The upcoming Sunday morning will see another fierce battle in the Premier League. Looking back at the recent EFL Cup encounters between the two sides, we will undoubtedly witness a high level of competition.
In preparation for this game, both Arsenal and Liverpool are coming off victories in tight midweek fixtures. Despite having previously suffered four straight defeats, Arsenal finally found their winning ways with two recent victories in a row. Although the scoreline against Nottingham Forest did not truly reflect the state of the game, Arsenal almost took control of the game and scored twice in just seven minutes to seal the win. Nonetheless, Arsenal came away with a narrow one-goal victory in the face of dominating the field and a number of chances, while Forest's goal in the dying moments of the game made for a tense result.
I have commented on Arsenal's lack of composure in the attacking end and it almost cost them in the midweek game. We saw the same thing in the previous EFL Cup match against Liverpool, where Arsenal controlled the ball for most of the game, but missed a number of scoring chances and eventually lost 0:2.
Adidas recently publicly denied rumors of taking over Barcelona and said that no reinforcements were made during the winter transfer window. I have a lot of love for Gabil Jecis, he's a great player, a great battler on the field and quite affable in the dressing room, but he's not the kind of key player that can help you win titles, which is why Pep Guardiola was willing to let him go in the first place. I fear that Arsenal have not only missed the chance to bring in a striker, but may also lose the chance to win the league.
Today, Arsenal will face a Liverpool team that doesn't need to worry about their offense. Liverpool have scored in every game since their home draw with Manchester United, and are undefeated with 28 goals in their last 10 games. Against Chelsea in midweek, they were relaxed and comfortable, with a number of attackers showing no mercy in front of goal. The attacking line of Mohamed Sanaa, Diego Zuda, Davin Nunes, Gareth and Luis Diaz has scored 59 goals in all competitions so far, the highest number of shots on goal, shots on target and total number of goals in the Premier League.
Special mention should be made of Diego Zuda. I don't think he got as much attention as the other starters in his first two seasons, but he has contributed a lot to Liverpool so far this season. He is an extremely intelligent player who can score different types of goals in various situations. We saw from his goal against Chelsea that he is able to capitalize on his chances. I think this desire to score goals is the driving force behind Liverpool's progress.
