Liverpool have been the early pacesetters, winning seven and losing one of their eight matches to sit a point ahead of champions Manchester City at the top of the league going into the weekend. Arsenal also started the season brightly, but lost to Bournemouth away from home last Saturday. They have also drawn twice. Mikel Arteta’s boys are therefore four points behind Liverpool going into today’s game at the Emirates Stadium — and for two teams with ambitions to challenge for the title, this looks like a match with real significance.
James McNicholas, from The Athletic’s team of Arsenal experts, and his Liverpool equivalent Gregg Evans had a conversation and looked at the key issues ahead of the game.
James McNicholas: This is probably Liverpool’s biggest test in the Premier League under new head coach Arne Slot, so it is undoubtedly an important game for them. But for Arsenal, I think it takes on even greater significance.
It’s almost absurd how one defeat can throw an entire league campaign into jeopardy, but after the loss at Bournemouth, Arsenal cannot afford to come away from this match with nothing. Doing so would put Liverpool seven points clear, and with Manchester City having a plum fixture at home to Southampton on Saturday, the champions could be six points ahead of them, too. That’s not an insurmountable gap, but it is a significant one — especially at this early stage of the season. Arsenal need a result here to stay within touching distance of the front runners.
Gregg Evans: With the amount of points they’ve dropped already, you have to feel like it is Arsenal. A defeat, for example, would be costly, even at this early stage of the season. To fall seven points behind Liverpool after just nine games would be a real worry and heap further pressure on a team who have edged so close to glory in recent years but not yet been able to get over the line.
Key Injuries and Suspensions
McNicholas: Easy one: yes. After the Bournemouth defeat, a lot of the analysis focused on William Saliba’s sending-off. Just as important was the fact Arsenal entered the game without arguably their two best attacking players, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, through injury. While Saka is believed to have a chance of returning to face Liverpool, Odegaard, their captain and chief playmaker is definitely still out.
Saliba’s suspension, meanwhile, has placed greater strain on a defence already suffering from several injuries. The one sustained by Riccardo Calafiori against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday is compounded by the absences of squad players such as Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney. Jurrien Timber is in a race against time to be fit, while Oleksandr Zinchenko has played just 10 minutes of league football since the season’s opening weekend in August. Jakub Kiwior endured a bit of a nightmare against Bournemouth and ended up with the ignominy of being a substituted substitute. Add in the fact that summer signings such as Mikel Merino and Raheem Sterling are still settling into the team, and this feels like an ideal time to play Arsenal.
Evans: I don’t think there’s ever a good time to play Arsenal, because of the quality they have. Granted, there are a few absentees and the form so far this season hasn’t been as impressive as expected, but that doesn’t completely reduce the threat. What will be interesting is Arteta’s plan and how willing he is to open up his team and allow freedom in attacking areas. I’d say there’s more pressure on Arsenal to put in a performance because of the troubles in recent weeks. Liverpool will also sense a certain weakness because of their discipline issues, but stopping them is going to be tough.
Liverpool’s Defensive Prowess
Evans: Yes, as Chelsea showed at Anfield last weekend. Direct running at the full-backs caused plenty of problems and as good as Ryan Gravenberch has been in holding midfield, these are the type of games that will show whether he’s ready to mix it at the very top. There’s no denying, though, that Liverpool have tightened up in general, conceding just three goals in the Premier League this season, as well as reducing the amount of shots they face. Slot believes the reason for this is because they have become better in possession and are working harder through the difficult moments. Virgil van Dijk is also in the form of his life and has a settled Ibrahima Konate alongside him. This will be their toughest test yet, though.
McNicholas: That will make for comforting reading for Arsenal fans — especially given that Gabriel Martinelli’s performance against Shakhtar seemed to be indicative of a player finding a rich vein of form. If Arsenal can get a regular supply to him and Saka, they can hurt Liverpool.
Darwin Nunez’s Importance to Liverpool
Evans: With Diogo Jota out injured for Liverpool, all the focus will be on how Darwin Nunez performs up front. The nine-point difference between Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the table come the end of last season could easily be attributed to his form. If Nunez can convert more of the chances he gets, Liverpool will win more points. It’s that simple, but nothing about the feisty Uruguayan striker is straightforward. He still misses the easy ones and scores when he’s least expected to do so.
Arsenal’s Left-Back Quandary
McNicholas: Without wishing to dodge the question, I think it will be whoever starts for Arsenal at left-back. If Timber misses out, it’s likely to be one of Zinchenko or Kiwior — Zinchenko started Arsenal’s 3-1 win in this fixture in February, but Arteta replaced him with Kiwior at half-time (when it was 1-1). Given the current lack of regular football for the two of them, the thought of either in a one-on-one against Mohamed Salah will concern Arsenal fans.
Both Teams Eyeing Improvement on Last Season’s Record
Evans: Liverpool see Arsenal as one of the teams they need to finish above this season. Slot says he didn’t set any targets at the beginning of the campaign and believes that by working through a daily process, the points will follow — just like they did at his previous club, Feyenoord, in the Netherlands. Ahead of this game, Slot said that he knew Arsenal would be a main competitor, though, and that the challenge was to improve on last season’s points haul from games against these specific opponents (besides the home win mentioned above, Arsenal got a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the December).
A Shared Sense of Camaraderie and Trauma
McNicholas: I think given the battles for the title over the past couple of seasons, and the seeming inevitability of them being there or thereabouts again at the end of the season, Arsenal fans probably look for Manchester City’s results before Liverpool’s. This season, however, Liverpool’s near-perfect start means they have to be taken seriously. Off the field, I think Arsenal and Liverpool fans probably share a sense of camaraderie and shared trauma — they both know what it’s like to be in a title race with the relentless force that is Manchester City.
The Verdict
Evans: Another tight game. Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool.
McNicholas: I’d probably say the same, but for the sake of difference, I’ll say 2-2. A draw would probably suit both teams.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
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