When the transfer window slammed shut the questions asked to Mikel Arteta were only about one thing. Fast forward three days and the defeat to Manchester United raises those same questions.
Put simply, why did Arsenal not reinforce the central midfield? Albert Sambi Lokonga had a good game against Aston Villa, but when thrown into a tricky away environment, similar to Anfield in 2021/22, the Belgian’s performance failed to match expectations.
Two mistakes in both positioning and the loss of possession led to United’s opening two goals. There were moments of positivity from the 22-year-old as he progressed the ball upfield and beat Erik ten Hag’s men on a couple of occasions.
