Arsenal can show how far they’ve come under Mikel Arteta against Liverpool

For so long, Liverpool were never a side that instilled fear into Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. The two sides had produced some thrilling bouts during the Frenchman’s tenure, but it was typically the Gunners that came out on top.

Between 2009 and 2015, Liverpool won just two of the 16 matchups in all competitions.

It was a one-sided duel, but the arrival of Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside facilitated a dramatic shift. Now, we all know that the chest-pumping, pearly white-donning German thrust the Reds from relative mediocrity to domestic and continental supremacy, but, on a more microcosmic scale, Klopp oversaw a complete U-turn in terms of the head-to-head duel with Arsenal.

Klopp’s Reds are famed for their ability to completely overwhelm and suffocate opponents, and such principles were almost always the undoing of a typically fragile and error-prone Gunners in the late- and post-Wenger years.

As a result, Arsenal have beaten a Klopp-led Liverpool just once over 90 minutes in 18 meetings and that came in July 2020 after the Reds had already wrapped up the Premier League title.

Arsenal can show how far they’ve come under Mikel Arteta against Liverpool

For Arsenal fans, contests against Liverpool in recent times have been painful, occasionally humiliating experiences. We’ve seen Roberto Firmino take the p*ss in a 5-1 rout after Christmas in 2018 and, just last year, a naive hot-headed moment from Mikel Arteta riled up the Anfield crowd and the home side responded by battering the young visitors 4-0.

Arteta’s side had shown distinct signs of improvement in the opening stages of that rout before they produced a gutsy display with ten men a couple of months later in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie. However, the superior Reds ended the campaign by beating the Gunners twice at the Emirates, contests in which the home side promised so much – more than have in years against Liverpool – but failed to deliver.

Now, though, as we enter the first meeting between these two sides of the 2022/23 season, the tables may once again be turning. Klopp’s Liverpool are slowly losing their juggernaut status in the wake of Sadio Mane’s departure, while Arteta’s Arsenal have risen to the top of the Premier League table through eight games.

The Reds are currently ninth having won just twice in the league. The synergy, intensity, and cohesion which defined them at their apex have seemingly dissipated entirely, and the results have been ugly at the start of the new season. Their high defensive line has been exposed at an unsustainable rate, and the sub-par performances of their stars have exacerbated any structural or collective flaws. Arteta’s Arsenal are well-equipped to make the most of Liverpool’s vulnerability, with many believing that this is the best Gunners outfit in a decade.

They brushed aside a flat Tottenham in the North London derby last weekend, but Sunday’s upcoming bout will be the ultimate test of this vastly improved side. A victory will have many labelling Arteta’s side as genuine title contenders, and if Erling Haaland, you know, didn’t exist, then perhaps Arsenal could compete with Manchester City over 38 games. In reality, the Cityzens will likely win the title by a margin similar to their 2017/18 triumph (19 points).

For years, City and Liverpool have been the manifestation of elite-level football. They were where everybody wanted to be. On Sunday, Arsenal have the ultimate opportunity to overcome one of the Premier League’s duopolists with a statement victory.

Klopp’s drifting away from the 4-3-3 ahead of the contest adds a hint of unpredictability to the visitors, and they showed signs of stability in their 2-0 Champions League triumph over Rangers on Tuesday, but this Arsenal side are a different beast compared to the Scottish outfit. This will be as tough a test for the Reds physically as it will be psychologically for the home side given how much pain the visitors have inflicted on the Gunners in recent years.

Confidence is ubiquitous at the Emirates heading into Sunday’s contest, but now it’s down to Mikel Arteta and his side to deliver.