Arsenal Vs Liverpool: Pre-Match discussion with Rush The Kop

It’s only matchweek three of the Premier League season, yet it already seems as though this game against Liverpool on Sunday could determine Arsenal’s campaign.

Arsenal’s record against fellow top 6 Premier League sides in recent years is not great, and this weekend, they face a Liverpool side who pipped them to a Champions League spot last season.

Rush The Kop, the Liverpool branch of the FanSided network, came to answer questions about this vital matchup, and everything that has encompassed both of our clubs so far this season. See our discussion below:

PITA: How would you rate Liverpool’s transfer window so far?

RTK: Pretty poor. The players we have bought are good but we haven’t bought enough of them. Especially in key areas.

Have you improved on your squad from last season?

So far we have bought Salah, Solanke and Robertson. And lost Lucas, Stewart and Ojo on loan. There is an incremental improvement.

Even with those improvements, do you need any more reinforcements?

Absolutely. Not buying a dominant centre back is criminal. We need a dynamic midfielder too.

Is Coutinho worth the money that Barcelona are reportedly offering? Is he a true game-changer?

The best offer they have made is £80m + add ons. He is worth more than that in this market. He makes everyone around him better. His technique and dribbling are as good as anyone in the EPL. And now he scores top corner screamers every other game. He’s probably worth £130-150m but we won’t get close to being able to replace him so we won’t sell. We are so pathetic at signing big players he’s almost priceless.

What have you made of Arsenal’s off-season?

The distraction of potential outgoings and contracts haven’t helped you, but your window has been very similar to ours. You’ve made some good additions, Lacazette is great and Kolasinac looks solid, but you definitely need more additions. You need a dominant centre-back and an energetic midfielder.

Will Arsenal be title contenders this season?

I doubt it. The Europa League is a pain, it is very hard to build momentum in the league playing on Thursdays. Also, the EPL is so competitive right now and Wenger doesn’t seem able to instil a ruthlessness into the Arsenal dressing room.

Will Liverpool and Arsenal both be vying for top-4 places rather than titles/trophies?

Yes, I think Chelsea, Spurs, City and even United are better set than Liverpool and Arsenal. 4/5/6 is where I see our teams finishing.

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Are the other big clubs too strong?

The interesting thing is that none of them are dominant. They all have weaknesses. Chelsea, Spurs and United all have very strong spines but are weaker out wide.

Arsenal and Liverpool have softer middles which means we are more liable to losses against the lower sides.

Arsenal haven’t had the ideal start to this season, but neither have Liverpool. Who’ll be victorious this weekend and why?

We have been a little slow starting but there are some good signs. We haven’t lost a game and were 60 seconds away from beating Watford.

Our attack is too much for everyone we have played so far and they are only in second gear. The midfield three has been the big worry. We really miss Coutinho and Lallana.

Our defence is still panic-inducing but we were much better last week against Palace. It will be interesting to see if Klopp plays the young full backs (Robertson & Trent Alexander-Arnold) against a top side.

That said I think we’ll win on Sunday. We’re at home and our big 6 record under Klopp is amazing. I love the matchup of Mane & Salah against Kolasinac and Monreal.

Our defence will give away chances but we are so dangerous on the counter attack.

Next: Arsenal Vs Liverpool: 4 key players to watch

It will be interesting to see how Arsenal bounce back this weekend. Defeat could bring further negativity to the club, while victory would only temporarily relieve tensions. I guess we’ll have to just wait and see what happens.