Miles Lewis Skelly, Marcus Rashford and Cole Palmer (Photos by Justin Setterfield, Michael Regan, Sean Botterill/Getty Images)
Saturday’s draw against Everton was incredibly frustrating, especially after a Champions League win over Monaco.
I really hoped that midweek success would boost Arsenal at the weekend, but it didn’t happen. Everton arrived with a game plan, while Arsenal never really seemed to find an answer.
You can talk about fatigue and point to the fact that Everton have had ten days to rest and prepare for the game, but Mikel Arteta’s side should still be able to find a way to get past them.
They had so much ball and so much territory, but honestly they never really looked like they were scoring, which was disappointing. It looked like they didn’t know how to beat Everton.
I actually liked the way the starting lineup looked when it was announced. Both sides looked balanced, with players playing in their natural positions. But I think too many players have had an off day.
It must be said that Everton played well. They’re very well coached and you can see they’ve been working on how to frustrate Arsenal over the last ten days.
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They deprived them of space, especially on the right-hand side, and kept things tight in the central area.
But it’s as much about Arsenal playing poorly as Everton playing well. Martin Odegaard doesn’t look quite right and he hasn’t been performing well in the last few games and we know how much that affects Arsenal.
Arsenal are a completely different proposition when Odegaard is on the pitch. This is undeniable. But when he’s absent or out of form, they have no one else to replicate his approach.
Mikel Merino played alongside him on Saturday and you could see he’s still trying to break into this Arsenal side. He didn’t do anything wrong against Everton, but he didn’t really add anything offensively.
He was never a real threat and you didn’t feel like he was going to be the one to open up Everton’s defence.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I would have preferred to see Mikel Arteta replace Merino with Ethan Nwaneri early in the second half when the youngster came on. Having Nwanery and Odegaard playing alongside each other in front of Everton’s back four will give the visitors something different to think about.
Instead, it’s all very predictable and ultimately they look comfortable. There was no real late siege on their goal and indeed Jordan Pickford was barely tested in the final half hour. Arsenal are running out of ideas.
Marcus Rashford’s name always seems to come up when Arsenal are mentioned these days.
He always seems to be part of the conversation, especially among fans, and given his current situation at Manchester United, that may be the case again as we move into January.
Do I think he can be an opportunity for Arsenal? To be honest, I don’t think so. I’m just not sure he’s the guy they need.
If he were the same Rashford he was a few years ago, I would think differently. But if that were the case, he would now be playing week in and week out for United.
But he’s not, and there’s a reason for that. So if Arsenal or anyone else brings him in in January then they will do so in the hope that he can find his best form again.
It’s just a gamble. Similar to what Arsenal did with Raheem Sterling this summer, it’s certainly not a gamble that pays off. Rashford would also be worth much more.
I do think Arsenal have to come up with something in January. It’s clear that they need at least one viable option in the final third, even if it’s a loan deal to get them through the summer when they can actually pursue their main target.
This season has shown they need more. They feel they are missing at least one attacker this summer and that’s given Sterling’s recent loan move.
The fact that Sterling doesn’t seem to be considered for playing time right now, even though the team is in desperate need of goals, does suggest that the team may be missing two attacking players.
Therefore, January is indeed crucial for Arsenal and their ambitions for the second half of the season. Finding what they need isn’t easy, but they have to work hard.
The last two seasons do look like catching up a bit with Arsenal and Manchester City.
Both seasons have been tough, with both teams pushing each other hard and maybe they’ve paid the price.
From Arsenal’s perspective, they put in a huge effort, both physically and mentally, to try and get past Manchester City. It must be very difficult to accept to do all this without crossing the line.
It’s imperative to roll up your sleeves and get going again, so that could be a problem for them, especially after the summer of international tournaments, which means few get a break.
But it is what it is and they have to find a way to get themselves going again or the season could disappear which would be very disappointing.
There is still plenty of time to salvage the situation in the Premier League, with Mikel Arteta’s side in a strong position in the Champions League and the Carabao Cup quarter-finals coming up this week.
So their season is far from over, even if they are now behind Liverpool and Chelsea.
Chelsea’s performance was impressive and must be considered a contender. They have so much attacking talent given the money they have spent and the midfield is looking very strong right now, which is no surprise when you have two players worth over £100m.
They have momentum now, which can be a powerful thing, so they have to be in the conversation when it comes to the title.
Arsenal are excited about Miles Lewis-Skelly.
I think the rise of Ethan Nwaneri has taken Lewis Skelly off the radar a bit, which could be a good thing for a young player.
But when you look closely, it’s Lewis Skelly, not Nwaneri, who now gets the chance to start in the Champions League and Premier League.
That says a lot about how Arsenal and Mikel Arteta feel about him. It wasn’t just his ability that got him where he is today, it was his brain. He is considered a man who can take on anything and can show maturity well beyond his years.
This left a deep impression on the Arsenal staff. They admired his calmness and the clarity with which he thought about problems. I think you can see that in the way he plays as well.
Arteta clearly sees something in him that causes him to view him as a reverse left-back in the system he plays in. This is still relatively new for Lewis-Skelly, who came through the academy as a midfielder.
But the way he’s doing it shows what a good player he is and I think that’s certainly a position we’re going to continue to see him play in over the next couple of seasons.
