LET’S face it, the past few days have not been the best for Arsenal fans.
We wait two weeks to see our team, with anticipation and confidence growing, ahead of a clash with struggling Liverpool who have no proper centre-backs to speak of – and do THAT.
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Simply put it was a woeful display from the Gunners, thumped 3-0 by the Reds on the night.
Yes, there were mitigating circumstances with Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka missing.
But Mikel Arteta can not and should not use that as an excuse for the complete lack of cohesion, effort, desire on behalf of the players and obvious lack of game-plan from the the coaches.
Again, it seems a short false dawn is followed by a sharp tug back to a harsh reality.
And for the third Europa League week in a row, Thursday is quickly becoming yet another make-or-break week for Arteta and his beleaguered troops.
Now, just to add to the pressure on Arteta, he has been stripped of arguably his best and most-consistent performer in Kieran Tierney through injury.
There are many winnable matches in the Premier League between now and May for Arsenal.
But the fans can be forgiven for focusing on the Europa League as a slightly more realistic route into European football for next season given the domestic inconsistency.
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For me, it is now about Arteta finding a winning formula quickly and sticking with it, both in Europe and in the Premier League.
On paper he has the strength and depth to rotate despite many of the senior players letting him down in recent weeks.
Arsenal fans have long supported Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, even wanting them to be deployed together – but personally I think that time has passed.
The 4-2-3-1 Arteta wants to use requires creativity on the left and he must decide which of his two high-profile flops plays centrally and use a different wide player on the left.
We have seen Willian, Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe and Smith Rowe there in recent weeks and it would be no exaggeration to say the two younger squad members have been better.
However, there is an additional youngster who shone on the left last season and has seldom been afforded the opportunity in this campaign – Gabriel Martinelli.
The fans have been long screaming for his return following his breakout 2019-20 season.
