, but it is how those teams bounce back from those matches that really demonstrates their character as a unit. Arsenal must respond, but I believe that they will respond properly.