New year, same old problems for Arsenal.
The January transfer window closes in four weeks from today; you can assume that interim athletic director Jason Ayto's hotline will indeed be busy this morning.
As evidenced on Saturday, a lack of creativity in the final third and goal-scoring opportunities up front are issues that will crop up again and again this season, just as they have for months – unless an attacking signing is made in January. .
Yes, a club that endured Martin Odegaard's absence in September and October is dealing with the aftershocks of Bukayo Saka's hamstring injury and his copious supply of goals and assists.
Every club in the Premier League, except perhaps Liverpool, would rue the loss of Saka if he were in their side. However, that masks the broader issues at play here.
Apart from the sharp efforts from promising 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who put the Gunners ahead against Brighton, there was a sluggishness in midfield – typified by Mikel Merino – and a lack of spark in the front three.
Compare the starting attacking triumvirate of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Nwaneri with Liverpool's Mo Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo, and the difference in goals and threat is nothing short of stark.
Unless Arsenal have a smart January window, title talk could become redundant and the conversation could instead turn to securing a place in the top four. An unfathomable thought from just a month ago – and one that Gunners fans are reluctant to imagine after coming so close to the title in the previous two seasons.
The position of the striker or wide attacker in particular needs to be addressed – and quickly.
The club from North London faced a Seagulls team for seven league games in a row without a win. Now make that eight. A team like Arsenal with title aspirations would have to beat such opposition.
The visitors weren't terrible, no. But they weren't good either. Mikel Arteta's men managed to break through the press in Brighton. It was the following parts, such as cutting the thread to create meaningful chances, and the finishing, that were seriously lacking.
The cold, wet and windy weather on the south coast emphasized this even more. As seen with Nwaneri's goal, which went straight through goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who should have done better, the circumstances tended to test the keeper. In such weather the ball can do funny things.
Yet the visitors only had nine shots, three of which were on target.
Asked afterwards whether the lack of shots on target was due to a creativity problem or the lack of a striker, Arteta said afterwards: 'You can't rely on just one player. I think we missed certain things during the process in the second half and that's normal because the fluidity we have in certain areas with the players we have is not the same.
“But it's certainly something we can do much better and that's our responsibility.”
There also seemed to be a reluctance to strike from outside the area – even if the opportunity arose. It's a theme. Of the top six teams in the league, Arsenal have conceded 66 shots from outside the box. That is significantly lower than Man City (123), Chelsea (99), Nottingham Forest (91), Liverpool (75) and Newcastle (74).
More immediately, Arteta also needs to patch up his right wing again. Nwaneri, who started the last two league matches in that position, was hooked at half-time due to a muscle injury. Raheem Sterling is back in training and is expected to be available for the match against Aston Villa next weekend.
But before then, Arsenal have a tough run of games to get through: a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Newcastle, Manchester United in the FA Cup third round and a league match with north London rivals Tottenham.
This disease virus haunting their camp at such a crucial time will be a source of concern.
Kai Havertz was left out of the squad for the second time in a row due to illness, and Odegaard was also ill but made the bench. The fact that he even came on as a substitute, coming on after 64 minutes, just three minutes after Joao Pedro's penalty, shows just how desperate the Gunners were.
It all comes down to a January transfer window that could define Arsenal's season.