Everton 0-0 Arsenal: 3 reasons why the Gunners failed to win | Premier League 2019-20

#3 Arsenal have commitment issues

Mikel Arteta quickly needs to work out which senior players he can rely on

The transfer rumours around Arsenal this week were worrying, in that they largely centred on many of the club’s senior players wanting to leave the Emirates, rather than a list of new talent that Mikel Arteta could bring in. The Gunners have a lot of talented youngsters, but judging on today’s game, Arteta will still require some of his senior players – but who can he rely on?

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – so long the player who Arsenal have relied on for goals – was largely anonymous today, while Freddie Ljungberg stated that he wouldn’t have selected Mesut Ozil even if he hadn’t been injured due to his petulance after being substituted in the Gunners’ loss to Manchester City.

Granit Xhaka had a true stinker, failing to complete any tackles or interceptions despite being deployed as a holding midfielder; David Luiz committed more fouls than any other player involved in the game, and Alexandre Lacazette, who came on with 12 minutes remaining, failed to have a single shot.

If Arteta doesn’t want a repeat of this match, then he needs to find out quickly which senior players he can rely on, and ditch the rest as soon as possible. Perhaps then he’ll be able to find a balance between youth and experience in his squad.