When the transfer window slammed shut the questions asked to Mikel Arteta were only about one thing. Fast forward three days and the defeat to Manchester United raises those same questions.
Put simply, why did Arsenal not reinforce the central midfield? Albert Sambi Lokonga had a good game against Aston Villa, but when thrown into a tricky away environment, similar to Anfield in 2021/22, the Belgian’s performance failed to match expectations.
Two mistakes in both positioning and the loss of possession led to United’s opening two goals. There were moments of positivity from the 22-year-old as he progressed the ball upfield and beat Erik ten Hag’s men on a couple of occasions.
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But it is hard not to wonder if Arsenal had found the midfielder many believed they needed, if the absence of Thomas Partey would have been better covered. Speaking ahead of the trip to the northwest, Arteta referenced not being able to bring in the right player.
“We did business pretty early, but unfortunately in the past 72 hours Thomas [Partey] got injured in the same place as last time, and then Mo [Elneny] has a long-term injury. Then we had to react in the market and we tried, but at the end of the day we have to bring in the player that we feel is right for the team and for the club.”
There was a need not to panic buy and not to rush into a decision. But with the clock ticking toward 11 pm last Thursday it was Douglas Luiz, far from an out-and-out number six that the Gunners pushed to sign.
Could this point toward the options in that position not being either available or cost-effective? Perhaps.
However, having renewed Mohamed Elneny’s contract, there are indications that Arteta and the club were happy for the Egyptian and Lokonga to effectively be the depth options should Partey be missing. A decision which on the back of this defeat looks like a risk.
Partey is not expected to be out for too long, but his history of reoccurring injuries. There are 12 league games between now and the January window opening, if the Ghanaian’s injury causes more missed games confidence going up against the bigger sides will evaporate.
The only person who can truly react is Lokonga. With how thin the Arsenal midfield is, seeing whether he will play against Zurich in midweek will be intriguing.
The question of whether Arsenal prioritises fitness or the opportunity of a return to form is a big one. A kind start to the fixture schedule is the club’s saving grace.
A home game to Everton follows which on paper looks like a good opportunity to get the league form back on track. So do you rest Lokonga with options thinning or play him in four games in 15 days to get his form back on track?
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