Hours after their 1-0 victory over Arsenal, Liverpool dealt another blow to the Gunners by signing long-term striker target Alexander Isak.
Isak has long been viewed as Arsenal’s dream centre-forward. Why the club failed to prioritise his signing, move early, or attempt to hijack his switch to Anfield is baffling to many Gooners.
Either way, he is now a Liverpool player, and one cannot help but wonder what impact that might have on the title race.
Why Isak’s arrival is not a knockout blow
Journalist Charles Watts, writing in his Caught Offside column, does not believe Isak’s move to Liverpool should give Gooners sleepless nights.
“Alexander Isak is obviously a sensational signing for Liverpool,” Watts admits.
“The league’s best attacking team just landed arguably the league’s best striker, so that is clearly worrying for everyone else who is trying to dethrone them.
“Liverpool were favourites before they signed Isak, so now most will believe a second successive title is almost certain. But I don’t see it as a foregone conclusion.
“Arsenal can still win the league. They have had an excellent window and built a squad that I honestly think is as strong as anything I have ever seen before in North London.
“So they just have to focus on themselves. Sunday was a setback, but it wasn’t a knockout blow. They have to pick themselves up and go again, because there are more huge games coming straight after the international break.”
The Reds adding Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Giovanni Leoni, Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Isak to a title-winning side is bold.
However, Liverpool could not afford not to strengthen, especially with critics claiming that last season’s triumph owed more to luck than quality. Many argue that injuries to Arsenal and Manchester City handed them an easier path to the title. And while they won the league by more than 10 points, they are not naive enough to think that margin tells the full story.
Arsenal’s calculated summer strategy
Arsenal’s strategy this summer has focused on ready-made talent. With signings Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera, Cristian Norgaard, Piero Hincapie, Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze, the hope is that Arteta now has the depth and quality to mount a serious challenge.
The narrow defeat to Liverpool should not be dismissed, but it should serve as a wake-up call for Arteta to start taking calculated risks with the brilliant squad he now has at his disposal.
Ultimately, it is only by taking risks that you can lift the biggest prizes.
Thoughts Gooners?
Daniel O
__________________________________________________________________________________________
ADMIN COMMENT
So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….
You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
Liverpool and Arsenal have the two best striker in Sweden? Yes Sweden, hot bed for strikers🤔 Anyway it is Isak V Gyokores for the golden boot. Many Swedish people think Gyokores is the best of the two. He has better figures for Sweden at every level and especially at full international. He scores at a better rate by some distance than Isak. Game on, who can get the best out of their strikers.
Hot bed for strikers, too funny 🤣
Gyokeres only has to do half as well as Isak since he only cost about half as much?
Reggie,
Sweden a hot bed for strikers. Yes, don’t forget Blackstenious. 😂👍
Funnily enough, I had. Silly me😁
Sad to say but Isak made the right move going to Liverpool, Slot will get him firing unlike Arteta with his boring and overly cautious style, I’m now starting to believe that no matter who we buy Arteta will just ruin them, Martinelli is a fine example, he was promising when Emery had him and somewhere along the way he’s gone backwards under Arteta.
@Dave
RealTalk. Especially concerning Martinelli. 👍🏾
My theory is that Arteta wants all the spotlight to be on him when we do well. And the perfect way to achieve that is spreading the goals around.
The thing about good CFs is that when the team is firing the spotlight is usually on them.
Well, what about Saka now, he is called praised adjectives or superlatives now.
Actually, if he, Viktor is effectively used, will bring out the best from all other players, if he stays injury free.
Look at all clubs which do well. The spotlight is always on their goal machine. Look at Arsenal since Arteta took over, who is always on the spotlight? Him, because we do not have those one or two superstar players (who are usually CFs).
Which player was on spotlight when he came and purposefully ruined him? Aubameyang! And he has avoided having another Aubameyang ever since.
At this point, our main worry is Arteta. If he sets up the team right, we win trophies, else, bridesmaids again, or worse
Could not disagree more.
We bought a striker who is a round peg in a square hole, not suiting our style one bit.
We could have used that money and Madueke money and bought Isaak. A title bringer if ever there was one
My faith remains unshaken that Arsenal will do very well in the league. The beginning may not be vintage, but the end will justify the means.
As players get back from injuries and the team blends more and more, I I see Arsenal brushing teams aside on a very regular basis both at home and in Europe.
I believe!
👍 CorporateMan
They are favourites with for sure, but we just have to concentrate on ourselves and Arteta should try and get his team selection right and have a free flowing attack.
Dream on will never win the tittle in a million years under Arteta!
Against Nottingham Forest I want to see this line up, if there are no new injuries –
Gyokeres.
Eze. Odegaard. Madueke.
Rice. Zubimendi.
Calafiori. Gabriel. Mosquera. Timber.
Raya.
SUBS – Trossard, Martinelli, Nwaneri, Downman, Merino, Skelly, Hincapie, White, Kepa.
It doesn’t matter who we sign. It’s the style Arteta decides to adopt that matter s. Even the best attackers will look averages within his current setup and style.
