Arsenal will spend nearly £300 million when the summer transfer window closes at 7pm on Monday evening. Still, Gunners’ gorgeous new team wasn’t enough to dodge Liverpool, a big spender in the market.
The truth is said, Arne Slot’s side was there for the filming. Mikel Arteta’s men enjoyed the ball more in the first half and looked threatening, but were unable to convey their advantages.
Eventually, they were reverted by a magical moment. Arsenal played with the handbrake on and Red had them pay.
You may remember Declan Rice’s stunning free kick against Real Madrid last season. It’s hard to forget them. Well, rice will eat your heart.
Dominique Zoboschlei attacked a beautiful free kick over the ball and past David Raya, not long.
What went wrong with Anfield’s Arsenal?
After winning the Premier League opening weekend with Manchester United, he managed to do a lot in his unbeaten run against Arsenal’s large team.
Certainly, when the North Londoners headed to Merseyside on Sunday, they did so as they had not lost their last 22 games against the traditional Big 6 in the department. Manchester City, Liverpool, Man United, Spurs and Chelsea.
Well, that record ended this weekend in a disappointing way, as Arsenal was defeated by a whisper.
The tone was set with opening exchange. William Saliba got off the ball and left, and was replaced by Christian Mosquera. To his credit, the summer signature went well, winning four out of five duels, according to Sofascole.
The performance comes from Arsenal’s offensive. Arteta may have a great record against the biggest aspect of British football, but it’s becoming a regular event as they struggle to get out of second gear.
The gunners managed to get out of control over the victory last season, except for their disappearance against Manchester City.
To excuse the city’s match, it’s 11 games since Arsenal scored more than twice on those “large” fixtures. It’s fair enough to the best aspects of the land, but it speaks to the volume of teams that are less creative freedom or licensed.
Viktor Gyoker appeared isolated on the top, like he played against Manchester United, and there was no much service. That’s little surprise given that Arsenal started on the bench with Ethan Nuwaneri, Martin Odegard and Ebebeki Eze. And without Bukayosaka, this would always be a bit of a struggle.
Mikel Merino was selected for the role of Odegard, but despite scoring twice with Liverpool in 2024/25, he didn’t actually show up on this opportunity, completing only 77% of his passes.
To his credit, Noni Maduke was probably the best player for the visitors. He passed the opportunity in his preferred role on the right side, and he seemed to make things happen regularly.
He had three shots and completed his only dribble of most Arsenal players. His partner on the other side of the pitch failed to show the same vitality.
The root of the problem in Arsenal’s attack
For most of the windows this summer, Arsenal supporters had two desires. One was for the club to sign a new striker and did so by welcoming gyoker to Emirates Stadium.
Another wish was to see Andrea Berta sign the winger on the left. He makes it half-hearted, welcomes Madueke and gets AIDS in the crease.
It was Madueke who left to the left against Leeds United last week, and Eze was the one who finished Sunday’s clash in that role, replaced in 20 minutes. The new signature was lively, certainly more so than the man he replaced, Gabriel Martinelli.
Brazilians are inexplicable talent. In 2022/23 he finished as a joint top scorer for the club, scoring 15 goals.
It has been a difficult few years for a wide player who has been struggling to replicate the shape ever since. His performance against Liverpool gave us a brief scapegoat in recent years.
Pacing-filled Martinelli always guarantees energy, but his lack of rage in the final third was completely killed in the first half.
FFC Arsenal Review | |
|---|---|
David Raya | 6/10 |
Julientimber | 6/10 |
William Saliba | n/a |
Gabriel | 7/10 |
Ricardo Carafri | 6/10 |
Martin Zubimendi | 6/10 |
Declan Rice | 6/10 |
Mikel Merino | 5/10 |
Please call Maduyke | 8/10 |
Gabriel Taney | 3/10 |
Viktor | 5/10 |
There were two moments in particular. One came to the opening exchange when he found an opportunity to break through the center of the pitch. Gyoker appeared to run back twice, but Martinelli didn’t lift his head. He eventually ran down a blind alley into the penalty area and lost the ball as he failed to make up his mind about what to do with it.
The same happened a little late half behind when he decided to keep the ball, not after Szoboszlai, who was playing from position at right back.
The Hungarian said that even before his show-stop goal, he was of course to win the Man of the Match Award.
Martinelli only lasted 70 minutes, but he should have been really into it early, not having one shot, managing one dribble or creating key pass.
Martinelli vs Liverpool | |
|---|---|
I played a few minutes | 70 |
touch | 15 |
The exact path | 6/7 (86%) |
Key Pass | 0 |
shot | 0 |
Dribbling attempt | 0 |
cross | 0 |
The duel won | 2 |
Statistics via Sofascore. | |
It was a really poor afternoon for Brazil International, who left the pitch after accumulating 15 touches 40 less than goalkeeper David Raya.
As Arsenal podcaster and writer Phil Costa pointed out in the 90 minutes, he is “very clunky and indecisive.” Isn’t it surprising that gunners moved this summer to secure Eze and Maduce’s services?
Regarding this evidence, Martinelli should find himself back on the bench after an international break. Eze should start when faced with Nottingham forest in two weeks.
