There was an amusing moment at the end of Michael Arteta's pre-match press conference on Tuesday when a reporter asked if the 15-year-old Max Dowman had been included in the Arsenal squad for the Carabao Cup clash with Port Vale the following evening. "Yes," Arteta immediately responded, before then quipping, "Well, it depends, I might put the handbrake on!"
It's certainly a good sign that the under-fire Gunners boss can see the funny side of the intensifying criticism of his perceived overly cautious approach to big games – but it remains a serious cause for concern among a set of supporters desperate to see their club lift a major trophy this season.
Consequently, there will be intense interest in the team Arteta chooses to face Newcastle on Sunday. One could easily argue that it's already become a must-win game for the Gunners – but the big question is whether their manager will treat it as such…
Getty Images SportOne FA Cup in six years
Arteta has undeniably done an outstanding job re-establishing Arsenal as one of the top teams in England after taking over from interim boss Freddie Ljungberg in December 2019 following the dismissal of Unai Emery, the previous permanent manager, the month before.
He even won an FA Cup with what was essentially still Emery's side just nine months later – but that remains his last notable achievement. Arteta may count Community Shields as meaningful – but nobody else does.
For all the progress that Arsenal have made on the Spaniard's watch – three consecutive runners-up finishes in the Premier League and an appearance in the semi-finals of the Champions League – the fact of the matter is that his tenure cannot be considered an unmitigated success.
One FA Cup win is not an acceptable return on an investment of approximately £1 billion ($1.3bn) in players and while being twice denied the title by Pep Guardiola's Manchester City may have been forgivable, being left trailing in the wake of Liverpool in Arne Slot's first season in English football was anything but.
Worryingly, Arsenal are already playing catch-up in this season's title race and many pundits believe that Arteta's lack of bravery is the main reason why.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Liverpool have something that Arsenal do not'
Arsenal arrived at Anfield on August 31 without their best player, Bukayo Saka, while key creator Martin Odegaard had only just returned from injury.
Nonetheless, with Liverpool looking more than a little disjointed during the first two rounds of the season after a summer spending spree, the pre-match consensus was that the game was there for the taking for the visitors.
It was a feeling that had only intensified by the end of a first half in which the reigning English champions managed just two shots – neither of which were on target.
However, Slot was bold during their break, instructing his team to go man for man in their pressing, meaning that the complexion of the game had altered by the time Arteta brought on Eberechi Eze and Odegaard midway through the second half.
Arsenal had lost the initiative, so while Dominik Szoboszlai's fantastic free-kick may have been a moment of magic in an otherwise mundane match, it was impossible to avoid the conclusion that fortune had once again favoured the brave.
"Liverpool have got something that Arsenal and Arteta don't have right now," eight-time Premier League champion Gary Neville said on . "And it's that edge to go on and win those big matches.
"Liverpool believe they should be winning these matches. I'm not sure Arsenal do. They don't want to lose."
Getty'Now or never for Arteta'
Such an insipid defeat to a direct title rival ramped up the pressure on Arsenal going into last Sunday's meeting with Manchester City at the Emirates.
"I think it's now or never for Arteta being honest," former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney said on his podcast. "He has to win something major this season, in my opinion, because he has spent a lot of money, brought a lot of players in, and he's probably got the best squad in the league."
The question before the game, though, was the same as the question after it: Is Arteta really making the most of the talent at his disposal?
Arteta, midfielder Declan Rice and several other Arsenal players were adamant that Arsenal "dominated" City – and they certainly did in terms of possession (66.8%-33.2%).
But while they saw more of the ball than anyone else in a league game against a team managed by Guardiola – they did very little with it, which is why they ended up needing an injury-time equaliser from substitute Gabriel Martinelli to claim a 1-1 draw.
Getty Images Sport'A waste of 45 minutes'
Much of the post-match discourse centered on Arteta's team selection. As at Anfield, he named a conservative-looking midfield three of Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, meaning Eze once again began on the bench.
Given the former Crystal Palace ace came on and the set up the equaliser, the obvious argument was that Eze should have started against a tired City side but Arteta insisted: "It's too easy to say that. I think it's very clear what we wanted to do. And we started the game very well.
"After City scored (through Erling Haaland nine minutes in) – doing absolutely nothing before that – we were a bit shaky for five or seven minutes and after that we still gripped the game again and started to dominate it."
Again, though, the reality was at odds with Arteta's perception, as Arsenal didn't manage a shot on target until stoppage time at the end of the first half – which is why Jamie Carragher labelled it "a waste of 45 minutes" from the home side.
"The reason I am saying that is because I played for managers like that at Liverpool and we were really close and a very top team, but we never won a Premier League," the former England international said on . "I always felt at times under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez, maybe we had the handbrake on in certain games and that is what Arteta is doing.
"Liverpool were there for the taking in that second half at Anfield, Man City were there for the taking at the start of this game and he has allowed them to come into the game.
"It is just a recurring pattern season after season and if you are Arteta and an Arsenal supporter, you just have to hope that it does not cost you at the end of the season as they are a brilliant team with a fantastic squad, but the margins are so small."