3 positives & negatives from Arsenal's 2-1 defeat at Fulham

  • Insipid performance from Arsenal to lose again
  • Attack fails to deliver despite changes
  • Title race at risk of evaporating early on
Arsenal lost consecutively in the Premier League for the first time this season
Arsenal lost consecutively in the Premier League for the first time this season / Alex Pantling/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next

Positive #2: Reality check for Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta
Mikel Arteta saw his team beaten again in the space of four days / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

When the season started, many believed Arsenal were a much better team to the one of last season with quality depth in almost all the positions. But reality has set in in recent weeks with injuries and poor form to key players.

All of a sudden, it looks like certain players are no longer good enough to carry the team, the starting XI doesn’t look great at the moment with goals drying up. The silver lining is that the winter transfer window is officially open which allows Arteta and Edu to address some of the challenges in the transfer market.

This team is in dire need of firepower and new faces, the transfer market couldn’t have come at a better time.


Negative #2: Striker problem continues

Joao Palhinha, Eddie Nketiah
Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah had only 24 touches in 90 minutes against Fulham / Clive Rose/GettyImages

After squandering numerous opportunities in the loss to West Ham, Gabriel Jesus found himself relegated to the bench against Fulham, making way for Eddie Nketiah in the starting lineup. However, Nketiah failed to address Arsenal's dire need for a prolific goal scorer.

The English striker barely made an impact, only managing two touches inside Fulham's box and struggling against their defensive pair of Calvin Bassey and Tosin. He mustered just one shot on target throughout the game.

As the January transfer window looms, it's becoming increasingly evident that Arteta's primary concern should be securing a new striker. Without one, Arsenal's chances of outperforming Liverpool seem highly uncertain given their lack of attacking prowess.

Continued on the next slide...