Liverpool vs Arsenal - 31.08.2025 - KO 16:30

[KSE Comedy Club]

Part of me wants to say that some of the comments on here are a bit knee jerky after 3 games. We are several first team players down already; this was probably the most difficult fixture in the league, and a close tie was decided by one moment of absolute magic from Szoboszlai. Apart from that we made Liverpool, and their much vaunted attack, look pretty ordinary.

But there's no doubt that this was very disappointing, more so because this game encapsulated why there is a justified feeling that Arteta will not take us from nearly men to champions. This was a check list of what has held us back (and I fear will continue to do so).

- Safety first approach and team selection.
- Injuries to key players (seriously, WTF is going on here? - with Havertz; Saka; White; Saliba; Norgaard all down before or within 3 games of the season staring and Odegard half fit).
- Subs made too late.
- Undone by a moment of brilliance (more on this below).
- Playing with the handbrake on.

In an effort to be fair/measured - while I was disappointed but not surprised to see Merino in for Odegard, I can see the logic of being conservative starting at Anfield. I thought we were solid in the first half and it made sense to assess their threat and not do anything silly.

What frustrated me was that having seen that they weren't offering much, the manager did not change things up much earlier than he did. With the attacking options now at our disposal, it became pretty clear in the second half that Arteta was basically playing for a draw. Like for like subs (and I put Eze on for the lamentable Martinelli and Dowman on for Madueke in this category) rely on individuals to produce something rather than doing something different with the system to change up what was a pretty ponderous performance going forwards. I think that the 'hope for a goal but happy with a draw' approach was summed up with Dowman coming on. As much as we are high on Max - tasking a 15 year old to produce the goal we needed was very strange. Our defenders played well and Liverpool's forward line was quiet. Our subs should have been made earlier, and we should have taken the game to them.

And this is the rub. We look like a conservative team playing percentages and more interested in stats than actually putting the ball in the net. We can point all we like to Liverpool not looking that great, and being lucky, but that is what champions do. they find a way to win when not playing well, and have individuals who step up to produce when needed. We don't (at least if our set pieces are off). There is something about Liverpool scoring late winners and worldies out of nothing. It's an attitude and a self-belief, and I can't help but feel that our whole approach to this game ran counter to this. Let's face it - we rarely do either.

One or two people on here questioned whether more signings would fundamentally alter what is our manager's Achilles heel. It's still very early in the season, but this question is already raising its head.

See, for me, that is where the analysis goes wrong - being undone 'by a moment of brilliance'

I didn't watch two teams go toe to toe in a fight for PL title credentials. I saw a bang average Liverpool side playing against an inexplicably defensive Arsenal side.
I can understand it if both teams were giving it their all to try and win, but in the end 'a moment of brilliance' was the difference maker.

But it didn't play out that way, we turned up and set up like a weaker team, worse than underdogs, like a lesser side.

We've spent a billion quid and now have strength and better players in most areas, and Arteta sets us up like a flood barrier, hoping to stem the flow of the tide.

Had he started with a normal attacking team, with Eze on the LW and Ode or Nwaneri instead of Merino - we might have actually been 1-3 goals up before that 'moment of brilliance' ever had a chance to have an effect on the outcome.

[KSE Comedy Club]

A very sober analysis. To sum up my feelings, the shame yesterday wasn’t in losing…..that was a worldie strike, I don’t think Raya could have saved it simply because of where it lands in the top left hand corner of the net.

The shame was seeing that Liverpool were vulnerable yet still playing for a draw and going safety first. No one thinks we should have gone Gung Ho, I think that would have been stupid.

Whilst I think sky sports pundits are full of shit, they did state the obvious which is that our attacks are robotic. No one wants to try anything individualist, we’ve got Martinelli who I don’t know what’s wrong with him….his position is under threat as it should be and instead of thriving under the pressure his confidence is gone.

The joke is we are high risk when trying to play out from the back, but we often don’t have players making runs into the box so that even when the wingers do get in behind there’s no one to pull it back to.

