Seven points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race, Arsenal know the next week could be crucial to their hopes of hunting down Arne Slot’s leaders. Liverpool face three tough games against Aston Villa (a), Manchester City (a) and Newcastle (h) between now and next Wednesday. Come through that tough run of fixtures in a good position and Liverpool will be strong favourites to claim the title. Slip up and Arsenal will sense an opportunity.
Liverpool dropped points when Everton snatched a 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby last Wednesday and then only just scraped past Wolves 2-1 on a nervy afternoon at Anfield on Sunday. As the title run-in begins in earnest, Standard Sport assesses why there are reasons for Arsenal to be optimistic ahead of a difficult week for Liverpool. Last month saw Liverpool fail to beat Manchester United and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, before losing the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg to an injury-stricken Tottenham.
Then, in their two most recent fixtures, the Reds have drawn with Everton and only squirmed past lowly Wolves with an unconvincing win. The second half against Wolves, when Liverpool were pegged back to 2-1 after Matheus Cunha’s magnificent strike, was the first time since Opta records began that Liverpool failed to take a single shot in a half of football at Anfield. That should give Arsenal confidence that Liverpool could yet falter.
There have been hints that a gruelling schedule might be catching up with Liverpool of late. Alexis Mac Allister looked weary throughout the Wolves match, and Slot hinted in his press conferences both after that game and before Wednesday’s trip to Villa that he noticed tiredness in some of his players at Anfield. Sometimes Liverpool will just be “mediocre”, the manager was at pains to remind everyone.
In truth, though, that second half against Wolves was one of their worst halves of football all season. In back-to-back to back games, Liverpool face the prospect of Ollie Watkins and Marcus Rashford, then Omar Marmoush and Savinho, and finally Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak charging at them. And as the Everton game demonstrated, the pressure of big games could start to tell. Having not given Everton a sniff of an opening in any of the final 17 minutes plus most of stoppage time, one long, punted ball forward and a couple of bounces spelt trouble - and James Tarkowski did rest.
Arsenal know all too well about how injuries can throw a team off course. The Gunners last week lost Kai Havertz to a season-ending hamstring injury that has left them without a recognised centre-forward. Cody Gakpo - though he is “close” to a return to action - is out of the Villa game, as is Joe Gomez, whose fresh hamstring injury will cause a longer-term lay-off and may require surgery. After Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal have already fallen victim to injuries on mass scale this term, perhaps Liverpool will be next, with Gakpo and Gomez’s problems a sign of things to come?.
