Given the abundance of attacking talent that came through the doors in Liverpool and Arsenal this summer, it is obvious that a strong sense of expectations surround their Premier League Summit meeting this weekend in Anfield.
De teams trokken vorig seizoen tweemaal 2-2 in de competitie, en de toevoeging van Hugo Ekitike en Florian Wirtz aan een kant van Liverpool die al Mohamed Salah bevatte, die de afgelopen termijn eindigde als de beste scorer en provider van de competitie, lijken een zo sterke doelstelling van doelen te bieden als arsenal’s acquisitie van Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke en Viktor Gyökers.
But for the former striker of Liverpool John Aldridge, the focus on Sunday will be on the other side of the field, where the side of Arne Slot has been unusually open in their recent Premier League outings against Bournemouth and Newcastle.
‘Arsenal can now defend and Liverpool cannot do that’
“There is a reason why Arsenal has already overtaken us as favorites to win the Premier League this season: they can now defend and we cannot,” said Aldridge, who scored 63 goals in 104 games in a two -year spell in Anfield between 1987 and 1989.
“In the future we have no problems, with seven goals in two games, but if we can match Arsenal with Arsenal later instead of later, I don’t think it will take a long time before Liverpool is favorites again.”
If that needs to be achieved, Aldridge believes that further strengthening of the club’s back line is essential before the transfer window closes on Monday evening. Earlier this month, Liverpool acquired the Italian center-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma, where the 18-year-old immediately received an international call-up, and they keep talking to sign Marc Guehi, the captain of Crystal Palace.
Guehi, 26, has a year about his contract, and Palace chairman Steve Parish has indicated the willingness to sell to prevent the international from England to leave for nothing next summer. With various large clubs circulating, Anfield becomes the choice of Guehi in choice, but Palace is supposed to keep against a reimbursement of around £ 40 million – at least £ 10 million more than Liverpool is prepared to pay – and a compromise still needs to be reached.
‘Arsenal will have licked their lips on the problems that Newcastle caused’
Palace has transferred a useful negotiation of negotiations in the negotiations the non -transmitting start of Ibrahima Konaté until season. The French International was the fault for the equalizer of Bournemouth in the 4-2 victory of Liverpool on the opening day of the season, and the 26-year-old looked in the same way from the pace in the last-Gasp victory of Monday evening on Newcastle.
With Joe Gomez susceptible to injuries and Jarell Quansah sold to Bayer Leverkusen last month, Aldridge fears that Arsenal could use the defensive shortcomings of the Merseysiders on Sunday.
“Arsenal is supposed to be the elite team in the world in set pieces, so they licked their lips in the problems that Newcastle Liverpool caused,” Aldridge wrote in his column for the Liverpool Echo.
“If I was Virgil van Dijk, I would use it as a stimulus to keep Arsenal out. After all, after all, [Liverpool] I can’t keep score three goals to win. “
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