After 12 games played in the Premier League, Arsenal are still nine points behind Liverpool in the table, who have now opened up an eight point gap to Manchester City.
As well as being top of the English footballing pyramid, Liverpool are also the top-dog in the Champions League too after beating Real Madrid at Anfield.
Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side secured a remarkable 5-1 victory away to Sporting CP on Tuesday, but they are still five points worse off than their Premier League rivals in Europe.
Arne Slot’s side have won 17 of their 19 games this season, a remarkable rate of winning which would be difficult to match for any team.
But just like Man City, Arsenal will still retain hope of going one better over the festive period.
Chris Sutton thinks Arsenal and Man City could fall down on their squad depth
That being said, when covering the game for BBC Sport, Chris Sutton made an interesting point about Liverpool’s advantage over Arsenal right now – their squad depth.
The likes of Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor Bradley have thrived for Liverpool in the absence of Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold respectively.
Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot and Liverpool's Northern Irish defender #84 Conor Bradley celebrates after the UEFA Champions League football m...
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
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And when assessing the squads available to Slot, Arteta and Pep Guardiola, Sutton saw a clear advantage at Anfield.
He said: “What Liverpool have that Man City and Arsenal don’t is a greater strength in depth in their squad.
“You look at the goalkeeping position, Caoimhin Kelleher has always been outstanding, he’s got a brilliant temperament.
“In many respects it was not a great surprise to see him save a penalty. Kylian Mbappe is normally lethal but had his boots on the wrong feet tonight.
“You look at the right back position, Conor Bradley looked to have done his hamstring tonight but they have Trent Alexander-Arnold to come back in for Man City at the weekend.”
Jurrien Timber is a great example of Arsenal’s strength
Perhaps some Arsenal supporters will disagree with those sentiments – Jurrien Timber is thriving at right back in the absence of Ben White right now.
Sporting CP’s manager lauded Arsenal after their meeting on Tuesday, a side who definitely look a whole lot better with Martin Odegaard back in the team.
Of course, Arsenal fans will have a very close eye on events at Anfield on Sunday, when Guardiola’s side will look to remedy their winless run against their old rivals.
The Gunners have a job to do themselves away to West Ham United beforehand, who managed to win at St James’ Park last weekend, a ground Arsenal find notoriously hard to visit.
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