Arsenal v Liverpool Review: the Reds cannot compete for the league title this season
First off, before the half thought out crap detailed analysis of yesterday’s Arsenal-Liverpool game, I’d like to applaud (as best I can for two teams I *hate*) the performances of Manchester United and Chelsea a couple days ago.
Both teams played some excellent stuff- Manchester United showed strength to fight back when Boro equalized (and this piece of interplay between Rooney and Tevez was just sublime) while Chelsea of course did a demolition job on this season’s surprise team Manchester City. Now often I turn off the TV when Manchester United go 2-0 up (as is often the case), but on Saturday I had to watch their game (and extended highlights of the Chelsea game) because both teams were absolutely class.
Now, to the real stuff.
If you went by the book, everything before yesterday’s game at Anfield promised an absolute thrashing for Liverpool- Arsenal of course had come of the phenomenal 7-0 win over Slavia Prague while Liverpool had gone down midweek to Besiktas. Sadly as we all know, football never works out like that, however we were still treated to an enthralling match that could have gone either way.
Liverpool scored first, Steven Gerrard netting from a powerfully hit free kick after the Arsenal wall broke apart; while Arsenal’s young genius Cesc Fabregas toe-poked the ball past Reina to bring the Gunners level. Whilst I felt that we should have won it- hitting the post twice with the subsequent missed sitters, Liverpool fans will feel the same after Almunia’s decent saves off Gerrard and Crouch while Gallas blocked Gerrard when clean through in the box.
All in all a decent result for the Gunners; a draw at Anfield is never a bad thing while Liverpool fans should be feeling worse off after the game- although Arsenal had the better chances to win it, it was ‘Pool that needed the victory more. Liverpool had a chance to cut the gap at the top to just four points with a game in hand; they now sit six points behind with the same amount of games played as the leaders.
Now that we’ve talked about the match, the analysis. I said it last week, but this game once again strengthened my claim- Arsenal Football Club will win the league, and not just that; they will do it in style. The nerve the team showed to fight back against a 1-0 deficit away from home at one of the toughest places to play at in the world was incredible; and the future core of this team- Fabregas, Walcott, Bendtner are not even 21 years old yet. Fabregas is fast developing into the best midfielder in world football- he had quite a bit of what was needed before, but lacked the goals; this season he already has ten in just fourteen starts. As for Bendtner, and Walcott, it will be good to see them start against Sheffield United this week; the former has impressed every single time he has come on this season while the latter is slowly developing into the player he was hyped up to be.
Anyways, enough of the creaming over excellent analysis of the Arsenal players; how does that result set up the league? We have three teams that will be going full force for it- Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, and we could well have one of the most exciting battles ever seen. I stand by my other claim- Liverpool are not going to compete for the league, and were never in with a shout (well, they might have been on the first day of the season but then so were Derby County) of winning it; they will however make up the top four.
Yesterday’s round of results sets it up quite nicely for the game against the scum Manchester United next week at the Emirates; those games are always good to watch and more of the same results as last season’s ones, please. I will probably be doing another piece about the game closer to the event; I’m sure the Manchester United supporting writers of Soccerlens (who are horribly misguided, but ah well :D) will have their fair share to say too.
Do you think I’m talking shite, and that Liverpool are still in with a chance? Tell me below 
Hi
Im a fanatic liverpool fan, but i concede liverpool lack the desire and cutting edge qualities that wins the premiership title.
I m not convinced the departure of Paco Ayesteran has not affected the team. Liverpool lack flair and creativity. Some players in the team are clearly one dimensional.
The injuries have contiributed to the poor performances of the team, that is another point that indicates the rotation is not working.
Ziyaad (South Africa)
yea…your just talking shite…irrespective
Look at John Arne Rise. He is playing poorly, so is sissoko, Hyppia has been a great servantto the club, but his time has passed. The fact liverpool could not get Gabriel Heinze has left a weak link in the defence. Voronin has been playing poorly, Kuyt is a great player, but goals make strikers great and he hasn’t scored plenty. Torres need to be playing with a world class striker like owen, Henry,D Villa.
Compare liverpools strike force with the other top three clubs. Rooney/Tevez Drogba/Shevchenko Liverpool has only Torres
what about arsenal?
Its not until u have most expensive strike partnership that u’ll win d league its about TEAMWORK, cohersion &(less rotation)…ill keeping on repeating this statement “You can win the league with average players” so long theres focus & great teamork.
i think thats what liverpool’s manager should focus on instead of buying 5players for each positon & keep rotating them! (thats only works if u dont wanna win the league..lol)
hi Fab
I agree with you 100% its a team effort, and the team has to function as a cohesive unit. Average players cant do it, you need that spark that some average players cant provide. Lets take your Arsenal team, any average players there? Maybe a few inexperienced ones like Clichy. If i take liverpool Voronin, Rise, Hyppia, Kuyt are average. They are not Matchwinners. Kuyt works hard, he is maybe the flying dutchman. but he by no means is anywhere close to a world class striker.like (Bergkamp, Owen, Fowler,Henry)
T
The Gunners easily and should have taken three points from that showdown. The amount of chances they fumbled in the final half hour could hae made the scoreline 6-1.