The galling thing is Arteta simply doesn’t accept this, he states that we went to Anfield trying to win. I simply don’t know how he can say this.

He's either completely delusional or a complete bullshitter.

[KSE Comedy Club]

A.R.T.E.T.A.

A. Rookie. That. Embarrasses. The. Arsenal.

[HCZ_Reborn]

If I’m honest, I am absolutely devastated by yesterdays loss and I do think it means our title chances are gone

Liverpool were there for the taking yesterday we simply had to go out there and do it. Like last season we can blame injuries and refereeing decisions all we want but ultimately Liverpool won because we are a robotic team under a control freak coach

I don’t agree even that a new coach has something good to work with

Zubimendi for me can’t cut it in the premier league, neither can Gyokeres, Arteta has ruined Martinelli, he’s ruined Odegaard and he’s destined to do the same to Saka.

We all believed there was a pay off from this miserable, heartless and boring football we play but there isn’t. Even Atletico Madrid have had something to show for it

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

If I’m honest, I am absolutely devastated by yesterdays loss and I do think it means our title chances are gone

Liverpool were there for the taking yesterday we simply had to go out there and do it. Like last season we can blame injuries and refereeing decisions all we want but ultimately Liverpool won because we are a robotic team under a control freak coach

I don’t agree even that a new coach has something good to work with

Zubimendi for me can’t cut it in the premier league, neither can Gyokeres, Arteta has ruined Martinelli, he’s ruined Odegaard and he’s destined to do the same to Saka.

We all believed there was a pay off from this miserable, heartless and boring football we play but there isn’t. Even Atletico Madrid have had something to show for it

I generally agree with the sentiment of Arteta destroying the team slowly but disagree with the part in bold.

IMO we just need slight adjustments to get us playing meaningful (the keyword) attractive football.

Firstly, Odegaard, the main architect of our1000 pointless passes, needs to be made a bit part player. Play Eze instead and let him dictate a more purposeful and less complicated style of going forward.

Martinelli has no business starting under this manager again. Trossard/Havertz/Jesus in that priority.

As for our CM, you've got a point that Rice and Zubi don't compliment themselves properly and Arteta has weakened us their with his recruitment. We should have gone for someone in the mold of Partey instead of Norgaard and probably stuck with that Lucien Agoume guy we were looking at from Sevilla.

However, both players are quality and manageable for now though it is a glaring defensive weakness as in the past 3 games we've seen teams running straight through the middle like there is no one there.

Anyway, thankfully the defence is solid and will bail them out most of the time.

So in short, its all about our attack and encouraging constructive imagination and not ridiculous contrived plays conjured up at the drop of a hat hoping to mask our ultimate aim, which is getting the ball to Saka (or whoever his standin happens to be).

This "hope for the best "approach, or in Arteta's cynical words "a moment of magic", needs to stop. We've got to be purposeful moving the ball forward and allow everyone to contribute properly to scoring goals and creating threats.

[21_GOONER_SALUTE]

BTW I think being brought down to earth this early, and not having red cards, injuries or referee decisions to hide behind is a good thing.

If the manager is up to the task, which I'm pretty sure he isn't, he'll use this week or so to listen to the whispers and change things before it's too late.

If he doesn't, the noise and whispers will also give Josh enough time to consider talking to his dad and looking at sound alternatives.

[Letters]

Part of me wants to say that some of the comments on here are a bit knee jerky after 3 games.

Are you new here?

We can point all we like to Liverpool not looking that great, and being lucky, but that is what champions do. they find a way to win when not playing well

One could argue that's exactly what we did at Old Trafford.

I'm disappointed that Arteta's first thought seems to be that this was a game we must not lose rather than must win.
This early in the season there are no must win games, that's why I was always OK with us having a tough start to the season. You wouldn't want this set of fixtures in the run in when, if you're in the mix, games are absolutely must win. That said, a statement win here would have been a massive boost.

