It might be fair for me to ramp this game up today as one of the toughest we have in the league this season, from a mental perspective. Mikel Arteta has never taken three points away from Anfield. We’ve had some horrible games there, the worst was last season when that monstrous Szoboszlai free kick went in at the death from 35 yards out. But there have been plenty of other deserved and not so deserved capitulations in that stadium.
Liverpool have basically spent all the money on attack and we’ve spent it all on everything else but. They have players we’d have liked, namely, Barcola and Alex Isak. Two names that both have speed to burn, the bang BANG magic, and the ability to create moments from half chances. Yet, upon closer inspection, it would appear that this mighty attack has scored two fewer goals than Arsenal this season.
They’re 2nd bottom in the league for the creation of big chances this season. 11th for touches in the opposition box, and they’ve had zero set-piece goals. The attack has nice names, but it’s salad dressing on an ill-formed bed of untasty green leaves.
Their new manager is crafting a machine and we’re not quite sure what he’s cooking up right now. The defence is a bit messy, the midfield doesn’t really have the power or craft Iraola looks for, and the attack is underserviced. Liverpool’s possession stats have dropped from around 59% this season to about 53%. Not huge, but against Brighton, a game they sneaked, they had 36% possession, a record low for a home win.
This team is in transition, despite spending bucket loads of money. They are unsure of who they are, and the coach appears to be adapting rough puzzle pieces around a group of players that doesn’t feel well suited to his vision of football.
One suspects they’ll have seen the Bayern game and will look for long balls over the top to their very fast forwards. Barcola hasn’t banged yet, but he’s one of the fastest in the league already, we’ve dealt with an in-from Isak in the past and had him rip us to pieces. Gakpo has also been a thorn in the past. If we allow them chances to transition, they will kill us. That’s the sort of worry that turns Arsenal into low-risk takers and total control freaks.
But, the key here, they’re 6 points off Arsenal, that’s not bad considering the disruption that has been going on there… but, this game is very consequential to their title push. If they win, 3 points behind last season’s Champions is very important. If they lose, 9 points back at the start of November is already looking like a painfully tall and icy mountain to climb.
For Arsenal, where are we? I don’t think any of us are quite clear. Are we good? Yes. But does it all feel sexy times? I’m not sure it does. It’s sexy times but getting your leg caught in your Tesco’s underwear and hitting the deck. It’s not quite right out here. The main driver of the clunkiness is our attack. The finishing hasn’t been good despite creating enough chances. Today, we’re going to have to roll the dice on unfit players from our list of impactors. Tzolis starting feels like a long shot, so the best hope we have for this game is Eze on the left, Madueke on the right, and Kai through the middle. Not terrible, but not terrifying.
We’re also going to find out how impactful losing to Fleetwood in the cup was on the club. Did the bad mood carry through to the training ground this week? Was this a blip? Was this something we can shake out the system, or was the issue something that had deeper meaning?
Confidence is fragile, and season two teams can sometimes go off the rails after something terrible happens. Liverpool started last season winning 7 on the bounce, they lost to Palace, then it all went to shit. I don’t think we’re going to be that team, but playing Liverpool away after the worst cup defeat in a generation does have me mentally on the back foot here.
The big worry, beyond our starting forwards, is the lack of juice we’ll have off the bench. No Saka, Dowman, and a very rusty Tzolis. Don’t even get me started on Gyokeres at Anfield, unless it’s a penalty, he’s likely a waste of space. Maybe Merino gets some minutes as a forward?
I would absolutely take a point here, but my word, it would feel great to sense a weakened Liverpool side and take advantage for once. Last season, we knew Liverpool had been getting away with it, but we played them like they were Champions, not a team struggling with the weight of winning the league. We need to show less respect, take advantage of a midfield that can be overrun, get in behind their defenders, make sure we pressure them into making mistakes because they are there to be got at.
This is a huge test for Mikel Arteta. He can talk of Disneyland all he likes, but the Max Dowman snarl was a loss of emotional control from himself, something we rarely see. This game later is the chance for him to re-galvanize the troops, win a historic three points, and go three points clear after Man City were downed by Brighton at home. These are the sliding door moments that make a season… 9 clear of Liverpool, 3 clear of City… or the alternative I’d rather not put down on paper.
Fun times… let’s see what the boys have on the most superest of Sundays.
P.S. Come join the LIVE show right after the game. x
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