I wrote before last Saturday’s 3pm kick-off against West Brom that that was a ‘must-win’ game. That not only was it a minimum requirement that Liverpool win that game, but that it was done in style to send the team and fans into a tough – if sparse – November with confidence.
But if that was a game that the Reds simply had to win then the upcoming late evening Saturday match at the Emirates is of even more importance.
I’m not going to suggest for one second that Liverpool must win this top of the table (how nice does that feel to say, eh?) clash. In many ways, I’m sure most would be content with a draw at the home of the current in-form side in the Premier League but a win could be so important that it could very well act as a shift in the fortunes of the club.
It may well sound a little over-the-top to say, but a win against Arsenal would show that we were capable of winning the big ones. Sure, we beat Manchester United early in the season but those early games are always very much up in the air in terms of the outcomes. Now that we’re steadily approaching the 10th game of the season though, the table is really starting to take shape and once a side begins to build up a head of steam these top-four clashes can really define a season.
The Gunners last two fixtures have been perhaps their least convincing since the early season blip against Villa, with a home Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund followed by a largely unconvincing win away at Crystal Palace. Sure, they secured the win with 10 men but Palace were easily equals for most of the match and if they’d had even just one striker worth his wages they may well have made the extra man count.
But while form can easily change between games (although, it can give us hope) it is possible that Arsenal will have a slightly weakened side for the 5:30pm game, with a few players picking up knocks.
It would be senseless to concentrate on Arsenal though, something which has been our problem in recent years, and should really only think of ourselves. Given that we have the current best strike partnership in the country, are coming into the game with only one defeat in the last 17 league games and the almost certain possibility of the man who could make our current attack complete, Philippe Coutinho.
Arsenal are a great side, at present, and the addition of Ozil, form of Ramsey and new found defensive solidity have made them a much tougher prospect than we’ve been used to in recent years so the team will need to be prepared thoroughly but Liverpool are starting to come into their own and a fully-fit, in-form squad will give Brendan Rodgers plenty of options ahead of what, in 6 months time, we may be looking back at as an early season title clash and the re-start of great things for this great football club.
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We need at least a draw . Arsenal is our first big test this season as man ure are rubbish
I can see that this is going to be a tight game. If Liverpool can score early , then it will look good. Also Liverpool need to play consistently. They also need to play 90 mins. Avoid making mistakes.The team that makes the most mistakes will lose the game. As much as I like to see Liverpool get 3 points but the likelihood of a draw is high.