Arsenal’s season has hit turbulence at the worst possible moment. A humiliating Carabao Cup exit to League Two side Fleetwood Town, a mounting injury list that reads like a hospital ward, and a trip to Anfield on Sunday to face a resurgent Liverpool. The question isn’t whether Mikel Arteta is under pressure. It’s whether the reigning Premier League champions can survive the test without their best players—and whether Arteta’s newly signed contract until 2030 will protect him if they don’t.
The Injury Crisis: A Skeleton Crew for Anfield
Arsenal’s squad is not just depleted. It is threadbare in the positions that matter most.
The confirmed absentees for Sunday are brutal. Bukayo Saka is out until at least the start of December with a quad injury sustained in the Champions League draw with Bayern Munich. William Saliba has not featured all season after back surgery and, while he is making progress, no return date has been set. Max Dowman, the 16-year-old who was sent off against Fleetwood for kicking out at an opponent, is suspended for three matches pending an appeal. Christos Tzolis is a doubt with a thigh problem, though there is hope he could be involved.
Then there are the three fresh concerns that emerged after the Fleetwood defeat. Declan Rice came off against Everton with hamstring tightness and was left out of the squad entirely as a precaution. Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt after being withdrawn late against Everton. And Noni Madueke is dealing with an ankle issue, though sources suggest it is not serious and there is optimism he could start on the right wing.
The right wing is the crisis within the crisis. With Saka out, Madueke a doubt, and Dowman suspended, Arteta’s options are vanishing. Kai Havertz could be forced into the role, but he endured a miserable night against Fleetwood and has shown no sign of his best form since returning from a hamstring issue. If Madueke does not make it, Arsenal could go to Anfield with no natural right winger.
The Fleetwood Humiliation: A Warning Sign, Not a Death Sentence
The 1-1 draw and penalty shootout defeat to Fleetwood was one of the biggest cup upsets in English football history. Arsenal, the Premier League champions, were beaten by a side sitting 18th in League Two, separated by 84 places across the football pyramid.
The statistics were damning. Arsenal dominated possession with 78% and registered 26 shots, but put 19 of them off target. They managed just five shots on target and scored once—a goal that came when the ball bobbled in off Viktor Gyokeres in the penalty area. It was Gyokeres’ first goal of the season at his 11th attempt, and it did little to mask the broader attacking malaise.
Arteta did not hide his anger. He had words for Dowman as the teenager walked down the tunnel, having warned him before the match about responding to rough treatment. The defeat raised questions about Arsenal’s finishing, discipline, and ability to handle pressure. But it also exposed something deeper: a lack of attacking quality and potency that has been building for weeks.
The context matters. Arteta made nine changes for the Fleetwood match, resting key players for Liverpool. The Carabao Cup was never the priority. But the manner of the defeat—the wastefulness, the red card, the penalty shootout collapse—was a psychological blow that Arsenal did not need before a trip to Anfield.
The Anfield Test: A Fixture Arsenal Simply Have to Win
Arsenal have not won at Anfield since 2012. That is a statistical burden that hangs over every trip to Merseyside, and it is about to become heavier.
Liverpool are finding form. Their 2-0 win over Brighton moved them to within six points of Arsenal and Manchester City, and a victory on Sunday would close the gap to just three. Andoni Iraola’s side is improving as the season goes on, and their big-money signings are beginning to meet expectations. They also have an injury concern of their own—Florian Wirtz is a doubt after injuring his ankle against Brighton—but Arsenal cannot rely on Liverpool’s absences to save them.
The stakes are clear. Arsenal are level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table. A win at Anfield would be a statement of intent, a validation of their title credentials, and a response to the Fleetwood humiliation. A draw would not be a disaster. A loss would be a significant blow to confidence and momentum.
“It is a fixture that Arsenal just have to win,” one analysis put it, “because even though Liverpool has improved, Arsenal is still the more stable team and the team expected to win the match and win the league title”. That is the standard Arsenal have set for themselves. Meeting it without Saka, without Saliba, and possibly without Rice and Madueke is the challenge.
Can Arteta Survive the Test?
The answer, in the short term, is almost certainly yes.
Arteta signed a new contract on October 7, 2026, keeping him at the club until June 2030. The deal was a reward for winning the Premier League title, and it was framed as a statement of long-term intent from the Arsenal hierarchy. The club believes the stability gives them a “competitive advantage” over their rivals, and they are backing Arteta to “create a winning era”.
That contract does not make Arteta immune to criticism. It does not mean a defeat at Anfield would be acceptable. But it does mean that his job is not on the line after one bad week. The Arsenal board has invested in him for the long term, and they will not abandon that investment because of a Carabao Cup exit and an injury crisis.
The real test is not whether Arteta survives Sunday. It is whether Arsenal’s season survives it. The title race is tight, the squad is stretched, and the fixtures are relentless. If Arsenal lose at Anfield and follow it with more dropped points, the pressure will intensify. If they win, the narrative shifts entirely.
Arsenal are walking into
Anfield with a patched-up squad, a bruised ego, and a point to prove. The injury crisis is real. The Fleetwood humiliation was embarrassing. The challenge of winning at a ground where they have not tasted victory in 14 years is daunting.
But this is a team that won the Premier League last season. This is a manager who has built something durable. And this is a club that has just committed to him for another four years.
Mikel Arteta will survive the Anfield test. The question is whether his team can do the same.
