Still in Arsenal's hands - but a 'sobering day'

Mikel Arteta Getty Images
Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

With a top-two finish already secured in the Champions League and a final fixture against bottom-of-the-table Kairat to come on Wednesday, Mikel Arteta will have a chance to rotate his squad before their next league game - at Leeds on Saturday.

"I think Arsenal are still title favourites but it will be a concern for Arteta what's happened in the last three games against Liverpool, [Nottingham] Forest and now Manchester United," said ex-England captain Wayne Rooney, who is a pundit on Sunday's Match of the Day.

"But I still think they're probably slight favourites."

One cause for concern will be the lack of a clear goalscorer in their side. None of their attackers are freely scoring at the moment, which is putting more of an emphasis on their threat from set-pieces.

  • Bukayo Saka – 0 goals in past 13 appearances in all competitions

  • Viktor Gyokeres – 0 non-penalty goals in past 11 Premier League appearances

  • Gabriel Martinelli – 0 goals in past 13 Premier League appearances

  • Noni Madueke – 0 goals in past 25 Premier League appearances

  • Leandro Trossard – one goal in past 11 appearances in all competitions

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville thinks that it will be back to the drawing board for Arteta.

"An incredible, incredible match and a sobering day for Arsenal," Neville said on Sky Sports.

"They're going to have to regroup, reset and rethink. They've still got a four-point lead and there's still a long way to go, but certainly there'll be questions asked after that today."

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