Arsenal can more than survive daunting Liverpool test

The Gunners are going, and whether they can keep going will be a matter of a commendable performance against Liverpool at Anfield. Arsenal have found success at times against this team, although this team is very different from the versions that Arsenal have found success against.

Liverpool are back, and they are playing as though they wish to remind everyone that they are, in fact, annoyingly good at football.

Meanwhile, the Gunners are still trying to prove that they are the cream of the crop in England. With no European competition this season, beating Liverpool will go a long way in determining what this north London squad can really accomplish this year; no one wins trophies unless they can beat the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool, which will surely be inevitable in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this term.

So can this team find victory? A draw? Or does the team’s first loss since the end of August beckon as this group faces another top-tier team now the international break has concluded?

Arsenal can more than survive daunting Liverpool clash in the biggest test of the Premier League season so far for Arteta’s men

This Liverpool side has all the things that you might want in a team: they press, constantly, they expand and contract superbly, have a top goalkeeper, are threatening from every angle, and boast a thoughtful, creative midfield. These Reds, while perhaps not at the level of their squad from two and three years ago, is still formidable, and players like Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane can tear a team apart if the team is not cautious and unified in structure and mindset.

Fortunately, Arsenal seem to have forged these traits in the weeks since they were humbled by Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. Now, City and Liverpool are not so far away from one another, but I think it can be safely stated at this point that Arsenal has a better chance based on personnel and strategy against Klopp and the Reds than against Pep’s machine.

Since that 5-0 loss, Takehiro Tomiyasu has helped steady this team and they haven’t lost since he came over from Italy. He has helped to secure that right side of the pitch, and has brought comfort to the other new boy, Benjamin White, who has paired really well with Gabriel Magalhaes as a result. While Kieren Tierney has suffered with some injury complications recently, Nuno Tavares, another new signing this summer from Benfica, has stepped in seamlessly and demonstrates that this team is suddenly loaded in front of Aaron Ramsdale.

The former Blade has been a massive improvement over Bernd Leno, who is essentially marked for departure this winter or summer in all likelihood. Between goalkeeping and defense, Arsenal has stepped up since the early season woes that everyone couldn’t stop chatting about, but the creativity in the middle of the pitch and finishing in the final third have been positive as well. While seven clean sheets in ten matches is really impressive, the offense must too produce to have ensured only two draws across that time period.

In front of the back five we find Thomas Partey as well as a combination of Ainsley-Maitland Niles and Albert Sambi Lokonga, and while the team misses Granit Xhaka, they have missed him less because of the two young men next to Partey. This is crucial, for it is both protecting the backline and goalkeeper, as well as fueling those in advanced areas.

This is a team that is blooming, with young men suddenly across the English national squad, expected to make a real difference moving into the future. Ramsdale is challenging Jordan Pickford, while Emile Smith Rowe, who scored his first goal for Three Lions over the break, as well as Bukayo Saka, are all shocking the world and this is bleeding over into the volition that this Arsenal squad is demonstrating.

This week at Anfield, they will have to show all of that, and whoever else makes the starting team will have to show an ambition and execution as ruthless as Liverpool’s own. Can it be done? Surely. What will it take? The same resolve that was shown in the previous run of matches – and a bit more.

Mikel Arteta was on his way out, until he suddenly wasn’t. Wins and good form have saved his job at Arsenal right now, and it has made many people look and sound quite foolish in the process. If the Gunners can sustain this level then they will be well on their way to an 11th straight undefeated match across all competitions.

In doing so they will demonstrate that they are more than capable of playing with the best teams in the Premier League, and perhaps even Europe, eventually.

The Gunners must show tough defensive resolve while punishing their opposition when the opportunities emerge. It’s a big ask, but Arsenal can do this, and they can make a real statement in the process. For this team, at this point in the year, there is nothing better than that.