The Arsenal loss to Newcastle United in the first leg of the semifinal of the EFL Cup last Tuesday, January 7, at the Emirates Stadium jeopardized their position in the tournament.
It was yet another disappointing result for Mikel Arteta’s men, who should find it really difficult to win a trophy this season.
Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon scored for Newcastle on the day to make it really difficult for the Gunners to qualify for the final of the tournament. On the other hand, the Magpies’ chances of winning silverware improved considerably.
Bukayo Saka’s Absence evident
Saka is injured and might not make any appearance for the Gunners this month at least. Ethan Nwaneri has been impressive for the North Londoners so far but is too inexperienced to make a difference for his team on a consistent basis as Saka does.
However, even Nwaneri got injured and missed the match against Newcastle. Leandro Trossard started for the Gunners, as did Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli. However, Arsenal’s attack lacked the bite once again, as the Magpies scored either side of the break to secure a comfortable win.
Havertz, Martinelli and Trossard have scored 22 goals so far between them this season, which is not good enough at this level. In Saka’s absence, the Gunners’ attacking trio is not lethal enough to make a dent in the opposition’s defence.
This is going to remain a concern for Arteta unless Saka makes a comeback into the playing XI. He has the option of playing Raheem Sterling on the right flank, but the 30-year-old English winger has played in only 11 matches this season, scoring a solitary goal.
However, if Sterling cannot play for the Gunners on the right side even in Saka’s absence, the very purpose of signing him is defeated. Gabriel Jesus, who has had a nice run of form recently for Arsenal, can also play on the right but is more comfortable playing on the left.
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Premier League title Out of Arsenal’s reach
Theoretically, Arsenal can still win the title. The Gunners trail Liverpool by six points at the moment, with the Reds having a match in hand. However, with 18 matches to go, Arsenal should find it really difficult to bridge the gap with Arne Slot’s men, who are in fine form.
Hence, Arsenal’s best chance of winning a trophy is by winning the EFL Cup or the FA Cup. They are playing in the UEFA Champions League this season, but are probably not prepared to make a really deep run into the tournament this time around.
Arteta has won a solitary FA Cup during his five-year-long tenure as the Arsenal manager, which is not good enough for a top club. Unless the 42-year-old Spaniard gets things sorted upfront, he is unlikely to add to his trophy count this year as well.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal can overturn the deficit against Newcastle in the second leg. The probability of the same happening is quite low, which means that the North Londoners run the risk of finishing yet another season without a trophy.