It’s been 24 hours since Arsenal stole Sterling, and now they’re realising they have three tough trips coming up in eight days.
With key midfielder Declan Rice banned for one game after getting his first red card, the Gunners will have a terrible time on the road.
The day after Arsenal took Raheem Sterling from Chelsea for the season, Brighton came back to tie 1-1 at the Emirates, ending the Gunners’ perfect Premier League record.
And Rice’s controversial firing was the turning point.
For a soft second penalty, Bukayo Saka lobbed the ball away to stop the Seagulls from taking a quick free kick. This got the Gunners in front, but his England teammate was sent off.
Then, Joao Pedro saved a point when Brighton was under a lot of pressure.
The loss for Mikel Arteta’s team on Saturday comes before what could be their biggest stretch of games all season.
The next break is for internationals. When Arsenal returns, they will play their next game on September 15 at home against their biggest rivals, Tottenham.
The next game is Arsenal’s first in the Champions League, which is four days later and takes place at Atalanta in Serie A.
On September 22, the following Sunday, the Gunners play at the Etihad against Champion Manchester City.
With their 3-1 win at West Ham on Saturday, Pep Guardiola’s team has now won all three Premier League games.
Also, it’s obviously too early in the season to talk about turning points, but the mood at the Emirates could change quickly based on how Arsenal’s next three games go. Sterling’s arrival has made people feel better.
This means Arteta will have to quickly turn his anger at Rice’s red card into a force for his team to handle.
He said Brighton got away with kicking the ball away, but then his £105 million star got a second yellow card for the same crime, which cost a lot of money.
“If it [bookings] happens throughout the game in a consistent way, that’s fine,” Arteta said. “But it didn’t.” It is the lack of stability.
When asked if he had an answer, he said, “None, as always.”
