Mikel Arteta's five-word Arsenal assessment speaks volumes after defeat to Liverpool

Mikel Arteta has emphasised that “we have to punish teams” if Arsenal are to triumph in the Premier League this season.

Despite a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool concluding their pre-season tour of the United States, Arsenal showed potential for victory with more clinical finishing. Before Mohamed Salah’s goal put Liverpool ahead, Arsenal had opportunities to take the lead.

Gabriel Jesus was particularly lively, twice dispossessing Caoimhin Kelleher in promising positions. He also narrowly missed scoring after a slick exchange with Gabriel Martinelli and Reiss Nelson on the left.

Liverpool extended their advantage with a volley from Fabio Carvalho, following Harvey Elliott’s exquisite pass. Arsenal did manage to score through Kai Havertz, yet Arteta insisted post-match at Lincoln Financial Field that his team could have emerged victorious with greater efficiency.

“We have to punish teams,” Arteta declared. “Especially with the aggression that we played with and the amount of times that we won the ball in dangerous areas and then not enough happened. It happened basically the other way around. That’s where we need to improve.

“It’s an area where we can obviously improve. The first chance they had they scored and that’s what makes the difference as well. When you’re in those spaces in the box putting the ball in the net. We created the situations. We had two or three more big situations as well. We have to improve.”

Despite setting a new club record for goals scored in the Premier League last season, Arsenal are still being linked with attacking reinforcements. The North London outfit fell short in their title challenge against Manchester City, and it’s believed that a lethal finisher could be the missing piece of the puzzle.

However, the Gunners’ recruitment strategy doesn’t involve splashing out on high-profile targets like Victor Osimhen. Instead, they’re looking to make cost-effective signings who can enhance the squad, much like Leandro Trossard and Jorginho have done in recent years.