Arsenal's attack woes laid bare ahead of Liverpool trip
Arsenal arrive at Anfield on Sunday with their attack under genuine scrutiny after a chastening Carabao Cup exit to League Two side Fleetwood Town, a result that has raised fresh questions about Mikel Arteta's forward options heading into a tough test against Andoni Iraola's resurgent Liverpool.
According to the Mirror, both Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres, who scored his first goal of the season in all competitions against Fleetwood, played so poorly in that cup upset that there is a genuine case for neither starting at Anfield. The report suggests Mikel Merino, who scored in both 2-2 draws against Liverpool during the 2024-25 season, could instead lead the line, with supporters reportedly keen to see him do so.
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Arsenal's attacking options are further stretched with Bukayo Saka sidelined and doubts remaining over the fitness of Christos Tzolis, who is said to be pushing to return from a recent hamstring issue, and Noni Madueke, whose availability is also in question.
Arteta's missed attacking targets
The Mirror report points to a pattern of near misses in Arsenal's recruitment of attacking players. The club held interest in Newcastle's Alexander Isak before turning to Gyokeres, not anticipating Isak would become available after Newcastle secured Champions League qualification.
Arsenal are also described as admirers of 18 year old Liverpool forward Rio Ngumoha, briefly considered a move for Cody Gakpo, and sent delegates to the United States over the summer to watch Bradley Barcola play for France. In each case, according to the report, factors including Barcola's reported £123million price tag led Arsenal elsewhere.
By contrast, Liverpool's spending since their 2024-25 title triumph has been described as bold, with three players valued at over £100million named among their substitutes against Chelsea in midweek. Arsenal, meanwhile, are said to have baulked at Aston Villa's valuation of Morgan Rogers, who joined Chelsea for £117million, before an ultimately unsuccessful push to sign Vinicius Junior, who signed a new contract with Real Madrid instead.
A daunting record at Anfield
Arsenal have not won any of their last 13 Premier League visits to Liverpool, with five draws and eight defeats in that run, a sequence that would stretch to 14 games without a win at Anfield in their league history if it continues on Sunday.
Liverpool have conceded just once in their last six Premier League matches with 11 players on the pitch and go into the weekend on a run of five straight wins, including Wednesday's penalty shootout victory over Chelsea.
Arsenal's defensive unit, built around a settled backline that has been among the league's most consistent, is likely to be relied upon heavily to keep the scoreline respectable regardless of how the forward line is set up. How Arteta configures his attack without Saka, and potentially without Tzolis and Madueke, will be one of the key talking points heading into kickoff at Anfield.
