Preparing to host Arsenal on Sunday, Liverpool is 11th in the standings, already 18 points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea after losing 3-0 at Manchester United last weekend. Arsenal is only sixth, but the London club is five points in front of Liverpool and just two from fourth place.
For two clubs with aspirations above their current status, Arsenal appears to be only one equipped to achieve much this season. Rodgers, though, is putting a brave face on Liverpool’s struggles.
The game is critical and crucial fixture for both sides in desperate need of a festive points haul at Anfield on Sunday.
Flailing in 11th place, just a few points away from the likes of Stoke and Aston Villa, Liverpool have endured their worst start to a season in 50 years; with the visit of Arsenal coming at the worst possible time for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Unable to buy a goal, and with a terribly shaky backline, the Reds are out of the Champions League, and with just two wins in their last eight Premier League fixtures.
The 3-0 defeat to Manchester United last weekend showed just how far season’s runners up have fallen; this could be a huge game in terms of their Premier League aspirations this season.
In a similar vein to their struggling opponents, Arsenal have endured a difficult first half of the campaign, losing three of their last six matches, and are currently a whopping 13 points behind leaders Chelsea.
Arsene Wenger has had star man Alexis Sanchez to thank on many occasions this season for getting his side out of jail, and he will be looked to again to have a go at Liverpool’s vulnerable backline.
Much maligned striker Olivier Giroud enjoyed a triumphant return to prominence last week in the impressive 4-1 win against Newcastle, with that victory potentially giving the Gunners the necessary momentum to dispatch their rivals on Sunday.
Although Rodgers’ Liverpool finally found respite against Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup, back in the Premier League, it’s a case of two managers needing to convince at Anfield.
Arsene Wenger will shudder at the memory of his last visit, February’s 5-1 humiliation that holed his then Premier League leaders’ title credentials and reinforced Liverpool’s own in the process. Arsenal must also improve on their last away league display at Stoke City to avoid any nasty confrontations at Lime Street Station afterwards.
The Reds will be buoyed by Raheem Sterling’s return to form against Bournemouth as they struggle to find an effective striker in the wake of Luis Suarez’s departure and the long-term injury of Daniel Sturridge.
Arsenal lost 5-1 at Anfield last season, but before that, the Gunners hadn’t lost in Liverpool since 2007. Arsenal tends to play well at Anfield while Brendan Rodgers’ side put in good performances when in London.
The Reds average twice as many goals per game on average last season, which considering all the problems Arsenal have in defence this time around, it’s a relief they aren’t as potent.
Earlier in the year the Gunners had their first choice centre-back pairing in Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker but the Frenchman is poised to miss out, the question is whether Liverpool have the ability to take advantage.
The two clubs had their eyes set on at least Champions League qualification prior to the beginning, however, now that we’re nearing the mid-point of the campaign, Liverpool have been particularly poor, and Arsenal are struggling with the same old problems.
This fixture will no doubt aid both sides’ top four ambitions if they were to beat a rival, added to the fact that neither side has beaten a Champions League competitor this season.
For Liverpool, Johnson, Flanagan, Suso and Sturridge have been ruled out, while Lovren has a small chance of featuring. Mario Balotelli was handed a one-game ban today, for his controversial Instagram post, and will miss the clash.
Arsenal is expected to be without Ospina, Koscielny, Monreal, Ramsey, Ozil, Wilshere, Arteta, Walcott, Gnabry and Diaby. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rosicky are both doubts.
Alexis Sanchez is without a doubt Arsenal’s danger man at the moment. If Liverpool are to get a result out of this game then they’ll need to contain the threat that Alexis poses — an unlikely accomplishment with the current defensive problems!
The Reds do need to improve on these results nevertheless, as it would be hugely disappointing to take such a backward step from last season’s achievement.
Arsenal unlike Liverpool is still in the Champions League after progressing through the group stages with relative ease. The Gunners are also just two points off fourth place, and yet Wenger, like Rodgers, is coming under heavy criticism which some will say is absurd.
With both defences looking fragile to say the least, this could be a game with a lot of goals, especially with the way Rodgers likes to attack at home leaving them wide open for the counter attack and allowing blistering pace up front.
@AnthonyNlebem
Anthony Nlebem
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