Arsenal vs Liverpool: It’s not Salah that’s the scary one

Arsenal have their work cut out for them against Liverpool, but it’s not the dangerous Mohamed Salah that scares me the most in this one.

Arsenal have had their defensive struggles this year, proving to be the worst defense among the top-tier teams (that doesn’t include Manchester United anymore). And they’ve certainly struggled against speed-based strikers, not just this year but in years past too.

Something about having to guard balls over the top just seems to baffle the hell out of these central defenders.

And yet, going up against Liverpool, it’s not their speed-based Mohamed Salah that has me the most worried. Salah became quite clearly the most dangerous player that the Reds boasted last season, and this year he hasn’t been a disappointment at all, but that doesn’t mean he’s the man to watch.

The man to watch is Sadio Mane. Nowhere else on the pitch do I look at and cringe. I see Shaqiri on the other side and I think he’s manageable. I see Firmino in the middle and I’m not terrified.

Even Salah up front, while nervy, isn’t what holds my attention. What holds my attention is Sadio Mane on the side of our rightback and Mustafi.

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Mane has had his way with the Gunners in the past, his speed is ridiculous, his ball control is to die for, and he is always, always experimenting with new ways to get past even the best fullbacks and centerbacks out there.

Fun fact, whatever right back we put out there, coupled with Mustafi, is not the best out there. Mane has dealt with far worse.

If Hector Bellerin can play, that’s great, a major boost for our attack and he can keep pace with Mane. But he isn’t a good enough defender to keep him at bay.

If Bellerin can’t play, which looks likely, and Stephan Lichtsteiner is given the duties, I have a bit of faith in his ability to annoy Mane, but he won’t be able to get forward, and will instead be confined to solely managing the attacking prowess of Mane. Again, not the worst thing, but a crucial angle is lost.

There isn’t any easy way to deal with Sadio Mane’s presence. The same goes with Salah, but at least with Salah, he is going to be manned by a couple of people at any given time. Sane has free-reign to an area that has traditionally haunted the Gunners – the wings.