Liverpool, particularly after Alonso was subbed off, looked tired, run down and frightened. By frightened, I mean that they looked like they were not prepared for the Arsenal attack at all, and after a so-so match by both sides, Arsenal finished the match looking strong and in control.
Chelsea has a much better chance to win the league this season. Arsenal has the be the favorite right now, but Liverpool has the pieces for a run of strength in the next year or two.
well, fair point ziyaad but i think liverpool have got enough world class players & “average players”(as u said) to win the league. I can mention 6 or 7 class players from the top of my head that liverpool have got some of whom didnt start your lastgame which brings me back to my point of TEAMWORK $ COHESION which should be rafa’s no 1 focus.
i think the current liverpool squad has more than what it takes, even in abundance, to win the league if they focus on key detail. so i dont think theres any need to bring out the cheque book as it will only add to the currently unsolved problem rafa’s had for the past 3yrs
By the way, I do think that Liverpool have the players to win the league, although why they will not is because of Benitez. Partly because of his crap (and yes, it is crap) rotational policy, partly because of his rubbish signings; but Liverpool will not win the league under Rafa Benitez.
Should’ve signed Mourinho
I don’t buy this ‘average player’ / ‘world class player’ crap. Firstly, Arsenal have mostly ‘average’ players, but they play together as an amazing team (media hype makes them more than average - same with almost all players in EPL). Secondly, in ‘99 United won the treble with a team of ‘average’ players that just worked bloody hard (at the time, no one really stood out as a ‘world class’ player). It’s all crap.
I still maintain, Liverpool have enough quality to beat any team on any given day. However, they lack consistency and stamina to last the entire campaign.
With out a doubt they have the quality, maybe my word “average player” is misleading. They need players who are prepared to give their all. “it not your knee, its liverpools knee” Shanks.
Players who are hungry for success. As far as Rafa and his rotation goes, i wont critisize that, becasue he has ben succesful with that before. And he only has a decent team this year, he hasnt had enough time
My view is each and every player should be able to fill a position and the team should win. If not those players are not liverpool quality.
No one can win a league with average players. And all this stuff about arsenal having average players is bollocks aswell. Arsenal have 4 of the 8 or 9 most technically gifted players in the league and the 2nd or third best backline, its just theyre not hyped.
i havent read this but ill let all the talking be done on the pitch
Dear Liverpool Fan
I used that line ” let the talking be done n the pitch”. But i can assure you, i cant see guys like Rise in the future of the club. Mascherano is a fantastic player, he stands out, he is world class. Rafa needs to get a good replacement for Hyppia, Rise etc. it aint impossible to win the league this year, but the team needs a kick up the arse. 25 wins and 13 draws will yield 88 points. I dont think this year the winning tally will be 90 points. Thats still wihin reach. But i cant see it happening Buddy.
We’ll compete for the title and push the other three very close once we get all our key players back from injury and on form as a collective. We’re due to go on a long winning streak and we usually get better as the season progresses under Rafa. Having said all of that we won’t win the title. Perhaps the addition of Quaresma or a player of his quality on the wings for next season plus the progression of Babel as an auxillary second striker behind Torres will do it for us to win the leauge eventually.
Smins, agree with you here. The whole article is a load of shit.
The writer, apparently a die hard Arsenal supporter things that Arsenal is the best team ever (who is horribly misguided??).
I dont know how he come up with the definite answer that only three teams will be going for the title? Base on what? Current forms? if so, I think even Man. City are going guns (except their sleepy game against Chelsea). So, why arent they up there?
Base on curremt positions in the tabel? Why than Chelase who is below Liverpool gets the nod?
Dont forget, every team, in every season goes through a bad spell. This season, Man United started poorly but are firing on all cylinders, Chelsea started poorly and again had a bad spell when the ’special one’s departered, now, you said it, they are firing as well, Liverpool going through the bad spell. Dont forget how Liverpool started the season and was table toppers for a glimps. They didnt do it by luck. I am sure they will bounce back and go for the title.
As for Arsenal, you havent had that bad spell yet. You might have it, or you might not.
so, dont be ‘misguided’ or rather blinded by the current form of any team.
There is no such thing as average players or world class players. If a team wins, its 11 players won the game, not only one.
Stop boasting about High riding Arsenal’s draw against a poor form Liverpool team. Your game against Manchester United should be a fair comparison. Both are riding high and you have the home advantage. If you win this game, than you can proudly say that you are the best ‘at the moment’. That goes to Man United as well. You didnt win any tough games yet. The win agains Chelsea was during a toothless team who was felling a part just a few days before the game. I bet if Man United were to face Chelsea this weekend, it would be a different story altogether.
Nobody won anything yet this season. Talk about best team in EPL at the end of the season, not now.
@scrtls
As a ManUnited fan, I have to say I agree with you completely. and, you’re right, we were lucky to have drawn Chelsea at the time we did (I’d hate to face Chelsea now that Sheva is starting to fire). As a team, I would say we are the best…at the moment (hopefully it can be proven after Saturday’s game). But, the league is only in May, and I feel confident that in May, I might well say…”we were the best team in the league this past season”. In football, nothing is guarenteed however.