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A formidable Arsenal head to Liverpool with confidence this weekend, with Gunners supporters dreaming of a rare win at Anfield.
Liverpool return to the Premier League on a sobering afternoon after losing 2-2 to West Ham and are still licking their wounds.
A great response is required on Saturday evening, as a dynamic young Arsenal team jumps to fifth place in the table and is only two points behind the Reds.
It’s a whopping 90 minutes for Jürgen Klopp’s men and more points lost after just one point in the last two games would be another big setback in the fight for the title.
Before the game, we met with Arsenal fan and award-winning illustrator / writer Matty Long (@Matty_Long) to get his opinion on both teams and the highly anticipated clash on Saturday.
How satisfied are you with Arsenal’s start to the season?
The response to those disastrous first three games has been great.
We’re currently in the mix for a European seat and I’m not sure you can realistically ask for more, considering where this squad of players – and indeed the manager – is developing.
I haven’t enjoyed seeing and supporting Arsenal like that in a long time – the club feels electrified at least for the moment.
Do you believe in Arteta or is there still a lot to do?
There is still much work to be done, but progress has been made to make the attack click.
We’re starting the games better now as we shuffled aimlessly for the first 45 minutes before we sometimes tried in the second half.
I understand that our resurgence is based on a fairly small sample of performances, so Mikel Arteta’s next job is to build continuity and make sure this team can properly respond to the inevitable bumps along the way.
Who are the top three Arsenal players?
You could easily endorse nine or ten of our starting XI but I think we have a backbone that will serve us well for the years to come, everything is going well.
Gabriel has made an excellent start to the season and could quietly develop into one of the best central defenders in the league after a dubious start to his Arsenal career.
Thomas Party is crucial for us to move the ball through midfield, but still gives the impression that more could come from him.
In the end, Emile Smith Rowe has more stamina and end product than I thought I’d see from him this early in the season.
What are your realistic goals for the season?
Are the top 4 coming up? Perhaps if one particular Manchester club continues to baffle us all with its ineptitude on all levels.
Realistically, however, I think if this young squad ended up fifth or sixth we would do very well over the course of a season.
That should still be the goal and anything better would be incredible.
How do you rate Liverpool’s chances for the title?
Liverpool is one of three potential winners.
They still play the most fun football, but I wonder if injuries and squad depth will ruin their chances in the end.
Which Reds player would you most like to see in an Arsenal shirt?
Haha seriously? We’ll have great Mo Salah, thank you very much.
He’s just one of those players on the ball and you’re out of your place. Such players don’t come too often.
Alexis Sanchez was the last for us. Everything seems possible when you are on the ball and there is nothing more exciting.
Where do you see the main battles on Saturday?
I know Liverpool have marauders on their wings but I’m pretty confident that our own full-backs are keeping them under control so I think the game will be won and lost through the middle.
They’re struggling with injuries in midfield and we’re waiting to see if Partey has recovered from the illness that kept him away from international appearances.
Granite Xhaka is also missing.
We need a massive performance from our center-back duo Gabriel and Ben White to have any hope of going with something.
Finally what is your prediction?
It’s hard to shake the feeling that we’re being beaten as usual, but West Ham and Brighton have shown that they can reach Liverpool this season.
Can we? Not sure.
I will go to you 2-0.
