Arsenal vs. Liverpool: 7 Things We Learned from a Pathetic Defeat

On a rainy day in North London, an Arsenal side with a dearth of talent and low hopes met a Liverpool side overflowing with creativity and skill. It showed.

The Gunners were dominated for long stretches of the match, and never looked threatening throughout. While Pepe Reina was only put on alert once or twice during the game, Wojciech Szczesny's goal was peppered constantly and all this pressure eventually led to two late Liverpool goals.

What made the match even more hilarious was that, as Steve McManaman said during the match, Arsenal were playing basically half their reserve team at times, with Carl Jenkinson, Ignasi Miquel, Henri Lansbury, and Emmanuel Frimpong all featuring.

It always looked to be an inevitability for Liverpool, and their two goals were certainly not surprising to anyone who watched the match in its entirety, especially after Emmanuel Frimpong got himself foolishly sent off.

With that, here are seven observations that can be taken from this utterly pathetic display at the Emirates.

Thomas Vermaelen Is Arsenal's Most Valuable Player

If it weren't for the brilliant Belgian, Arsenal may well have been beaten much more handily, perhaps by three or four goals instead of the two they conceded.

Time and again, he was there to make a crucial challenge when no one else could, and his marshaling of the back line was crucial when two of its four members consisted of 19-year-old Carl Jenkinson and 18-year-old Ignasi Miquel.

Without the brilliant man-marking display that the Verminator put on against the massive Andy Carroll, the striker might have had a couple of headed goals.

Simply put, Vermaelen is the most crucial member of the squad, and losing his leadership and presence in the back four—a presence that no one else in this decimated squad can even hope to replicate—would allow the Gunners to be shred to pieces at the back.

Ignasi Miquel Has Potential

When Laurent Koscielny hobbled off with the assistance of two trainers at the pace of a 90-year-old woman, Ignasi Miquel was tasked with simply being better than Sebastien Squillaci and plugging a gaping hole in defence.

Done and done.

Despite being only 18, the young Spaniard showed that he does have great potential, as he was remarkably assured for 80 minutes against a Liverpool side overflowing with creativity and attacking talent.

He did have a hand in conceding the own goal that put Liverpool ahead 1-0, but Aaron Ramsey's chest was the main culprit, there were not many other places to go with the ball, and with his relative inexperience, such miscues can be excused.

Here's hoping Koscielny recovers swiftly from his back spasms, but at least Gooners know there is a better solution than Squillaci, The Heart Attack at the Back, waiting in the wings.

Arsenal Badly Need Samir Nasri

After two games in which the displays in midfield have been lackluster to say the least, Samir Nasri gave a good game for Arsenal in what may well have been his last appearance for the Gunners to show just how badly he is needed.

While certainly not at his best, there were times when he provided the spark in midfield that has been sorely lacking in Arsenal's engine room so far this season.

A couple mazy runs through the center of the pitch confused Liverpool, and Nasri seemed to be the only Gunner willing to try a long-range shot. Thus, he was one of the only players Pepe Reina needed to worry about throughout the match.

When his reported move to Manchester City inevitably does go through, Arsenal will again sorely miss the unpredictability, creativeness, and flair that Nasri provides in the center of the pitch, and the Gunners will look increasingly toothless—and goalless.

The Kids Are Alright

One of the brighter spots for Arsenal in their awful defeat was the young Carl Jenkinson, who was remarkably assured, considering that this was his first Premier League appearance ever.

Used out of position at left back in the Champions League victory against Udinese, the young Jenkinson was shifted to his preferred right back position due to the absences of Kieran Gibbs and Armand Traore, while Bacary Sagna was shifted to the left.

Despite being constantly peppered by the lively Stewart Downing, Jenkinson did well on the whole. Yes, he was turned around on certain occasions by Downing's fellow Reds, but that is to be expected of a player making his Premier League debut.

Combined with the assured display of Ignasi Miquel, the Gunners' makeshift back line was not as bad as it could have been given the circumstances, and Henri Lansbury put in a good shift in midfield.

But if there is one thing to be taken away from a youngster's performance in this match, it is that...

Emmanuel Frimpong Is Not Ready Yet

Not even close. By far the most disappointing youth-team player  against Liverpool in my estimation (the overall worst is probably a tie between Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin), although it must be remembered that he is only 19 years old, and still very inexperienced.

His first yellow card, picked up within the first 10 minutes, was completely ridiculous and wholly unnecessary. There was absolutely no reason for Frimpong to get in Jordan Henderson's face after the ball went out of play—nothing had actually happened!

From then on, it always looked like a matter of time before the Ghanaian picked up his second yellow and was sent off, as he flew into risky challenges time and time again.

Now, after his 70th minute dismissal and Alex Song's suspension, who will play defensive midfielder against Manchester United and Swansea? Really, what options do Arsenal even have anymore? Wilshere will apparently not be fit in time, so is it Ramsey? Rosicky? Lansbury?

Arsenal are getting thinner and weaker by the minute. And that, Monsieur Wenger, is what you get when you trust kids.

Arsenal Failed Their First Real Litmus Test

After a tenuous 0-0 draw at Newcastle which was taken as a fair result, and an even more fragile win against Udinese, some Gooners were cautiously optimistic. Liverpool, though, were always going to be the first real test for the Gunners against quality opposition.

Arsenal failed.

Put under constant pressure, and fielding a team of inexperienced kids, anything other than a defeat would have been a shock, in truth. While the Gunners held up defensively for most of the match—albeit barely—their inevitable bad luck and perpetual inexperience got the better of them, as it so often does.

People now know: when Arsenal is not fielding a full-strength lineup, they might as well be playing their reserves. Translation: they are out for the taking.

With Arsenal's mountains of injury problems, it can sadly only get worse from here. More and more pressure will be heaped upon Arsene Wenger's increasingly incapable shoulders, and as the team is now, displays against quality sides like Liverpool will only crop up more and more.

Arsene Wenger REALLY Needs to Spend Money

If there is any better indication of Arsenal's need to spend major amounts of money before the end of this transfer window than this defeat, I don't know what it could be.

Honestly, Wenger needs to be sacked immediately if this pathetic display cannot push him to action. Arsenal lack so much depth that we fielded four players who are basically at the reserve team level! And this from an organization which purports to be a big club.

"Super quality" my you-know-what, Arsene. For god's sake, you have oodles of money. Find the players, and just go out and buy them. It's enough already. Put your misplaced dignity aside and actually set about improving the club. Is that too much for you?

You know why Liverpool beat your youth-teamers? Because they actually spent money that they had. They're not in hundreds of millions of dollars of debt, they're not bankrolled by a Qatari oil Sheikh, and they did not spend money indiscriminately on superstars.

No, they bought good, quality, experienced first-teamers who create and convert chances, something you refuse to do for some inexplicable reason.

That's why, if you do your typical stand-pat routine, Liverpool will be overtaking that fourth spot that you fell back to last season. Prove that you're actually a Premier League manager. After your squad's utterly pathetic performance against Liverpool, I am not sure at all that you are.