The Gunners were comprehensively beaten 4-3 by the Reds on the opening day, with Philippe Coutinho running riot at the Emirates, despite Arsenal taking the lead in the first half through Theo Walcott, who also missed a penalty.
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Arsenal’s early-season problems increased yesterday when Aaron Ramsey was ruled out for at least two weeks with a hamstring injury.
Luckily, the roster looks strong enough across the midfield to handle Iwobi’s (and Ramsey’s) absence for a few games.
Iwobi will now miss Arsenal’s league games against Leicester City and Watford before the worldwide break, though he will definitely miss Super Eagles’ 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania. The Frenchman later admitted that he took a risk by playing Ramsey.
Arsene Wenger has only made one big-money signing this summer in the shape of Granit Xhaka, though he did also start another signing, £2m Rob Holding, as they wrestled with a defensive crisis.
Perhaps he was anxious about how the new Gunner would cope with a Jurgen Klopp heavy pressing side on his EPL debut. All three were rested for Sunday’s Premier League opener following extended breaks after Euro 2016.
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There is some positive team news though, as Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud are expected to return to the squad this weekend after missing the Liverpool game following their late arrival to pre-season.
