Arsenal have a major advantage over Liverpool in one particular way heading into the new season that nobody is talking about.
The Gunners are heading into the season having finished second in the Premier League in the past three seasons, twice to Manchester City, but last year to Liverpool, who ended up winning the league comfortably by over 10 points.
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Mikel Arteta has added some serious talent this summer, by securing a number nine in Viktor Gyokeres, but also bolstering other areas such as midfield (Martin Zubimendi), and defence (Cristhian Mosquera).
Not only does Arteta now have a stronger first team, but he also has plenty of depth if there are any injuries like last year to the likes of Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel. However, Liverpool have recruited well too.
The Reds have signed top talents Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, and they are also potentially going to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle. However, all of these signings could become an issue for Arne Slot, which could hand Arsenal a boost.
Liverpool have a serious risk of too much rotation
Following their very heavy spending window, Liverpool now have a lot of players; not only that, but a lot of players who will be expecting to start every game in the Premier League.
Firstly, looking at the striker position. If Liverpool sign Isak, they will have to rotate between Isak and Hugo Ekitike, who they signed also. Both should be starting, and could get frustrated if Slot prioritises one over the other.
Furthermore, Dominic Szobozslai and Alexis MacAllister could get frustrated and lose his spot to Wirtz in the number 10 role too, but Wirtz could also challenge the likes of Cody Gakpo and the two strikers due to his versatile nature.
This could be a real issue for Slot, who will have to be very careful to ensure that everyone gets enough game time to keep them happy, otherwise, player gelling and player morale could become a problem.
However, Arsenal have a more set in stone XI, and players that are more obvious backups. For example, Havertz will be Gyokeres’ backup, Noni Madueke will backup Bukayo Saka, and Christian Norgaard will back up Zubimendi.
They have more obvious roles, and that could help with both Arteta’s first team gelling and being more consistent, but also with player morale, something that will be crucial in a long season and a title fight. Slot has made it very difficult for himself, and nobody is talking about it…
Click here to see Arsenal’s first team squad ahead of the new season.