Arsenal are riding high ahead of Liverpool showdown

Arsenal dismissed Leicester CIty with comparative ease to regain fourth position on the Premier League table, with three matches in hand on both Manchester United and West Ham United. That was an important victory and one that surely leaves an impression on the rival teams of the ambition that the Gunners now have game in and out.

This victory was an important innovation as it saw the team play professional and complete game across the pitch. While Thomas Partey was perhaps the best player on the park, Martin Odegaard surely wasn’t too far behind. The penalty from Alexandre Lacazette was well-deserved and positive too, as he has given so much to this team this season and particularly since the departure of his good friend Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.

Cedric Soares deserves so much more credit than he is receiving in my opinion, as he has held down the right full-back position since Takehiro Tomiyasu has been out with a calf ailment. He has fit in really well alongside Gabriel, Benjamin White and Kieren Tierney and his play has really maintained what the team was about before Tomiyasu’s injury.

Aaron Ramsdale too has played like one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League since he was purchased from Sheffield United and he is a major reason why this team is in the position it currently finds itself in. But next is Liverpool, once again, and this time Arsenal must find a way to score and find a bit of joy against the remarkably stingy and well-organized outfit led by Jurgen Klopp.

https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1503663171093028865

Arsenal vs Liverpool: Another huge Premier League test against Jurgen Klopp’s side that the team must pass

Liverpool are an outstanding team; this is not breaking news, and if it is for you, well, then you’re welcome. Yet the Gunners, having faced this team on three occasions already this season, have not scored against them at any point. While those losses are in the past, this meeting must be different for the sake of Arsenal’s ambitions for a Champions League spot next season.

The Reds are playing extremely well right now, it is true, and yet so too are Arsenal. The Gunners have won five in a row in the Premier League, while Liverpool has won 13 out of the last 17 matches across all competitions, with only one loss during that time. These are two teams that are in fine form, and something will accordingly have to give.

Whether it is Arsenal or Liverpool that budges is anyone’s guess, and the guesses are sure to be many and plentiful to be sure. It is easy to pick Liverpool given their form, depth, talent and the previous results of the season, and yet, the Gunners are also paid to show up and play, which they have done numerous times on home soil. Arsenal will have likely their best shot of the season to beat Liverpool, in what will be their last chance to do so this term. They simply must take advantage of this moment.

To do so will require the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli – in whatever combination they can be played in – to really show up as they have over the last five matches in particular. It will require big performances from not only the aforementioned Partey, but from Granit Xhaka as well. There will be no place for a manic red card moment from anyone against the team that Klopp is bringing down to London.

Lacazette too, reborn as I said above, will have to continue to contribute in the very meaningful ways that have been witnessed this season. His play, coming down to get the ball as the tip of a central diamond and create midfield overloads, has been so important for those other young players and their own production and creativity. While he is likely gone in the summer, he will not easily be forgotten by Gooners or his teammates alike.

Will all of this be enough to get the three points against the second-best team in the Premier League, as of right now? Not necessarily. It might be the case that Liverpool is still simply better than Arsenal at this time. If that is the case, then it simply is the case. Yet the Gunners will not give in to that conclusion without putting up a real, sincere and genuine fight in the process.

Who will win on Wednesday? I believe it will be the Gunners. I believe the score will be 2-0 to the home side, and that both ambitions and emotions will be riding high in the aftermath of what will surely be a difficult and challenging match for all involved.