Seriously, I’m not excited despite the array of players we have atm. If this was 2022/2023, we would’ve been unstoppable both defensively and attacking wise.
It’s possible but it’s likely Liverpool will win with Isak
But I concur with others who say Arteta is a problem because of his lineup choices and tactics sometimes
I can guarantee Liverpool will not play Isak and play around him and not look for him. Unlike us.
@Reggie
Could someone explain it to me like I’m a five year old, why this is so.
Do you know NY, I can’t answer that. You would think it would be common sense. Get in a shiny new striker and play around him. Or get in a shiny new striker and make him win you the league. Which one would you do NY?
No way he would have fitted under Arteta ,just have to look at Auba after Arteta came in ,went massively down hill .
Too much micromanaging players from his antics on the touchline ,let the bloody players play .
Reggie,
I know it’s important that said player can adjust to the managers tactics. But it should also work the other way around. Play to said players strength.
Please don’t tell me that we’ve brought in what is believed to be a top striker in Gyokeres, added to that Eze a player who given freedom could light up our midfield. And Madueke, although I’m unsure about him at this point, he’s showed enough in his stints down the right to suggest that he could prove to be a hand full given a bit more time.
But these three players being brought in, we mustn’t forget that our managers pragmatic football could actually suffocate any creativity they have with his rigid and slow side to side and lets face it boring football.
Mr Arteta, please don’t waste what has been in large part a good summer recruiting wise, by not playing a style that suits the players, not you. We’ve tried it your way, now try it theirs.
Look, I am salivating at the thought of all those you have mentioned. Plus Saka, we should anialate defences and scare them silly. Will we?
Reggie,
Sweden a hot bed for strikers. Yes, don’t forget Blackstenious. 😂👍
It was a little joke of mine. Its funny how two of the hottest properties in Europe for striker are Swedish. Or Sveedishhh🤣
Reggie,
Do I look like IKEA. (Care). 😂👍
There is irrational arrogance and a sense of entitlement by some of our supporters! Surely is it outrageous to lose to last season’s champions at their home? We should stop that superficial outlook to the game. This game was always a 50-50 tie and until Liverpool scored that’s what it was. So, where is the horror show? I am a hater of pretence! Yes, we lost but we put up a very good show at Liverpool’s own home. This is just the third game of the season and some of our players are still adapting to the environment. What is all the hullabaloo about? Have we become perpetual cry babies? Some people don’t even want to accept that we have some injuries including Saka, Havertz, Saliba, White, Norgaard and even Odegaard was not fully fit. Can anyone visualise what will happen when all these are fully fit? Some comments are truly lacking in perspective.
I don’t think it’s that we lost
It’s how we lost
How did we lose? Were we outplayed? Maybe we watched different games! Is this the first time a free kick results into a goal? I didn’t think our play was lacking in any way. It is the irrational arrogance I talked about above that creates this kind of dejection! Let’s discard this attitude and be down to earth.
We lost by passing backwards
Having a throw in on the attack and ending up passing the ball backwards
Not all players passing forward as a first though
Martinelli having a chance to run at his man but passing back
No offence but what is it with posters with names David .?
Not alls lost though -hopefully Ken can get his Petition to get your. Favourite poster back buddy (still waiting
For that pathetic suggestion to come to fruition)bet you are as well mate .
Or maybe there is something about posters with Daniel! Anyway, let’s get to substance not fantasy!
What petition is that DK?
😂 yea good one ….
That’s not an answer is it?
You know the answer so why ask a daft question
I have never set up any petition, so I really don’t know what your on about – you do, so why not explain it to me?
All we want is our team to do well! Arteta isn’t helping in that, all this slow, backward football with the players we have now isn’t a great watch! I say we now have the players to go total football, 3 season ago we were a great watch, pressing and what a beautiful game we played! Admittedly we used to tire towards end of games because of the thin squad then. Can’t say that now, we have a better squad to sustain the intensity for 90 mins
Simon Jordan called Isak the best centre forward in the World. Based on what? It can’t be stats, maybe you repeat something again and again and everybody believes it. I know one thing, he’s not worth £125m plus I believe a further £5m signing on fee. Liverpool are hypocrites, a few years back Klopp was complaining about teams buying the PL title, now they’ve just gone on to spend close to half a BILLION pounds in one window. If Gyokeres works we still have a great chance to win something big this season, Liverpool’s defence is quite leaky and missing out on Guehi will hurt them. If van Dijk and Salah pick up injuries they are in deep trouble. We happen to have the most airtight defence and midfield in the PL, it’s up to the front men now.
The trouble then is, Andrew, we’ll be accused of being too defensive, relying on set pieces, playing for corners and Arteta not wanting Gyokeres to be a success!!!!
I agree fully with much of your comment including with regard to Isak and Klopp. It was such a different story until Coutinho was sold for a small fortune and they acquired VVD.
They have also sold around 230 million. We have spent 260 and sold only 10 million. When one quote facts with honest intentions they should quote the full facts not cherry picking part of it to develop an agenda.
Also you have to take into account they hardly spent last summer and Slot has earned that spending unlike the substandard empty handed Arteta.