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| Can Arsenal quickly forget their midfield maestro? |
The last three matches at the Emirates for Liverpool haven't been excellent. A draw and two loses only fuel the fire for Dalglish and the boys looking for all three points. Games against Arsenal tend to bring out the best in the Reds though it's just some times we appear to start with too much punch and are then unable to see out the result.
For Saturday's clash Liverpool will be without captain Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson is still a doubt. Arsenal are without new signing Gervinho who starts his three match ban along with Alex Song. Gibbs is also unavailable for manager Arsene Wenger and doubtful are Rosicky, Djourou and Traore.
Tensions in the Arsenal fan base appear to be rising of late, after Cesc Fabregas finally made his lucrative move to Barcelona, there seems to be a system in the Arsenal ranks of selling star players and not really replacing them. Add to this their hunt for some silverware since 2005 and you have a bubbling cauldron of impatience.
Arsene Wenger i feel was once a man with a plan but unlike other managers such as Alex Ferguson, over the time period, he has struggled to adapt. In my opinion Arsenal had the quality to win more titles in recent years and unfortunately the goods haven't been delivered. A win for Liverpool on Saturday would be another nail in the coffin for Arsene Wenger.
Of course, we at Liverpool aren't really ones to have a valid opinion on Arsenal's situation after suffering a similar fate ourselves. The difference is though with new investment, brilliant signings and a hero at the helm, things just automatically look brighter for Liverpool, it feels like we are building an architectural statement where as Arsenal are looking at settling down in Uncle Keown's semi detached off the Thames.
My prediction for tomorrow is a slim 2-1 to Liverpool with plenty of action in the 90 minutes and more than likely a red card. Andy Carroll was unfortunate against Sunderland and I'd fancy him to get the opener for the Reds tomorrow.