Rio Ferdinand says one Arsenal player must be thinking ‘what is going on’ after Liverpool loss

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Rio Ferdinand drew attention to one player who wasn’t even on the pitch during Arsenal’s defeat to Liverpool.

Arsenal suffered defeat to a big six club for the first time in 22 games, losing 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield. 

Mikel Arteta’s wait for a win at Anfield goes on, with the last time Arsenal won at the ground being when the manager was on the pitch. 

A moment of magic from Dominik Szoboszlai decided the direction of the points, despite the Gunners arguably being the better side on the day.

• READ MORE: Winners and losers from Arsenal’s clash with Liverpool including William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli

Rio Ferdinand wonders what Myles Lewis-Skelly is thinking

One of the talking points from the game came before a ball was even kicked, as Arteta made two changes to his starting lineup, bringing Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino into the XI.

It was a deflating decision, as fans were so eager to see Martin Odegaard’s creativity replaced in central midfield, with Eberechi Eze and Ethan Nwaneri missing out to Merino, who is more of a defensive-minded player.

That being said, it wasn’t only the decision in attacking midfield that has been spoken about, as for the third consecutive time, Riccardo Calafiori started ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly.

The Englishman kept Calafiori out of the team last season, but this campaign, the tables have turned.

Rio Ferdinand drew attention to Lewis-Skelly’s situation, predicting that the 18-year-old is wondering what’s going on. 

“I have to say, Lewis-Skelly must be thinking what is going on here?” Ferdinand said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.

“Has he got an injury or something? He isn’t getting any time.”

Lewis-Skelly has played only 44 minutes so far this season, with no room in the starting XI at present for the teenager, something Ferdinand doesn’t understand. 

Riccardo Calafiori proved himself against Liverpool

The primary reason why Lewis-Skelly isn’t playing is Calafiori’s resurgence.

Against Liverpool, the Italian was fantastic once again, giving players like Lewis-Skelly, who are lower down the pecking order, no complaints about the defender’s minutes at present. 

Not only was Calafiori a defensive presence, but he was confident in the final third, firing three shots on goal.

Most prominently, the 2024 signing passed the Mohamed Salah test with flying colours, as the Egyptian didn’t complete a single dribble.

For now, there’s no argument regarding who Arsenal’s starting left-back should be, giving Lewis-Skelly a lot to work on to usurp Calafiori.