It has been a tough season for Arsenal so far.

They struggled on opening night before eventually beating Leicester City 4-3 at the Emirates and then they couldn’t make superior possession count as they lost to Stoke City the following weekend.

This Sunday they travel north to Anfield as they come up against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has failed to secure a victory against Klopp’s side since the German took over at Merseyside back in October 2015. Their first encounter ended in a 3-3 draw, while Liverpool won both Premier League fixtures last season.

When you think that Liverpool finished ahead of Arsenal in the top four last season by just one point, you can see that those two losses cost the North London side big time.

Wenger needs to kickstart his club’s season and what better way to do that than picking up a vital win at Anfield.

Both sides have been missing key men as Alexis Sanchez and Philippe Coutinho try and force moves away from Arsenal and Liverpool respectively. I should mention that they’ve been suffering from injuries recently.

The Sanchez saga seems to have distracted the Gunners but the Chilean could return to the side this weekend. If he returns focused and committed then he has the ability to make a great impact on the game.

Liverpool haven’t missed Coutinho in the same way. In Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and new signing Mohamed Salah the Reds possess a fluid, exciting front three who have started the campaign brightly. With Arsenal’s defensive problems already this term, it could be a long afternoon for them if the Liverpool attack is fully confident and raring to go!

Mane in particular seems to cause the Gunners problems with his pace, eagerness to find space and his direct approach.

It hurt Arsenal greatly that they didn’t finish in the Champions League places last season.

Wenger stated that things would change at the Emirates this summer as he wanted to challenge for the Premier League title again:

“I love this club and I am looking forward to the future with optimism and excitement,”  

“We are looking at what we do well and how we can be stronger everywhere.”

“This is a strong group of players and, with some additions, we can be even more successful. We’re committed to mounting a sustained league challenge and that will be our focus this summer and next season.”

Those are big words but many are already questioning the French boss.

The Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac signings were welcomed and they will improve the squad but every other title challenger has improved their squads too. Arsenal still need at least one top class centre half, another creative force and a disciplined midfielder who will protect the defence.

The games against Leicester and Stoke showed us that defensively the Gunners still need to be stronger. Too many times the team look mentally fragile and struggle when under pressure. The midfield lacks concentration when on the defensive foot and that could spell trouble against a vibrant Liverpool side.

Wenger’s men struggled in the final third against the Potters. They didn’t make enough clear cut chances. When they go through games and fail to take chances you can see the panic set in.

This isn’t a new Arsenal. They haven’t done enough this summer to really transform the squad into world beaters.

They will need to be strong defensively, concentrate in midfield and take chances when they come against Klopp’s team. If they can pull out a victory then they will have answered a few questions regarding their character. If they can’t get the win and they come away from Merseyside in defat then it will be an uphill struggle they can ill afford, even if it’s still only August!

Posted on August 26th, 2017 by scott
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