In midweek, Arsenal lost the Premier League top of the table and gave the initiative to the title. At the weekend, Manchester City beat Fulham to officially overtake the Gunners in the standings and miss one round. So, Arsenal, who have been ahead for more than half a season, really have no chance at all? Now, what else can they do?
Start by doing a good job of defense
It goes without saying how important Saliba is to Arsenal's defence. The centre-back has conceded an average of 2.17 goals per game since the centre-back's injury, compared to 0.93 when Saliba is available. In addition, Tomiyasu Kenyang has been recovering since mid-March. Fuan could play centre-back and left-wing-back, as well as right-wing, to get Ben White back in the middle.
With Saliba and Tomiyasu not on top, Arsenal can now only reuse Holding, who lacks both offensive and defensive ends. And new signing Kiviol is clearly not ready to play.
But complaining is useless, and now Arteta must find a way to get the back line up. There can be no more low-level mistakes, such as the Southampton game where Ramsdale was cut by Alcalá.
Saleba's absence has clearly thrown Arsenal's squad off balance, but that's not a reason for them to dig holes in the opening game against Southampton and West Ham. If Arteta can bring the team's defence back to normal, then Arsenal's overall fighting ability is likely to recover.
Reactivate Saka
Apart from Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, there is no better attacker in the Premier League this season than Saaka. He is decisive, creative and unstoppable most of the time, always fighting from start to finish and is an integral part of this Arsenal team. But his form has slipped recently and Arsenal must find a way to get him back into form.
Arteta has repeatedly spoken of his plans to turn Saka into a durable, high-output attacking machine that can consistently produce goals in 60 to 70 games. Saka hasn't had much rest this season, only once on the bench (against Leeds United this month). In the long run, this may help Saka grow; But right now, that high-intensity use could be hurting the 21-year-old.
Just last week against Southampton, Saka assisted Martinelli to score a goal and scored the final minute to close a comeback victory.
In this way, Saka's fuel tank has not yet bottomed out. But he did nothing in the Liverpool game, conceding a penalty against West Ham. Against Manchester City, he attacked fiercely after the opening, but basically passed on the world after the back. In the middle of the season, Saka was brilliant. Now that his goal tally isn't going up that fast, Arsenal need him to pick themselves up again.
Use more Trossad and Jorginho
Trossard has played just 96 minutes in Arsenal's last four winless games, all coming off the bench. The winger has played very well in the first two months since his move and his contribution deserves more playing time.
Jesus did not perform well, Saka and Odegaard were not at their best. Dropping either of them is a difficult decision, but Trossard can not only help control the midfield, but also take any position of striker, and Martinelli has a special rapport, and Arteta should use him more.
Jorginho also joined in the winter window and has the experience of winning titles, something that many Arsenal players lack. Thomas has also been in mixed form in recent weeks, with Arsenal often losing control in midfield.
Against Manchester City, Jorginho played half an hour and against West Ham, he played only 23 minutes. The season has entered its most crucial finale and it's time for experienced veterans to play a dozen more.
Hang on! Don't give up
Will Manchester City overturn in the next few games? Unlikely. But Arsenal cannot give up early, and opportunities are only left to those who are prepared. Manchester City are in good form, but they have at least eight games to play before the end of the season and are under pressure to win the title on both fronts; Arsenal have only five games left and the pressure is relatively low.
Manchester City's Emirates Stadium beat Arsenal on 15 February, and many believe the title race is about to be reversed. But then, Mikel Arteta led a seven-game winning streak to continue the momentum.
Arsenal's upcoming fixtures won't be easy. Chelsea are in trouble, but certainly a very good London derby to boost morale; The difficulty of visiting Newcastle is self-evident, with Brighton aspiring to compete for a European ticket; If Nottingham Forest are not confirmed for relegation by May 20, this away game will not be good.
Of course, if Arsenal can regain their form in time, they can beat these opponents, and Manchester City lose another game, and the two teams will have to win in the final round of the season - Arsenal at home to Wolves, Manchester City away to the more difficult Brentford.
So, Arteta and Arsenal must persevere and not leave themselves with regrets.