Concerns over Arsenal’s squad depth were supposed to be over when the Premier League summer transfer window closed on Friday.
The late arrival of Raheem Sterling on loan from Chelsea had many Gunners fans at the Emirates Stadium excited about the options available to manager Mikel Arteta on Saturday, but they left the stadium after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion concerned about a midfield area that suddenly looks thin ahead of the biggest week of the season.
First, there is an international break to catch some breath and regain some of the composure Arsenal temporarily lost here after Declan Rice was sent off in the 50th minute. But then comes a seven-day period in which they travel to Tottenham Hotspur for the north London derby, then to Italy for the opening Champions League match against last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta, and then a gruelling trip to Premier League champions Manchester City.
At present, indications are that Mikel Merino, who joined for €32.5 million, will miss all three games after fracturing his shoulder in his first training session. Rice is now suspended against Tottenham after a controversial red card, the first of his 245-game Premier League career.
After a strong challenge on Joel Veltman shortly before half-time, the two players clashed again shortly after play resumed. As Veltman kicked the ball – a moving ball – to restart play after a free-kick, Rice pushed it away hard, and Veltman, who had already started to move his right leg, collided with Rice instead of the ball.
The Premier League later explained that Rice had “delayed the restart of play”, which he did technically but in a way that would not be regularly punished; Brighton’s Joao Pedro kicked the ball out of play in the first half without being punished by referee Chris Kavanagh. Arteta also cited another first-half moment and claimed that Veltman should have actually been sent off for kicking Rice.
“I was surprised. I was surprised, amazed, amazed at how inconsistent the decisions were,” Arteta said after the match.
“In the first half, there were two incidents and nothing happened. Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hit Declan (on the back of his leg), he turned, didn’t see the player coming and touched the ball.
“By the law he can make that decision, but by the law he has to make the next decision, which is the red card so we play 10 v 10. That’s what amazed me. At this level, it’s amazing. Obviously he (Declan) had the reaction that his back was to the ball, that they weren’t in the middle of the pitch, trying to counter-attack or whatever.
“Anyway, I repeat myself; by law if you want to do it, you have to do it, but you have to do it in the first half and play with ten against ten. That’s all. It’s very simple.”
Brighton took advantage within eight minutes. Joao Pedro turned the rebound home after David Raya had parried Yankuba Minteh’s shot, and cancelled out Kai Havertz’s 38th-minute opener, when he chipped the ball over Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen.
After a brief spell in which Arsenal seemed at a loss as to how to regroup with 10 men, Havertz and Bukayo Saka had two great chances to score, both of which were denied by Verbruggen. Brighton inevitably dominated possession and came closest to scoring through substitute Yassine Ayari between Havertz and Saka, but had to settle for a point.
“We reacted to what we had to do playing at home with 10 men,” Arteta said. “We didn’t want to defend so deep, but we read the game and played the way we had to play and we had to be rewarded.”
There was some good news at least after that as defender Jurrien Timber did not suffer a serious injury and was substituted late on with cramp. Timber had been mentioned as a potential option in midfield due to his physicality and quality on the ball. That is likely to be something Arteta will consider for the upcoming challenges, although Jorginho, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard are the most suitable to start things off against Tottenham.
The international break will shape the style of play and give Sterling a chance to hone his skills ahead of the trip to the capital. Sterling has not been selected for England by interim manager Lee Carsley, and will instead work at Arsenal’s London Colney base and re-acquaint himself with Arteta, with whom he developed a strong relationship during their three years together at Manchester City.
“We have to see him and talk to him about what he is doing and how he feels about it and try to find quick wins to help him get back to his best as quickly as possible and help him understand what we are looking for from him in the team dynamics,” Arteta said of Sterling. “We will use this time to do that and get him involved as soon as possible.”
“What about adapting without Rice or Merino?” Arteta replied: “That’s what happens. We have to adapt to this context. That’s why we have other players who can fulfil this (role) and (I can) give this opportunity to someone else.”
These team concerns may never go away.
