A cup exit and a three-match ban
Arsenal’s week began badly. They drew 1-1 with League Two side Fleetwood Town in the EFL Cup fourth round and lost the shootout 5-3, according to [1]. They finished the game with ten men after 16-year-old Max Dowman was sent off in the second half. Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor described the night as the biggest in the club’s history, as [2] reported.
Dowman was shown a red card for violent conduct after kicking out at Harrison Neal, as [3] reported. Paul Merson and Jobi McAnuff felt the decision was harsh, but former referee Dermot Gallagher expected the appeal to fail. It did. [4] confirmed that the appeal was rejected, so Dowman misses the next three domestic matches, against Liverpool, Hull and Newcastle. Arsenal lose a young attacking option for a run of fixtures at a time when they have few to spare.
A depleted wide area
The ban matters because of who else is unavailable. Bukayo Saka is facing weeks out with a quadriceps injury suffered in the 2-2 Champions League draw at Bayern Munich, [4] said. Noni Madueke missed the Fleetwood match with an ankle problem and is a doubt for Sunday. Christos Tzolis is recovering from a hamstring injury picked up in the last international break and is closing in on a return, though his fitness for Liverpool is uncertain.
The sources differ slightly on how firm those absences are. [5] lists Saka, Tzolis and Madueke all as currently injured and unavailable, while Sky Sports treats Madueke and Tzolis as doubtful. The safest reading is that Saka is definitely out and the other two are unlikely unless they recover in time. That leaves Eberechi Eze as the only fit senior wide option for Mikel Arteta’s trip to Anfield. Arteta may have to change his shape or ask players to work out of position.
The striker question
The other talking point is goals from the forward line. In a column for [6], Nick Wright notes that Kai Havertz has played 561 minutes in all competitions without scoring since his last goal, against Chelsea. Viktor Gyokeres has failed to register a shot in eight Premier League starts and has no league goal this season. The same piece points out that Arsenal’s defenders have scored more goals than their strikers.
Havertz is described as the most likely striker to start at Liverpool, though that is only a rumour at this stage. Mikel Merino is mentioned as an alternative option up front, with lower confidence. Nothing here is confirmed, and Arteta’s line-up will not be known until closer to kick-off. The pattern is still clear. Arsenal have won games without their centre-forwards scoring, but it is an unusual way to build a title challenge, and a trip to Liverpool without the usual wide supply will test it.
What it means
The league table says the Fleetwood defeat has not damaged Arsenal’s season. They are second in the Premier League with 21 points from 8 games, having won seven and lost one, with 13 goals scored and 5 conceded. Sky Sports has them level on points with Manchester City at the top. Their recent form is solid: wins over Leeds (2-1), Lille (3-0), Nottingham Forest (1-0) and Everton (2-0), plus a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. The only recent blemish is the cup exit, and the league sequence suggests a side that grinds out results.
The next fixture asks harder questions. Liverpool v Arsenal is on 1 November, and it will be played without Saka and Dowman, probably without Madueke, and with a forward line short of goals. The site’s forecast for the match locks 24 hours before kick-off, so no prediction is attached to this article. The areas to watch are who plays on the flanks, whether Havertz or Merino leads the line, and whether Arsenal can produce enough chances without their usual width. A good result at Anfield would show the squad can handle the injuries. A poor one would put more attention on the attack.
Sources
- BBC Sport: Why did Fleetwood have to lose player for Arsenal penalty shootout? bbc.co.uk ↩
- BBC Sport: Fleetwood beat 'best team in the country' - Lawlor bbc.co.uk ↩
- Sky Sports: Ref Watch: Arsenal's red card appeal will fail - Dowman was aggressive skysports.com ↩
- Sky Sports: Arsenal fail with appeal against Dowman's red card skysports.com ↩
- BBC Sport: Dowman to miss three matches after appeal rejected bbc.co.uk ↩
- Sky Sports: Arsenal striker dilemma: Should Arteta keep faith in Havertz? skysports.com ↩
