Arsenal Preview: How About Three Points in My Stocking?
I’m sure there’s more than one Kopite out there who has asked Santa Claus to bring them a repeat of last season’s result against Arsenal for Christmas. How do I know? Well, it was at the top of my list at least.
To be quite fair though, it’s rare that whatever I want ends up in my stocking so I won’t hold my breath for complete and utter capitulation from the Gunners under wave after wave of attacking brilliance from the men in red. That being said, I will take three points for Liverpool however it may come — with these two sides under-performing drastically in the Premier League, that’s not entirely outside of the realm of possibility, is it?
Surely a repeat of the 5-1 savaging Brendan Rodgers men dished out isn’t in the making, but despite history being against them, it’s hardly time for panic stations. Though Arsenal have fared better than their hosts so far this season, unconvincing and inconsistent are adjectives that have been routinely used to describe their form. Well, truth be told, they’ve been used to describe both teams and few would argue the accuracy of that claim.
Liverpool’s midweek win over AFC Bournemouth in the League Cup was only the third time they’ve come out of on top in their last eleven outings in all competitions. Coming on the back of a 3-0 loss to bitter rivals Manchester United and a premature exit from the Champions League, progression to the semi-finals was a welcome respite for the weather beaten Reds. A change in ideas against United last weekend looked to have had a touch of desperation about it as Rodgers switched to three at the back and deployed Raheem Sterling as a lone striker. Though the gamble didn’t pay off at Old Trafford as they failed to capitalize on a number of good opportunities, the side looked far more composed with the Northern Irishman staying the course against the Cherries in the cup, and there’s little indication that’s going to change come tomorrow.
Mamadou Sakho is expected to make his first start in a dog’s age with the Frenchman’s return to fitness coinciding with Dejan Lovren picking up a knock on Tuesday, Raheem Sterling will no doubt continue in a central role with the brace he scored against Bournemouth combined with Mario Balotelli’s one match ban makes him the best option up top, and in his pre-match press conference the boss confirmed that Brad Jones would continue between the sticks in place of the struggling Simon Mignolet — news that will have the Gunners faithful sitting at rapt attention.
While both sides have had their problems at the back, Liverpool’s woes have been the greater of the two with the Reds going into tomorrow’s match languishing in the wrong half of the table with a negative goal difference. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, may not be entirely content with his team being less than a handful of points off the pace in the battle for fourth place, but it’s an enviable position going into the New Year when compared to his counter-part. The long serving manager has found himself under mounting pressure to deliver results this season, though victory against the Reds, coupled with their matching 4-1 victories over both Galatasaray and Newcastle United, would help relieve some of it.
Although they have a copious amount of injuries to worry about, history, as I pointed out earlier, is on their side. The Frenchman may still have nightmares about the 20-minute opening half blitz that saw Liverpool score four unanswered goals past a stranded Wojciech Szczesny in this fixture last year, but that was only the Reds second triumph over the Gunners in their last 14 Premier League meetings. Wenger could get a boost on the home-front with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and Nacho Monreal all set for late fitness tests ahead of the trip to Anfield, though Aaron Ramsey looks set to miss the festive period with a hamstring strain. Former Liverpool target Alexis Sanchez, who Rodgers admitted could inflict some pain is, unfortunately for us, fit to start.
That the Chilean has scored or assisted in 11 of Arsenal last 17 Premier League goals tells enough of the tale and gives us a small hint of what could have been, but there’s no time to dwell on the . Brilliant form aside, he’s one player in a team that often times hasn’t matched his own scintillating displays. With expectations around Liverpool well and truly lowered, the hope is that the 26-year old won’t make us pay for missing out on him, but in reality, we could very well make him question his decision by snagging three-points. Even if it doesn’t even register, you won’t catch me complaining about the win.
It’ll sure beat getting another pair of socks…
–Steven