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Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge may be over: Gunners’ fatal flaws proving too difficult to overcome

LONDON — If this is to be the end of Arsenal’s title challenge — and given events in Brentford earlier Saturday, it feels like it might be — then it could scarcely be more appropriate. This was the full smorgasbord of the reasons why the Premier League trophy will be on Merseyside come May 24 rather than north London.

If you’re that way inclined, you can pick at Arsenal’s failure to recruit attacking depth, the quality of those that were deployed, perhaps even that Mikel Arteta’s predilection for control limits this team’s cutting edge. That would be confusing opportunities for improvement with the fatal flaws that make it so unlikely anyone in this situation could keep pace with the league leaders.

Yet again, Arsenal find themselves walking evidence of the maxim that luck does not even itself out over the season. If Kai Havertz’s arm hadn’t been hanging just within reach of Mikel Merino’s low volley, if he’d even been puffing his chest out, then this would have been a tale of resilience, of the will to win that had taken this team past Tottenham on Wednesday night. Twice in a month and a bit, last-minute winners on which a season might pivot struck off. Fine margins that add up to a widening gap to Liverpool, six points clear with a game in hand after Darwin Nunez’s late brace.

There might be more to injuries than just misfortune. Maybe Bukayo Saka needed more rest between hamstring issues before the tear he suffered against Crystal Palace. For the most part, however, Arteta has had the misfortune of setbacks begetting further setbacks. Takehiro Tomiyasu went down before the start of the season and so Ben White had to play through the pain barrier. It all became too much for him, and that meant a heavier burden on Jurrien Timber and William Saliba in the most draining of seasons. Relentless excellence from those two every three days comes at a cost and the latter’s hamstring can only hold until the 93rd minute against Tottenham. Meanwhile, Saka’s first and second understudy drop out with injury.

For the first time since May 2021, then, Arteta found himself entering a Premier League match with neither Saka nor Saliba to choose from. Over the first hour, you really would not have known that two of the big three were missing. Timber excelled next to Gabriel, Saliba-ish flicks quelling Ollie Watkins’ attempts to break through on the counter.

At the other end, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli stepped up. Two brilliant crosses from the former had Arsenal in control with 10 minutes played in the second half. Martinelli, a tyro in the press, was lurking at the back post to turn in the first. Havertz’s woes in front of goal were briefly interrupted with a smart near-post flick. This really looked like a triumph of system and squad depth.

The issue i,s you can only have so much depth. Arsenal’s fourth choice right back, Thomas Partey, was an overwhelming negative in that position even before Villa’s fight back. Whether through instruction from coaches or his own instinct, he insisted on pushing high when the hosts pressed, a high-risk approach that might lead to his team regaining the ball up field but often left Timber to defend a flank on his own. He simply does not have the recovery pace of White, Timber or Tomiyasu.

It would get worse from there out. When the ball came out to substitute Lucas Digne on the left flank, Partey sagged off his man. The cross found the weak point in an Arsenal defense that had had to shuffle across to deal with Jacob Ramsey’s movement. Youri Tielemans’ head met the cross before Merino’s boot. Few complaints from Arteta.

The same could not be said of the second. When invited to address Arsenal’s form when Partey plays at right back, Arteta demurred but it didn’t take much to get a sense of who he thought was at fault for an equalizer “nowhere near the standards required”. Matty Cash’s cross curled towards Watkins at the back post. His marker, Partey, went the other way.

If Partey wasn’t Arsenal’s right back today, these two points would not have been lost. If Arteta had had anymore than Raheem Sterling to throw into the attack from the bench, they might have been recovered. The husk of Arsenal still roused itself late on, the Merino/Havertz winner that wasn’t, a post struck by the Spaniard, Trossard drawing a fine save from Emiliano Martinez on the rebound. 

If Saka, Gabriel Jesus or Ethan Nwaneri were on the bench, might the Arsenal pressure have become unbearable for Villa? What is beyond dispute is that when the first 35 shots didn’t go in for Liverpool Saturday, they had Darwin Nunez leading the charge from the bench. The Gunners’ arsenal was one guy in Sterling who, prior to the injury crisis, evidently was not being trusted by his manager.

“There are moments,” Arteta acknowledged. “They managed to do that, they made the subs, they made the impact and managed to change the game.”

The same had been true of his opponents, who had been able to turn to Digne, Leon Bailey and Jhon Duran in pursuit of victory. Such luxuries are beyond Arsenal. Asked directly whether help is needed in the window, Arteta added: “When you look at the performances, I don’t know how many teams are playing at this level on the league, but when you look at the bench, probably you say, I think we are very short.”

It was an apt summation of Arsenal’s season. Given the injuries, the niggles, the suspensions, the performances remain of an extremely high standard. There is, however, only so much you can do when your squad is shrinking.



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