“Although Arsenal can still emerge as the victors of the Premier League this year,
I want to clarify that my statement should not be misinterpreted.”
The reason for this is that, although they now possess the most exceptional starting lineup in the world,
they only have a single problem. In the wake of Arsenal’s embarrassing defeat against Brighton,
Pep Guardiola astutely identified the “most significant issue”
plaguing the team and urged Arteta to confront it, in hopes of witnessing a miraculous transformation of the group.
Despite Arsenal’s encounter against Brighton not going as anticipated, they were fortunate to escape a loss. Kai Havertz scored a goal in the 38th minute,
giving the team from North London a 1-0 lead at halftime with a remarkable lob over the Brighton goalie.
Despite encountering unexpected circumstances, I am confident that the individuals wearing red
and white were enthusiastic about scoring a second and maybe even a third goal during the second half. Declan Rice received his second yellow card just four minutes into the second half,
resulting in Arsenal’s lead being reduced to 10 players. Any team facing a skilled club like Brighton would inherently be at a disadvantage if it had a smaller number of players.
The Seagulls successfully leveled the score, but, Arsenal, who were also striving for victory,
maintained their position and kept the score tight, thwarting the Seagulls’ chances of winning.
Considerable debate has arisen around the potential alternative strategies that
Arsenal may have employed after losing a player early in the second half of the contest.
There is a contention that Arsenal may have had a possibility of winning if Arteta had acquired a forward to substitute Nketiah or
had Gabriel Jesus available as a substitute (assuming he was not injured). The absence of an alternative striker is frustrating.
Arteta may have opted to use Havertz in the midfield position instead of Rice. The unused striker might have led the attack in a 4-4-1 formation, with the German player positioned in midfield. While we appreciate Sterling’s participation, it would have been prudent to recruit a
forward immediately after Jesus sustained an injury and Nketiah received permission to go.
Arsenal’s victory in the match with a score of 2-1 was heavily reliant on the presence of a highly skilled and lethal striker.