Arsenal have been without Granit Xhaka since the Swiss international seriously injured his knee in the north London derby victory earlier this season.
Since then, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has opted for a combination of Thomas Partey and Sambi Lokonga in the main. Ainsley Maitland-Niles deputised were either player not fit or the Spaniard used the option to switch to a 4-3-3 formation with Partey at the base.
Having played several successful fixtures in his absence, some questioned whether Granit Xhaka was at all necessary to the Arsenal team but the trip to Anfield exposed Lokonga in particular and the Belgian suffered one of his poorer performances.
This is not to say that had Xhaka simply been involved rather than Lokonga the scoreline would have been different. Xhaka and Lokonga both have positive and negative attributes to their game.
However, Liverpool’s average age of the squad was significantly higher than that of the Gunners and the inexperience of the group as a whole was glaringly obvious to see.
Xhaka’s leadership and guidance have been a crucial part of Arteta’s squads with the now 29-year-old being Arsenal’s best midfielder last season.
The upcoming January window will force the question as to whether Arsenal need to invest early in the midfield to cover those departing for the African Cup of Nations.
Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny will both leave this winter meaning the squad will be very thin in the midfield. Just Lokonga and Maitland-Niles will be available as senior options with Xhaka’s injury likely to interrupt the new year despite news he will return to full training in January.
Xhaka has been missed for the qualities that shine through when he performs well. His passing and aforementioned leadership cannot be glossed over, and should technical director Edu wish to sign a player, he would be advised to ensure they possess these skills.
Should Xhaka not be available again, the Gunners would benefit from both a replacement with the same strengths and a player who can play with the former club captain.
Arsenal have been linked with several midfielders and their ages have tended to be around the mid-twenties.
Denis Zakaria (25) Bruno Guimaraes (24) and Yves Bissouma (25) would bring both quality and crucial years on the likes of Lokonga, yet remain in a bracket whereby the club would retain sell-on value.
The hope will be that Arteta, Edu and the recruitment team at Arsenal can build a side in which players will be missed far less or, in a perfect scenario, not be missed at all. Aspiring to construct a squad with the strength in depth of their rivals.
For now, however, the club is still early in its rebuild and the results of the opening 12 games hopefully signal to the management that more is needed in these areas and fast.
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