Saturday’s slip up at Brighton means Arsenal missed another opportunity to put pressure on Liverpool and that could force Mikel Arteta to soon prioritise cups instead
Riccardo Calafiori insisted it remains too soon to talk about the title race.
But the reality for Arsenal after Saturday evening’s slip in icy Sussex is that an opportunity to ever consider them genuine contenders appears increasingly unlikely.
Mikel Arteta can point to the five first-choice players unable to start through illness, injury or suspension and it was easy to understand his frustration at the penalty decision that allowed Joao Pedro to equalise.
Yet Arsenal were never able to control proceedings against Brighton, even after Ethan Nwaneri enhanced his burgeoning reputation by putting them in front.
Just past the halfway point of a campaign in which they have been unable to consistently dominate, Arsenal already require favours from rivals while affording themselves no further margin for error.
“It’s too early for sure,” Calafiori said. “I hope it’s the last time we lose two points like this and for sure we have to focus on the next game and try to dominate and to score many goals.”
The Italian was unable to put a finger on why it went so wrong, particularly after the break. Brighton, following a double substitution, were much improved but even with four central midfield players on the pitch – albeit Thomas Partey at right-back – Arsenal seemed incapable of taking charge.
Their set-piece threat was neutered and there was just one shot on target after Nwaneri’s 16th-minute goal. One Declan Rice corner ended with three Arsenal players bundling themselves to the floor, another from Nwaneri curled into the side-netting.
And with a third of the game still to play after Pedro levelled, their response was bland. Martin Odegaard, too sick to train in the week, and Gabriel Martinelli were sprung from the bench but neither could fashion much of note. Gabriel Jesus disappeared for long spells.
“I don’t think it’s the pressure,” Calafiori added. “We don’t feel it but we’re frustrated because this was a game we could have won.
“It’s my first season in the Premier League but you can never predict it. The season is long, we’re ready for everything. We had the feeling that we could have done better, for sure, and we can dominate more after the goal we scored.
“I don’t know the reason to be honest but we just have to focus on the next game and not spend so much time thinking about the last game.”
An optimist could point to 13 matches unbeaten in all competitions and Nwaneri offered another glimpse of why Arteta thinks he has such a “tremendous ability” in front of goal that he might eventually become a centre-forward. “I’ve never seen someone this young play at this level,” Calafiori added. “But we have to leave him [to develop].”
Regardless the inescapable problem is that Arsenal now have so little room for manoeuvre in the league.
Liverpool, despite drawing with Manchester United on Sunday, remain on course for a record points haul and they are being helped by rivals continuously failing to apply pressure. Saturday’s setback means Arsenal are now averaging two points a game having tracked at 2.34 to finish second to Manchester City last season.
Eleven wins from 20 is nowhere near good enough and the last team to draw seven or more times in a season and finish top was Leicester in 2015-16. “Too early,” Calafiori repeated but Arsenal are perilously close to shifting their focus to the cups.
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