I don't think we should throw in the towel this early, that would be silly. And I think HCZ writing off players this early is silly too - Gyökeres scored an excellent goal just last week.
I've never been sure Arteta can get us over the line in terms of landing the biggest trophies. I always thought this season was his last chance to prove me wrong. With the transfer window we've had it definitely is. Surely the board will lose patience with him if he still can't deliver after the way they've backed him.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Are you new here?


One could argue that's exactly what we did at Old Trafford.

I'm disappointed that Arteta's first thought seems to be that this was a game we must not lose rather than must win.
This early in the season there are no must win games, that's why I was always OK with us having a tough start to the season. You wouldn't want this set of fixtures in the run in when, if you're in the mix, games are absolutely must win. That said, a statement win here would have been a massive boost.

I don't think we should throw in the towel this early, that would be silly. And I think HCZ writing off players this early is silly too - Gyökeres scored an excellent goal just last week.
I've never been sure Arteta can get us over the line in terms of landing the biggest trophies. I always thought this season was his last chance to prove me wrong. With the transfer window we've had it definitely is. Surely the board will lose patience with him if he still can't deliver after the way they've backed him.

Maybe it’s premature but I haven’t been impressed with what I’ve seen. It’s just as possible that the system we are playing is not allowing them to flourish but whilst that might account for Gyokeres, I don’t see how it explains Zubimendi who just looks like a pale imitation of Partey.

[IBK]

Are you new here?


One could argue that's exactly what we did at Old Trafford.

I'm disappointed that Arteta's first thought seems to be that this was a game we must not lose rather than must win.
This early in the season there are no must win games, that's why I was always OK with us having a tough start to the season. You wouldn't want this set of fixtures in the run in when, if you're in the mix, games are absolutely must win. That said, a statement win here would have been a massive boost.

I don't think we should throw in the towel this early, that would be silly. And I think HCZ writing off players this early is silly too - Gyökeres scored an excellent goal just last week.
I've never been sure Arteta can get us over the line in terms of landing the biggest trophies. I always thought this season was his last chance to prove me wrong. With the transfer window we've had it definitely is. Surely the board will lose patience with him if he still can't deliver after the way they've backed him.

I don't disgree with your comment in bold, but my point about champions is not about a single game. Liverpool habitually seem to find a way to win in adverse circumstances. It is a rarity for us to do so. Of course I take the point about it being early in the season, and I was trying to be quite measured in my post. But like you say, there's an inherent conservatism in the way Arteta plays that I feel could well hold us back from glory.

I've spent the past weeks defending Arteta in terms of what he has achieved with us so far, and I stand by this. Where I am more circumspect, like you, is whether the manager has it in him to take that final step to major trophies. Like I say, yesterday's match encapsulated this concern. 3 points were IMO within our grasp given how Liverpool played. The manager and his players fluffed their lines.

@KSE I am struggling to understand how you take issue with the fact that we lost to a moment of brilliance. Liverpool won courtesy of a wonder strike from a free kick. It makes no difference to this obseravtion whether both teams were fairly ordinary or going toe to toe with each other. You might say we were undone by our lack of endeavour - and I think we all agree this, but the headline is that we lost because of Szoboszlai's magic, not Liverpool's overall quality.

[IBK]

Maybe it’s premature but I haven’t been impressed with what I’ve seen. It’s just as possible that the system we are playing is not allowing them to flourish but whilst that might account for Gyokeres, I don’t see how it explains Zubimendi who just looks like a pale imitation of Partey.

Hmmm, I'm not sure I'm wth you on Zubi. I think he is a class act...but given the pace and physicality of the EPL compared to Spain it's understandable that he might take a bit of time to adjust. While he has made some errors I am confident that he will iron these out with a bit of time and familiarity with his team mates. Same goes for Gyok - and in particular I think he is not fully conditioned yet. My main concern with Gyok is that I didn't see him making many runs yesterday - bar the move that Martinelli fcuked up. If he is not going to show/get into the box then he is not going to encorage passes to him. I have a small concern that we have bought a battering ram rather than a player with sufficient technique to blend with an Arteta team - particularly if we are going to continue to be so slow getting the ball forward to him.