After a disastrous defeat at the hands of Leicester on Monday evening, Liverpool welcome Arsenal to Anfield on Saturday in the hope of finding a victory. The Reds have had some terrible performances against the so-called lesser teams this season but it's been a complete contrast when Klopp's side have faced teams in the top six.
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| Image via footballfancast.com |
Liverpool have picked up 16 points from a possible 24 in games against Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs this season. Against Leicester, Swansea, Middlesborough, Palace and Hull the Reds have picked up just 19 points from a possible 30.
It's no secret that the Reds have been extremely poor against the smaller sides but their set up seems to have the opposite effect against the bigger teams. For example, against Spurs, the likes of Firmino, Coutinho and Mane caused havoc.
Along with Adam Lallana and on occasions Gini Wijnaldum, these attacking midfielders seem to fluster a lot of sides. I personally feel they work well against teams in the top six because those teams are playing in a more open manner, they aren't necessarily putting ten men behind the ball and are therefore more vulnerable.
So, on paper, Liverpool should have no bother against Arsenal at Anfield right? The previous meeting between the two sides back in August ended 4-3 with goals from Lallana, Mane and a brace from Philippe Coutinho.
The last meeting at Anfield was another high scoring affair, this time the game ended 3-3 with a brace from Roberto Firmino and a 90th minute equaliser from Joe Allen. In the last ten meetings between the sides in all competitions, Liverpool have only won twice. There have been four draws and four wins for Arsenal.
Injuries for Liverpool mean they are unable to call upon captain Jordan Henderson who has a foot injury. Daniel Sturridge also remains out of action. After recovering from a virus it now appears he has a hip strain. Arsenal are looking relatively strong as Ozil, Ramsey and Koscielny all return to action.
Jurgen Klopp needs to make a statement on Saturday and the team need to ensure they play their part in getting Liverpool back on track. This rut we're in at the moment is only going away with a big win and playing Arsenal at Anfield is the perfect chance to collect a key victory that can act as a catalyst.
Stat Sandwich
- Liverpool have kept only two clean sheets in their last 22 league fixtures against Arsenal.
- Arsenal have scored 28 goals in 12 away games so far this season.
- Liverpool are currently unbeaten in all 12 league games this season against sides in the top half of the Premier League table.
After feeling completely miffed at the end of the Leicester game, I appear to have sourced some positivity for the game on Saturday. Matches against Arsenal are always exciting and usually involve several goals. I will definitely be placing a few bets so keep an eye on my Twitter if you want some terrible tips haha (though I did win £45 off a pound bet in Serie A last week...).
Enjoy the match folks, wherever you are watching!