Liverpool versus Arsenal and all the talk
has been about the future. The future of Arsene Wenger and Alexis
Sanchez at Arsenal and the future transfer spending of Liverpool's
Jurgen Klopp.
But if we allow ourselves
to look back — all the way back to August — then we will soon find the
reasons why so much remains up in the air at these two
great clubs.
On the opening day of this Premier League campaign, Liverpool beat Arsenal 4-3 at the Emirates.
It was mesmerising to watch but also hinted at flaws in both teams that have subsequently undermined them.
Back
then, Wenger and Klopp both eyed the Premier League title as an outside
bet with a place in the top four a minimum requirement.
Now,
more than six months on, only one of those targets remains. Arsenal and
Liverpool begin Saturday in fourth and fifth positions and by kick-off
on Saturday evening Manchester United may have leapfrogged both of them.
Yes, it's a different feeling now than then,' said Klopp.
'We
were feeling confident after the summer that we had done all the right
things. In that game we were spectacular and scored fantastic goals.
'We
were completely optimistic and since then we have had some bad moments
and things change. But that's how seasons generally are. Only one team
still have the same feeling as at the start and that's Chelsea.'
This was never a season that was expected
to deliver a title challenge for Klopp and his team. Currently Liverpool
are grouped closely with Arsenal, United, Manchester City and Tottenham
and most at Anfield would have taken that at the start of the season.
But
things like trajectory and mood dictate so much in football and the
fact Liverpool were out of the blocks so hard last August has made the
laboured, shortened strides of the last two months so difficult to
endure.
Liverpool's form has not so
much fallen off a cliff as taken a running jump and the team and manager
who Wenger's Arsenal face on Saturday have been asking themselves some
difficult questions for the very first time.
Klopp's
team have been poor for a while but it was Monday's limp defeat at
Leicester that has dampened the German's cheer. 'I can't ignore it,'
said Klopp. 'I am not a clown even if people think I am. I am not always
laughing like crazy. I am a normal person.
'How
can I still be in the same mood as I was at the start of the season?
This is my job. We are not laughing all week and ignoring the problems
we have.'
Of all the teams in the top six, it is
Liverpool who have been moving in the wrong direction since beating City
on New Year's Eve.
Since than they
have won one Premier League game in seven and a glance at their fixtures
reveals a trip to City and a home derby with Everton after next week's
game with Burnley. So Saturday's match represents a chance to get moving
again. Against the top six teams Liverpool tend to be really rather
good.
Facing them are a team that you
always feel could deliver anything. On the opening day Arsenal took the
lead and then conceded four goals in 18 minutes.
Briefly,
mutiny was in the air and only late goals from the Gunners prevented
the fixtures and fittings at the Emirates from coming under threat.
The FA Cup may yet save Arsenal's season
but one wonders if that will be enough to persuade Wenger to stay.
Another top-four finish may sway him and before Saturday's game the
Frenchman appeared to suggest his players need to be mentally ready.
'What
is most important is the attitude to just go for it, go and take,' said
Wenger. 'What is linked with belief is a passive mode and not being
enough proactive. You have to make things happen.'
It
seems strange to be talking about mental application among elite
players but some would say that has long been the problem with Arsenal.
As for Liverpool, Klopp has maybe realised his squad is not yet ready for the really big push.
The summer at Anfield will be busy, he said. For Liverpool's players in particular, the auditions start now.
Post a Comment