It was not just losing to Newcastle that hurt but what Arsenal did not do | OneFootball

The one positive of reaching 23:00 on Monday was that at least I didn’t have to talk about transfers until the summer.

It felt like every day in January, Gooners talked about a striker, debated whether we needed more attacking options, and argued whether this proved once and for all the level of our owners’ ambition. I made a conscious decision that I wouldn’t bring up the above in every preview or review. We have all said our bit, the window is closed, and we can’t change the last month. As supporters, like our manager, we simply have to accept what we have upfront.

That’s what made Wednesday so cruel, though. It wasn’t that we lost. It was that Newcastle had what we didn’t, to the point that you couldn’t ignore it. It was so apparent, so painfully obvious, it was like the Toon Army were going out of its way to showcase to the Kroenke family the difference between a settled attack and one that is short of options. In fact, both legs could be used as evidence.

That’s why so many supporters feel let down. The two domestic cups highlighted that Havertz will have too many days where he misses simple chances. His peers will have too many days where they pass the ball sideways and are unable to unlock a defence. As long as that happens, it’s very hard to lift the Champions League or put together the winning sequence it would take to catch Liverpool.

Mikel Arteta is an employee of this club. He asked his bosses for help. He watched his best player get ruled out for the rest of the season, and one of his forwards might not play this year. So it was fair of the Spaniard to say we were “short” in that area, especially if the target is to truly claim the biggest honours.

Our manager asked for help. Not just him, though. Most of our supporters, other non-Arsenal fans, pundits, journalists, etc., all could identify where we are lacking.

Net profit-wise, we barely spent anything in the summer. It was understood that it is unlikely you get a world-class talent in the winter window. We were not asking for money to be invested that we didn’t have or to breach FFP rules. We just needed a better finisher than what we have or, at the very least, another option or more numbers so alternatives are not a teenager who plays centrally or someone on loan devoid of confidence.

We needed that just in case (call me crazy) someone pulls their hamstring!

If someone truly cares, how do they watch those two cup ties in January and allow us in February to have to cope with the same issues? I don’t get how anyone can defend that.

Nobody identified our weakness more than Eddie Howe. For 180 minutes, he tactically destroyed us. Not in terms of outthinking Mikel Arteta but in understanding our weak points.

You might look at the stats of this tie and wonder how we have lost 4-0 on aggregate. In both 90 minutes, we dominated possession, made the better chances, and had more corners.

Yet it was deliberate by Howe. One of the best in the division at setting up a group to know their jobs, he was happy for the Gunners to have the ball because he was confident we lacked the quality to break his team down.

That’s what hurt the most.

He didn’t park the bus. He was comfortable believing we didn’t have the imagination, skill, or ability to unlock his defence. He trusted his centre-backs to head everything, knew Martinelli would take on his man but mostly check back, Odegaard would take too many touches, Havertz would panic in front of goal, while no one would overlap or take chances.

In both legs, how many great saves did Dúbravka have to make?

He, on the other hand, had a front three who were such a threat that counter-attacks consisted of a direct pass, and suddenly Isak and Gordon were bullying our defenders.

What hurts the most is that it didn’t need to be this way. We could have had reinforcements ready for the start of the new year, and maybe we would be going to Wembley right now? Maybe we would still be in the FA Cup? Maybe the gap between us and the league leaders would be smaller?

I asked how the Kroenke family can watch that and justify not helping in the last four weeks.

The answer?

They were not watching on TV. I bet they didn’t even know we were playing.

Stan won’t even know what you mean by the Carabao Cup. He couldn’t name our next Premier League fixture, let alone care about winning it.

This January will cost us everything, and this semi-final from start to finish told you everything you need to know.

Dan Smith

( Great news guys, predictions returning!

To give everyone some time I will drop casual reminders but it will resume the weekend of Friday 14th February)