A file picture picture of Mathieu Flamini. He will be a notable absentee for Arsenal when they face Liverpool. — AFP
IT seems a bit churlish to slag off the Professor after all he has done at Arsenal this season, but his refusal to sign a striker in the January transfer window is difficult to take.
A striker has been on their must-buy list since RVP’s departure the previous August, and still Arsene Wenger insists on putting all his spare eggs into the Nicklas Bendtner basket. But what defeats logic most is Wenger’s signing of an injured midfielder who will be out for six weeks. That is just plain barmy!
Fans can only hope it will not come back to bite him and the Gunners in the a*** at the end of this tight period, what more at the end of the season.
Some may say there is no reason to worry as the 1-0 win is in Arsenal’s blood, but when even Liverpool are scoring more than the Gunners, it is unsettling.
Still, they managed to lock out Liverpool’s top scorers Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge when the Reds visited the Emirates Stadium last November. Plus, Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny have arguably become the Premier League’s best defensive partnership this season.
Liverpool might try to hit them on the break and run in behind the slower Mertesacker to grab a goal. Luckily, Koscielny’s complementing speed can be relied on to prevent any untoward disasters.
Suarez’s cunning and speed can still put them through the ringer at Anfield though. The Gunners’ defence will also need to be on high alert for the Reds’ set-pieces – almost half of Liverpool’s goals have come from dead-ball situations.
It is in the middle of the park that Arsenal can win the battle, especially with Reds’ Lucas Leiva out of contention.
Without Mathieu Flamini, Mikel Arteta will be crucial in keeping Liverpool out. Arteta did a good job closing down the space in front of the back four against Liverpool first time around and will have to repeat his feat at Anfield.
He should have Jack Wilshere back to help move the ball away from danger and power their strike force. And with Tomas Rosicky, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla supporting Olivier Giroud up front, Liverpool are also set for a testy time.
The only worry is that the midfield trio’s natural tendency to come inside will make it easy for Liverpool to exploit if they decide to take the cautious road and sit deep.
Then again, it is difficult to see Arsenal conceding this game. A win is crucial for the Gunners to give them the right momentum for their difficult stretch ahead with Manchester United next week, followed by Liverpool again for FA Cup on Sunday and Bayern Munich for Champion Leagues the week after.
Arsenal will huff and puff but finish the job to bag three points. Liverpool 2-3 Arsenal.
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