They are young, fast, energetic, thrilling, hungry, dynamic and on the threshold of ending a long wait for the Premier League title. Everything about them is exciting.
hen I look at Arsenal, I see an evolving team with the core of their strongest XI at the start of what should be illustrious careers. When I look at Liverpool, I see a core of players whose peak is behind them. But the clubs’ meeting tomorrow, while they are on different trajectories, does not diminish the challenge facing Mikel Arteta at Anfield.
Win, and Arteta’s side are the favourites in the title race. Lose, and the championship is in Manchester City’s hands.
Those stakes make it the biggest Premier League game Arsenal have played since Arsene Wenger’s glory years. Win and Arsenal can even afford to lose one of their tough remaining games to City or Newcastle United and still get over the line.
Some victories are worth more than three points. Anfield is one of the few stadiums in England which provides a true barometer of whether a team have the mentality and skill to be champions. Arteta knows that.
He was mocked when the Amazon documentary showed the unique manner in which he tried to prepare his side for Anfield last season, playing the Liverpool club anthem over the Tannoy at training. What was generally overlooked was his explanation as he spoke of the Spanish concept of “bajara” - a sense of paralysis - he once experienced in a Merseyside derby. “Emotionally, physically, I could not cope. I only had that feeling in my career once and it was at Anfield,” he said.
You cannot play down the significance of that Anfield factor when judging this game, independent of Arsenal’s current superiority. The difficulty playing in that compact stadium when it is at its loudest and most emotional is recognised by every top-class visiting player and coach.
No matter how poor Liverpool are, winning at Anfield is a statement for title-chasing teams. There are countless stories of champions citing an away win there as the moment the title dream felt like it would become a reality.
As a boyhood Evertonian, I remember the first time I visited the stadium, seeing Graeme Sharp volley the winning goal. The belief to become champions in 1985 was born that day.
Arsenal’s 2-0 win in 1989 is the most obvious example of how defining an away triumph at Anfield can be, although that was a winner-takes-all game.
Less remembered beyond north London is how George Graham’s side secured another critical victory in the stadium in March 1991, Paul Merson’s winner irreversibly changing the momentum of a title race Liverpool had earlier dominated.
I played against Wenger’s 10-man side who beat us in December 2001 – their first win at Anfield for nine years – to re-establish title credentials. It was the first fixture in an incredible unbeaten streak including 18 victories over the next 21 games to become champions.
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Alex Ferguson and my Sky colleague Gary Neville admit that they regarded Anfield visits as the truest test of their capacity to win the championship. Manchester United famously lost the league on Merseyside when trying to end their long wait for the title in 1992, but made amends over the next two decades. A 3-1 United win in April 1997, when both clubs were still in title contention, stands out.
Jose Mourinho’s 1-0 success at Anfield in 2005 en route to his first Chelsea title prompted him to acclaim “a win champions need to have in crucial moments”.
For others, Anfield was the moment dreams died. Newcastle’s players believe the famous 4-3 loss in 1996 was the evening they lost the Premier League.
Arsenal will arrive on Merseyside with more belief than they have had since their last league win at Anfield in 2012. Before Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea, I predicted Liverpool would beat Arteta’s side, because of home form. If this game was not at Anfield, I would not be so confident Liverpool had any chance.
Jurgen Klopp has had little cause to be envious of other squads during his Liverpool reign. He does now. He must wish half of Arteta’s team were in his starting XI. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli bring the lightning pace and penetration Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane introduced to Klopp’s 4-3-3 system six years ago.
I am not being wise after the event by arguing that the first glimpse of what Arsenal could be was not in their 3-2 win over Liverpool at the Emirates in October. In March 2022, Klopp’s side won 2-0 against Arsenal after an accomplished second half, but they were run ragged in the first 45 minutes.
The side Klopp is trying to get a tune out of for the last 10 games of this season is not so dissimilar in make-up to what Arteta inherited in 2019, full of ageing players on big contracts who need to be eased out so the youngsters and next signings can shine.
The difference is Arteta was prepared to be more pragmatic based on the tools he had when he took over. What worries me about this game is how rigid Klopp is in believing the team must play the same high-pressing way, no matter how good the opponent or whether his personnel are able to execute it.
Klopp and Arteta have gone about their club-building in similar ways, backed by patient boardrooms who have drowned out external noise and stuck to their long-term vision. Before this season, Liverpool were the template for Arsenal to imitate, especially when Arteta was under pressure to deliver quicker.
Now Arsenal are the model for Klopp to follow when embarking on the next stage of his Liverpool reconstruction.
There is no doubt there will be a Klopp reaction before next season, and Arsenal’s dominance over Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea will be challenged. That makes it more important for Arsenal to kick Liverpool while they are down and deliver a performance worthy of champions.