“Liverpool finished sixth last season – when they took one point from two games against Arsenal – and their manager is looking for improvement”.
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With the greatest of respect to Calum Wilson and Jon Walters, this Arsenal side is a rather different attacking proposition, so the challenge now becomes how they will cope with facing the myriad of talents, not least Sanchez. No more fragility. No more waste.
Philippe Coutinho is Liverpool’s best playmaker, and the midfielder’s pace should be an asset as the club transition into attack against an Arsenal side whose aggressiveness can leave them exposed in the back.
Arsène Wenger neither forgives nor forgets, it seems. Only with a big victory tonight can they make it look absurd.
“Overall you need home strength”.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Alexis Sanchez is on the same level as Barcelona star Luis Suarez.
Wenger insisted that these home frustrations were not unique to Arsenal and were common to any side trying to beat a parked bus. “But it happens to all the other teams as well”. It was, as Wenger put it proudly afterwards, “the game we love”.
Cavani scored 104 goals in three seasons with Napoli and has bagged 56 goals in two seasons with PSG.
However, Rodgers has selected him on the left of his defence in both games so far and while he has generally played well, there have been moments where his inexperience has understandably shown. Because they had very, very, very few chances.
Arsenal brought in former Chelsea goalkeeper PetrCech to provide organizational skill and shot-stopping abilities to Arsenal’s defense, but the 33-year-old has already allowed three dubious goals this season and has yet to coalesce with his new teammates. “That’s why we had to look at ourselves”. However, he’ll have to maintain that recent run of form if he’s to get the better of Olivier Giroud and hold on to his place in the team long-term. They have more than enough good midfielders, who keep the ball well, but sometimes fail to break teams down.
From there, it is just a matter of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla/Aaron Ramsey cutting, skinning and peeling the midfield of Liverpool, conveniently without Jordan Henderson. “It is tricky”, Wenger said. “I always get asked two questions”, he said. When Arsenal last hosted Liverpool back in April, the scene played out in the theatre that hosts the post-match soliloquies epitomised the extremes that come with the territory. It tells you that you can go there and you don’t need to dominate the ball, but you can dominate the space and that’s something that is important when you go away.
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“It’s important that we cut those players out of it, we work hard as a team”, Ings continued.
