A heavy defeat to Brighton was followed by injuries to some key players during the international break, but Arsenal have spent years building a squad capable of absorbing such setbacks. Now it‘s time for their depth to shine through.
It’s been a long three weeks for Arsenal fans. Three weeks to stew over their club’s worst result, and arguably poorest performance, in a very long time.
Mikel Arteta’s side were completely blown away by Brighton on Matchday 5 of the 2026-27 Premier League season. They lost 3-0 on the south coast, unable to cope with the intensity and relentlessness of Brighton’s press.
It was Arsenal’s biggest defeat in any competition for more than three years. The last time they lost a game by three or more goals was also against Brighton, back in a 3-0 home defeat in May 2023.
Then came the international break and the dreaded injuries that can accompany it.
Ezri Konsa, who has slotted in superbly at the heart of the defence amid William Saliba’s continued absence, also had to withdraw early from England’s Nations League squad after sustaining a knock in training.
Suddenly, three members of Arsenal’s first-choice starting XI are doubts for this weekend. In the cases of Havertz and Tzolis, their absences could stretch well beyond that.
How quickly the mood can change.
Heading into MD5, it felt like there was no stopping the Gunners. They had won each of their first four Premier League games, as well as three more in other competitions, and few of their opponents had caused them any real problems. Then Brighton completely outplayed them, and they have now lost several first-choice players to injury.
But if any side has the resilience and squad depth to handle setbacks like these – and it’s worth saying that Arsenal are hardly the only team to have suffered injuries during the international break – it’s this one. Arteta will not be overly worried, and neither should the fans be.
The very fact the Brighton game was Arsenal’s heaviest defeat in more than three years shows just how rare it is for Arteta’s men to have an off day. It was only the second time in their last 158 matches in all competitions that they had conceded three goals. It’s also their only defeat in their last 16 games in all competitions.
This is a side who have been consistently dominant for more than 12 months, and defensively dominant for even longer.
Arsenal have typically responded well to setbacks, too. Since the start of 2024, they’ve lost back-to-back Premier League games just once, against Bournemouth and Manchester City in April this year. Saturday’s meeting with Leeds will be their 100th league game since the beginning of that year.
For context, City have suffered consecutive league defeats on three separate occasions over the same period.
There is every chance, then, that Arsenal bounce back strongly when the action returns. Leeds have done well this season and are one of only five unbeaten teams, but Arsenal have an excellent record against them.
The Gunners have won nine of the two teams’ last 10 Premier League meetings (D1), including the last seven by an aggregate score of 24-5. Last season, they won 5-0 at the Emirates and 4-0 at Elland Road.
That home meeting saw Eberechi Eze either coming off the bench to replace the Greece international in the league or starting from the left in cup competitions. With Tzolis now set to miss time, Eze is the likeliest candidate to take his place.
Eze has only really shown flashes of the considerable talent he clearly possesses during his time at Arsenal, usually saving it for matches against Tottenham. While that will always warm the hearts of supporters, his lack of consistency has caused a degree of frustration around his performances.
Eze also started on the left wing for England in their final Nations League game of the break against Czechia, playing the full 90 minutes. He was tidy but didn’t offer the same level of dynamism and threat that Anthony Gordon has shown recently.
However, like Tzolis, Eze possesses an excellent ability to drive his side up the pitch. The pair are joint top among Arsenal players this season for the average length of their carries (13 metres).
Eze has also demonstrated his penchant for taking on opponents. In all competitions this season, he’s attempted 4.3 dribbles per 90 minutes, which is third highest in the Arsenal squad behind Max Dowman (7.3) and Noni Madueke (5.6), and is considerably higher than Tzolis’ 1.8, who is safer in possession.
There’s no getting around it, though. Arsenal need him to influence games more. They’ll require a confident, swaggering Eze to emerge during this next mini run of games, as he’s likely to feature heavily.
For all that Eze and Gyökeres have flattered to deceive at times, being able to bring players of their calibre into the starting XI is a luxury few clubs can afford. At the back, meanwhile, the fact Mosquera is arguably Arsenal’s third-choice right-sided centre-back behind Saliba and Konsa speaks to the defensive depth Arteta has at his disposal.
The past three weeks have provided Arsenal with their first real bump of the season. A heavy defeat, followed by injuries to some important players, has punctured the momentum and sense of inevitability that had started to build.
But this is also exactly why Arsenal assembled a squad of such depth. There is a reason they started the season as favourites for the Premier League title; against Leeds this weekend, we may well be reminded why.
Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a preferred source by clicking here.
Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Arsenal Have Hit Their First Bump in the Road – Here’s Why They Should Bounce Back Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about arsenal have hit their first bump in the road here s why they should bounce back was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Arsenal Have Hit Their First Bump in the Road – Here’s Why They Should Bounce Back )
Also on site :
- Witney Carson Claps Back at ‘DWTS’ Judge Carrie Ann Inaba, Joining Uproar Over Comments on Guillermo Rodriguez: ‘I Said What I Said’
- Tom DeLonge Was in the Crowd When 43,000 Fans Serenaded Him With His Own Song: ‘He Was Definitely in His Feels’
- James Gunn Responds to ‘Clayface’ Criticism: ‘The Public Voting on What IP They Want to See’ Isn’t ‘the Only Way to Make a Movie’