Report: Why Arsenal players were ‘frustrated’ with Emile Smith Rowe vs Liverpool

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Emile Smith Rowe left his Arsenal team-mates ‘frustrated’ after failing to help out the ailing Nuno Tavares during Saturday’s 4-0 Premier League thumping at the hands of a lethal Liverpool, as reported by Football London. 

It’s a funny thing, perception.

Heading into this weekend’s crunch clash at Anfield, Arsenal were billed as a team on the up. Ten games unbeaten – and eight wins along the way – had lifted Mikel Arteta’s in-form side to fifth in the Premier League table. 

But after Arsenal’s renewed confidence was shattered during a punishing four-goal defeat on Merseyside – and it could have been a lot more too if it wasn’t for the inspired Aaron Ramsdale – its tempting to view things from a rather different perspective.

In that ten game run came a very fortunate home draw with Crystal Palace, a point snatched from the jaws of defeat by Alexandre Lacazette’s stoppage-time leveller. Arsenal were outplayed by Brighton too and only triumphed 1-0 over Norwich, Burnley and Watford. 

So while Mikel Arteta and co deserve plenty of credit for turning things around following their worst start to a league season in nearly 70 years, talk of comeback always felt slightly premature.  

How damaging was Arsenal’s 4-0 defeat to Liverpool?

And, as we discovered on Saturday, the difference between Arsenal and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool’s not so much a gulf in quality but a Grand Canyon-sized chasm.

Mo Salah, Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane tore Arteta’s backline apart like wet tissue paper with Tavares, who was given the nod ahead of a returning Kieran Tierney, stuck in a nightmare straight out of the Freddy Krueger playbook.

Tavares gifted Liverpool their second when a misplaced back pass was intercepted by Jota.

But, according to Football London, it was Smith Rowe, rather than the PTSD-suffering Portuguese, who found himself on the wrong side of his Arsenal team-mates, failing to perform his defensive duties while Tavares was being torn limb from limb by Mo Salah. 

If Liverpool are the finished piece, Arsenal still have a first draft sort of feel about them. The foundations are there but serious revisions are required.