If Mikel Arteta wasn't already desperate for midfield reinforcements for his paper-thin Arsenal squad, he certainly will be now.
On an evening that promised so much after the ten-man Gunners had held Liverpool at Anfield a week ago, the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final ended in a painfully familiar 2-0 defeat in north London as their hopes of a trophy this season evaporated.
While the game was won by the ingenuity of Trent Alexander-Arnold and finishing ability of the brilliant Diogo Jota, it was a defeat where Arsenal were out-thought and out-fought in midfield.
Eyebrows were raised when Arteta's Garth Crooks' Team of the Week-esque starting lineup was revealed an hour before kick off - an XI that stank of a squad desperately short of quality depth in the middle of the park.
Poor Albert Sambi Lokonga was left to anchor the midfield while the attacking quintet of Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Alexandre Lacazette all played in front of him.
In fairness, the Belgian did an admirable job - winning five duels and playing 50 accurate passes - but that is not to say he wasn't outclassed by the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, who would have been surprised by how easy a night's work they proved to have in a game of such magnitude - it was a simple matter of using their physicality and passing ability to nullify a lightweight opposition.
22-year-old Lokonga is a work in progress and has a fine future ahead of him, but he cannot be relied upon just yet.
Thomas Partey's presence on the bench should have set alarm bells ringing too. The lad arrived back in London from a horrible Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Cameroon at MIDDAY ON MATCHDAY. In the current climate - where player welfare is considered absolutely paramount - that is insane.
Had he been left on the bench, then perhaps his mere inclusion in the squad wouldn't have been exacerbated. Unfortunately, in very Arsenal fashion, that wasn't the case; introduced with just 16 minutes to go and the score at 2-0, the Ghanaian inexplicably conspired to pick up two yellow cards and subsequently his marching orders before the 90 minutes were up.
That's Arsenal's second red card in a week and their 14th since Arteta took the reins in late 2019.
Last week's villain Granit Xhaka was obviously conspicuous in his absence already, and it was clear that those on the field were struggling to carry the burden. Odegaard dazzled in moments again - especially on the ball - but frantically pressing, fouling and attempting to direct his teammates is clearly not his game.
Alongside the Norwegian, Emile Smith Rowe had probably the worst game of a stellar season to date as he was forced to play in a slightly deeper role. The England international barely got involved in the game, having just 27 touches of the ball in total and losing four duels.
Arsenal have 11 days to make the kind of shrewd moves that could make or break the second half of their season.
Juventus' Arthur Melo seems the most likely midfield arrival at this stage, with the Brazilian subject of a loan offer from the north Londoners, but whether he would have the same impact as Leicester's Youri Tielemans, Bruno Guimaraes of Lyon or Brighton star Yves Bissouma is something Arsenal must seriously consider before committing to a deal that could prove costly in more ways than one.
Although there has been major improvement, the chance of silverware is off the table once again for this season. Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy must get things right now if they want to be in a position to challenge again next year.
Source : 90min