Arteta’s stale Starmer-ball is doomed to finish second to those who aim for glory

Arsenal’s cautious, cagey, risk-averse approach showed a lack of adventure and they paid the price against Liverpool.

AIM FOR GLORY: Mikel Arteta watches history repeat itself at Anfield, as a promising performance delivers a missed opportunity.

You can get it if you really want. You really can. You can get it. Getting it is a distinct and achievable outcome. There is just one caveat. You do have to actually show some sign of wanting to get it, to throw a little risk to the wind.

This seemed to be the catch for Mikel Arteta at Anfield, on a day where for long periods his Arsenal team were in the ascendancy, dishing up a performance that was assured and compact, but also a bit like watching a politician giving a campaign interview on live TV where the idea is to simply say nothing, wear the right tie, filibuster, convinced that if nothing happens then good things are probably happening. This felt like a kind of high-end Starmer-ball. Hold the line. Let the other guy lose.