LIVERPOOL MATCH DAY BLOG – TIPPING POINT BATTLE

Today is the day we have to break the curse of Anfield. We haven’t won there since Mikel Arteta was playing in a purple and black Arsenal kit in 1976. It was the Freddie Kreuger shirt. Liverpool has been showing up in our nightmares ever since. The place gets under our skin, but it’s also worth remembering it’s not just a curse; the two clubs have been on wildly different trajectories. Liverpool invested in an idea and a world-class coach, Arsenal invested in shortcuts and bums.

There’s change in the air. We’re 29 points clear of them. They are in a massive hole.

Klopp has shipped out his best technical staff, he’s signed some very expensive duds, he’s lost key players, and his key soldiers have suddenly started to look a touch battle worn.

But today, none of that matters. Klopp hates Arteta and Arteta hates Klopp. This game, to Mikel, is absolutely monstrous. It’s all-consuming. He wants to break the duck, but bigger than that, he wants to take an iconic victory that tees up title run of the decade.

So what are we going to see?

I don’t think William Saliba is going to be playing today, regardless of the ‘spotted shoulder pressing a car in Merseyside’ rumours. I think he’ll be starting Rob Holding. That’ll be the one area of our starting 11 we’ll be a bit nervy. But it’s worth remembering, Arteta has had 4 weeks coaching him one on one. Arteta and Rob won’t make the mistake of Spurs last season.

There are rumours that Darwin Nunez is out of the Liverpool starting 11 and for me, he was the worry in one vs one match-ups. There are also a lot of struggling Liverpool players. Joe Gomez might play right back, Trent has been a mess defensively, Mo Salah hasn’t looked up to it, and VVD could have been rested or dropped based on form. The starting 11 Klopp rolls out might not be the best footballing side, especially after the disciplinary issues he’s had. He might go with a hardworking team that’ll sit back and absorb us.

I might be doing some magical thinking here, but I’m sure he knows Liverpool can’t play against us like they used to. This group could play around their peak press, so it’ll have no problem getting past their current midfield. So does Klopp risk getting tanked like he did at City? Or does he not care?

Mikel Arteta has demons to battle as well. Does he wrap Rob Holding in tactical wool? Did he put too much of his scouser anxiety on the players this week? Has he overthought things? He hasn’t done that too often this season. So the hope is he’s learned from what has gone wrong in the past.

We also have to remember how our players feel. They’ve been embarrassed too many times at Anfield. This time, we go with 90% of our squad fit. Saka has been rested. Trossard in in outrageous form. Martinelli has been ripping up trees. Gabriel Jesus and Zinchenko think wins at Anfield are par the course. Our team is different, these players are winners now, this should be a good run out.

This is could also be a tipping point for Bukayo Saka. It’s gloves off against Mo Salah. The young pretender is looking for a knock out blow. If he dominates the game, can we be in any doubt who is the best winger in the Premier League in 2023? We can’t be. He’s fit, he’s on fire, he wants to be the man. I couldn’t think of a better stage. Thierry Henry, at his peak, destroyed Liverpool in the invincible season. Could that be Bukayo today? Maybe.

Lots to unpack today. It’s going to be a real tactical masterpiece. It’ll also be huge for the players. Will Rob Holding accept the invite to be written into history as an unlikely hero? Which one of our forwards wants to score *that* goal? Which players are going to step up and make Arsenal history?

Whatever happens, remember this: We’ve already achieved what we set out to do this season. We are a Champions League team. Soak that up; it’s massive.

This title run is a bonus. We are where we want to be as a club. In the big conversations. Leading the pack. Setting the tone for how football should be played on the biggest stage.

Win today and we ask HUGE questions of a relentless City. They won’t keep up the pace when 3 games a week start, I promise you there will be wobbles, question is, can we make them wobble mentally today? Can we get them to double-take where they put their energy eggs? It’s on offer… so fingers crossed. A win today would be a tipping point for me.

I can’t wait to see what happens.

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