Journalist Charles Watts has now speculated that Mikel Arteta attempted to play some mind games with Liverpool on Sunday.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta may well have used rumours concerning the availability of Gabriel Jesus to sow seeds of doubt in the Liverpool camp.
As it turned out, the Brazilian striker was not even fit enough to be given a place on the bench. In his stead, Kai Havertz led the line for the hosts. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville was not entirely impressed with the German’s efforts at spearheading the Arsenal attack.
However, Arteta may well feel that Havertz played a key role in helping Arsenal execute their tactical gameplan in this encounter.
Meanwhile, up until the teams were officially announced, Jurgen Klopp may still have been expecting his side to have to deal with the threat posed by Jesus.
Charles Watts has a theory that Arteta attempted to convince the Merseyside club that Jesus would be in the Arsenal starting XI. Speaking on his Inside Arsenal YouTube channel, the reporter said, “Jesus missing out…was with the team, did go to the hotel. It made me laugh, that there were rumours circulating in the morning that he was out, and then the video appeared of the team going for their pre-match walk…and Jesus was there.”
“It’s just me being very cynical, I think, but I would not be at all surprised if Mikel Arteta was well aware that the rumours were already out on social media that Jesus wasn’t going to play, so he said to him ‘right, you go out and walk with the team’ just to maybe throw Liverpool off guard a bit and create a little bit of doubt in their mind as to whether he was going to play or not. That is something, absolutely, that Mikel Arteta would do.”
Arsenal now need more from Gabriel Jesus
We will likely never know for certain if that is what Arteta intended by including Jesus on the team walk, or if Klopp fell for the ruse. In any case, it will be a major frustration for the Arsenal boss that the former Manchester City forward has now been sidelined yet again. Jesus has missed a lot of football due to injury since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium, which lends yet more weight to the argument that the Gunners ought to be in the market for a new striker.
Over the course of the recent January transfer window, Arsenal were credited with an interest in a host of strikers, though ultimately no signings were made. It is likely that Arteta will strengthen that area of his squad in the summer, though.
In the meantime, once he is fit to return to action, Jesus needs to step up his game in what remains of the current campaign. For all of his other qualities, his lack of goals is a real problem. So far this season, he has only found the back of the net four times in the Premier League. Jesus recently made a vow to become more prolific. The Arsenal man now needs to make good on that commitment.
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