Opportunity knocks as the champions visit

Morning all.

What was already a big game becomes even more crucial later on when Liverpool come to town. Last night’s results in the Premier League mean a win would see Arsenal extend the lead at the top of the table, and while you hardly need any more motivation than beating the reigning the champions as you attempt to win your first title in over 20 years, this surely adds a little extra.

It’s not even motivation, it’s an opportunity, and one Mikel Arteta’s side will be determined to make the most of. No doubt many of you will have seen the clip of Dominik Szoboszlai being asked by Sky Sports if he thought Liverpool would be playing the champions tonight. His perfectly reasonable answer was that while Arsenal have been good this season, ‘We’re not playing the champions, they’re playing the champions’.

It’s a bit cheeky from Sky, even if you could see where the question is coming from, and I have no issue at all with the reply. He’s absolutely right, but it is, somewhat inadvertently, a stark reminder to Arteta and these players what they still have to do. We’ve been very good this season, but there’s a long way still to go, and if that’s crystalised by Szoboszlai’s answer, then that’s fine by me.

The manager talked about his team having a ‘point to prove’ tonight, but didn’t really expand on that, suggesting that’s the case for every game. However, I can’t help but think this is a reference to the game earlier in the season at Anfield, which drew, to my mind anyway, a level of criticism that wasn’t really aligned with what I saw. That day, early in the season, we had two teams with a lot of mutual respect for each other, who both played a bit cautiously, and ultimately it was decided by a brilliant free kick.

I think Arne Slot said afterwards if that game played out 10 times, we’d have 8 draws, 1 win for Liverpool, and 1 for Arsenal. At 0-0 we brought on Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze to try and change the dynamic, and even put in a 15 year old for the last 10 minutes, but obviously you’re judged on the result. The team selection that day drew some discussion, it’s fair to say, especially the composition of the midfield, and Arteta seemed to touch on that in his pre-game press conference, saying:

People can have different opinions and [try to] understand why we decide certain things or pick certain players. But we know their physical state. Is the other player available to start? Nobody asked. People assume that. We have all the information. You guys don’t, and it’s normal and we don’t want to provide that either! With the information that you have, you have to make the judgement that in your opinion was the best case to win the game – that has to be accepted.

So, I think this defeat is lingering somewhere in the back of his mind, and we know how often he tries to use things like this as part of his preparation. Defeat hurts, and the only way to salve that wound is with a win. Tonight, I don’t think the team takes too much working out. Assuming there are no fitness issues impacting selection, it’ll be the same back four, the midfield trio of Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice and Odegaard, while Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard will return to the wings.

I assume it’s going to be Viktor Gyokeres up front this evening, his physical presence against two big central defenders will probably be important, but this is game 10 without an open play goal (he bagged his penalty against Everton obviously), and it does feel like tonight would be a very useful time for him to find his shooting boots. Yes, we’ve got to supply him with chances, but he’s got to show he can get on the same wavelength as those around him with a bit more frequency.

As for Liverpool, they come into this one on a 9 game unbeaten run, but I think it’s fair to say performance-wise they haven’t been convincing of late. I suspect their approach might be a bit more cautious than it would be if they were at their best. The way van Dijk and Konate have been left exposed by full-backs bombing on this season has been a problem, so if they tuck in a bit more and don’t leave those spaces, I wouldn’t be at all surprised. They still have plenty of quality despite the attacking absences, so you can take nothing for granted, although you’d obviously much rather face them without Salah, Isak and potentially Ekitike.

Ultimately though, this is down to us. We’ll need to be at our best to beat a very good team, and Man City dropping more points last night provides a real chance to put a real grip on this title race. As I said, the players don’t need any extra motivation, but these are moments in a season that you have to take advantage of, and fingers crossed we can do that.

Arteta has urged the crowd to play their part, outlining how that backing transmits to the players on the pitch:

There’s nothing like it. You become a different player; your emotional state is better, your energy level is better, your confidence is better. They drive you to take action with a lot of aggression, with a lot of determination and that lifts the whole team. So that’s what we have to provide tomorrow.

This feels like a huge moment in this season. Another big test of our credentials, and for the most part we’ve come through those well. Let’s hope tonight is another one to add to that list.

Right, I’ll leave it there for now. We have a preview podcast over on Patreon if you need something to listen to (and we’ll be wrapping up all last night’s action in The 30 too), and as ever we’ll have live blog coverage and all the post-game stuff on Arseblog News later.

Come on you reds!

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