LONDON — There is something on the nose about cash playing such a key role in damaging Arsenal.
Matty Cash’s 68th-minute cross found Ollie Watkins unmarked in the box, completing Aston Villa’s comeback from 2-0 down to tie the game at 2-2 on a Saturday that feels particularly significant in the Premier League title race. The clamour for the Gunners to spend money this month will reach deafening levels now because if Arsenal didn’t know it before, they do now: their existing squad isn’t strong enough to win the league.
The signs were everywhere on Saturday. Across London, Liverpool were labouring to beat Brentford and head coach Arne Slot turned to Darwin Núñez, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa in a bid to turn the game.
Núñez struck twice in stoppage time — the second from an Elliott pass — to earn a 2-0 win which surely drew some of the sting out of the Emirates Stadium crowd, subdued as they were until Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring with a close-range finish at the second time of asking on 35 minutes.
Kai Havertz should have given Arsenal breathing space when converting Leandro Trossard’s 55th-minute cross with a smart near-post finish. However, within 13 minutes, Villa were level as Youri Tielemans and then Watkins hauled the visitors level. When manager Mikel Arteta turned to his bench to assess his options, he had Raheem Sterling — whose loan move from Chelsea continues to be a disappointment — two left-backs, Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior and three rookies to choose from.
Villa, meanwhile, introduced Lucas Digne, Leon Bailey and Jhon Durán — around £68 million of talent — while new £28m signing Donyell Malen, formerly of Arsenal, was an unused substitute.
Arsenal had what they thought was a winning goal ruled out on VAR review after Havertz handled Merino’s 88th-minute strike. And there was still time for Merino to hit the post before Trossard missed two further chances. But the feeling that they are just a fraction short of the requisite quality at both ends of the pitch was inescapable on a day when Liverpool moved six points clear with a game-in-hand.
The contrast in options was not lost on Arteta.
“There are moments [in the title race], obviously,” he said.
“[Liverpool] managed to do that, they made the subs and the subs made the impact and managed to change the game. In our side, it was the opposite even though after conceding the two goals very close to each other, the danger was because I knew how the team was, that we could go downhill because we were physically drained.
“Suddenly, the team found another gear to go again and put Aston Villa in their box and go and go again and trying to find the goal that we haven’t been able to score in the end.”
The pressure then, surely, to invest money in new signings this month will increase.
“When you look at the performances — I don’t know how many teams are playing at this level in the league,” continued Arteta.
“But when you look at the bench, probably you say we are very short.”
There is, of course, mitigation in Arsenal’s current injury situation with William Saliba joining Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu as players currently unavailable. A full compliment would see Arsenal with a better return to date, but there was an acknowledgment in the summer that the Gunners needed another forward to challenge on four fronts and an acceptance they had been lucky with such prolonged availability of key players last season.
Saliba’s absence was a key factor in Arsenal’s faltering run-in two years ago and he was clearly missed again here. Since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, Arsenal have conceded 0.8 goals per league game when Saliba played (from 85 matches), compared to 1.7 per game when he hasn’t (13 matches).
But it appeared Arteta compounded the problem by opting against a like-for-like replacement in Kiwior and instead reshuffling several positions. Jurriën Timber was moved inside to centre-back, Thomas Partey switched to right-back with Declan Rice dropping to the base of midfield and Mikel Merino operating as a No. 8 alongside Martin Ødegaard.
Arsenal’s defence was the 11th different back four they have used in 22 matches and Partey was badly at fault for Villa’s equaliser, stepping out as Cash put the ball into the far post, leaving Watkins unmarked. That said, Watkins controlled his finish superbly, in off the underside of the crossbar.
“We can fault ourselves as well because defending the way we did with one of the goals especially [the second goal], it cannot be part of our game if we want to be at the highest level in this country because the rest, what else can I ask them to do against a very good side.”
Arsenal have now dropped 12 points from winning positions, already more than in any season since 2019-20. To make matters worse, this is the first time they have failed to win a home league game in which they have led by two or more goals under Arteta.
The margins are fine but they are perceptible: Arsenal need more than they currently have to win the trophies they crave. The window is open for another fortnight and Arsenal must make their cash work for them.
