6 points are not safe yet, Mikel Arteta

A match where Arsenal's attack performed terribly. If Arsenal had beaten Liverpool, things might have been better for Mikel Arteta. But even with a 6-point lead over Man City, no one dares to believe Arsenal is... racing towards the finish line because they are still far from it.

Struggles in the forward line

In Summer 2025, Arsenal spent big on Gyokeres but up to now, after half a year in the Premier League, the Swedish striker is still in the process of adapting and it’s unclear when he will fully integrate. Watching Gyokeres’ performance against Liverpool, former MU captain Roy Keane exclaimed: "Gyokeres was invisible and only touched the ball 8 times in 64 minutes, which is too few for a striker. Clearly, Gyokeres hasn’t lived up to his value and expectations and risks becoming a failed signing."

According to Opta, this is the lowest number of touches Gyokeres has had in an official Arsenal match, considering games where he played at least 20 minutes. Keane believes the arguments about Gyokeres working hard and disrupting the opponent's defense are convincing but insufficient. Simply put, what Arsenal needs from Gyokeres is to shine inside the penalty box:

"Time and again, Gyokeres drops too deep to find the ball but is missing when Arsenal crosses into Liverpool’s 18-yard box. Clearly, this isn’t the first time in this match or this season. It has happened in many games he has played. Arsenal’s performance dropped badly after halftime, and it’s no surprise Gyokeres was substituted for Gabriel Jesus. That’s a worrying sign for him."

Overall, the formation chosen by coach Mikel Arteta from the start, trusting Viktor Gyokeres upfront with support from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, was not wrong.

However, Arsenal’s attacking trio almost “disappeared” against Liverpool’s disciplined defense. Or more precisely, Arteta could not have expected Liverpool’s defense to perform so well, especially the wing duo Bradley and Kerkez. Their speed, determination, and a bit of cunning made Trossard and especially Saka almost powerless. Gyokeres was completely stuck against Liverpool’s center-backs.

Seeing the offense struggle, Arteta had to make substitutions. Gyokeres and Trossard were both taken off shortly after the 60th minute, a clear sign of Arteta’s dissatisfaction but no other choice, as keeping them on would only make Arsenal more stuck.

On live TV, former star Gary Neville criticized Arsenal’s striker: “He played inefficiently, and that’s putting it mildly. Look, Gyokeres almost brought no value whatsoever.”

On the other hand, former striker Daniel Sturridge defended Gyokeres. The ex-Liverpool player said the Arsenal forward is in a similar situation to Erling Haaland, who also had games with very few touches at Man City but still made a difference when given chances.

The problems of Haaland and Gyokeres are actually different. Haaland rarely plays like that and before doing so, he showed real effectiveness and class at Man City. But as for Gyokeres, he still... needs time, and when that phrase will be discarded is unknown.

Since the start of the season, Gyokeres has only scored 5 Premier League goals. Clearly, his performance does not yet match the transfer fee and the high expectations from the board and fans. But if Gyokeres is criticized for poor play, the player who replaced him, Jesus, was also quite unimpressive.

Strangely, despite knowing the offense is blunt, Arteta seems to have given up on deploying Merino as a central striker, even though he has proven effective before. This is something Arteta must consider and decide on immediately, instead of hesitating and giving Gyokeres chances while the player remains ineffective.

6 points are not safe yet

The Premier League is a competition where everything can change after just 1-2 rounds, and Arsenal along with Arteta have been victims. Three consecutive seasons finishing second with Arsenal leading at times but then being caught and overtaken. In summer 2025, Arteta got whatever he wanted from the Arsenal board.

Certainly, the 2025/26 season is Arteta’s last chance to prove he is the perfect choice, and his demands from the board last summer were justified. But to see the outcome, we have to wait until round 38 to find out who will smile in the end.

When playing against a crippled Liverpool side missing Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, and Mohamed Salah, if Arteta’s Arsenal still can’t win, who else would believe in them except their fans? Look at Arsenal this phase — how different are they from previous seasons? Overall, not much. The lucky thing for Arteta is that when the attack is poor, other positions still manage to score instead of being completely silent.

However, to bring a team to glory, we need a cold, decisive coach and especially an optimal squad for the entire process. January has just begun, and Arsenal still face a long journey in the FA Cup and especially the Champions League. They need to rise above and create a gap when rivals unexpectedly falter. Otherwise, if they keep playing this “cat and mouse” game, beware of being “bitten back” unexpectedly.