Arsenal haven’t had any answers in the final third during an inexplicable slump, and now there are major questions about their Premier League title mettle.
The most biting one is this: With Man City going off the boil for a while, why aren’t the Gunners exiting 2023 with a serious hold on first place in the division?
With respect to Liverpool’s solid season, the answer starts with Arsenal’s awful last three weeks.
[ MORE: Arsenal falter at Fulham ]
Declan Rice’s stoppage-time winner at Luton Town on Dec. 5 saved the Gunners blushes and even had some citing the 4-3 result as an example of title character. Instead, it looks like a lucky break.
Mikel Arteta’s men have since claimed just four points of 15 and sit on the precipice of a top-four exit. A shutout loss a Villa was erased for a moment by a classy shutout win over Brighton, but the Gunners then drew at Liverpool — no shame there — before losing at West Ham. And we know what happened Sunday at Fulham.
“We weren’t good enough, simple as that,” Arteta said at Craven Cottage. “We lost a game a few days ago that we fully deserved to win because we were so good and today we were nowhere near the level.”
Turning just one of those losses to a win or draws to a loss would see Arsenal atop the table at the moment (with a match-in-hand to Liverpool). In a season where the title pace is a low 84 points and almost certainly won’t wind up there, this feels like a terrible miss.
The Gunners aren’t out of it, but they could be on top of it.
What’s wrong with Arsenal? Mikel Arteta reaction (video)
Arsenal’s defending has been very good for much of the season but Arteta noted that the Gunners ‘conceded two very similar goals’ at Fulham. Arsenal also wobbled at he back versus West Ham, a 2-0 that could’ve been 3-0 had David Raya not saved Said Benrahma’s late penalty.
Still, putting it on the backs would be deflection; The Gunners have scored four times in five matches. One of their zeroes allowed old pal Unai Emery and his Aston Villa to climb above them on the table. And two of their one-goal showings happened with goals in the first five minutes. Those led to the draw at leaders Liverpool and Sunday’s loss.
“You have to play 100 minutes in this league,” Arteta said. “It’s not enough to play a few actions. We didn’t deserve to win again.”
“We tried to change the dynamic of the game and get more players inside,” Arteta said. “We wanted more threat in those actions but we never got going because we gave every ball away.”
What will Arsenal do in January?
A beautiful chance thrown away, the Gunners need to find answers in January.
Arteta deflected from the transfer window when asked about his aim, letting his players know he believes they can get out of their funk.
Here’s what he said when asked what the club needs in January, as the Gunners meet Liverpool in the FA Cup before league matches against Palace and Forest. Then comes February, and rematches with Liverpool and West Ham.
“We need to do what we’ve done in 19 of our games with the same players,” Arteta said.
The Gunners need answers at center forward, as maybe a move out wide for Gabriel Jesus could reignite the often electric finisher.