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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 30: Bacary Sagna of Arsenal and Luis Suarez of Liverpool compete for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool at Emirates Stadium on January 30, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
This weekend’s round of matches features an interesting clash between table toppers Arsenal and overachieving Liverpool. Both teams have had an easier fixture list this time around and have managed to take advantage of that. At the beginning of the Premier League season, if you would have told me that Liverpool would be third in the Premier league table after 9 odd matches, then I would have gladly accepted that. Considering the strength of the Manchester City and Chelsea squads, Arsenals knack of staying in the Champions League places, Tottenham’s spending spree this summer and well the fact that Manchester United had just won the title, I was frankly not expecting Liverpool to be in the top four. Similarly, prior to Ozil’s signing, I did not think Arsenal had the quality and the consistency to challenge, or for that matter even claim the top spot.
The floundering start by both the Manchester clubs has been capitalized by Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham as they occupy the top four places in the Premier League with Southampton and Everton snapping at their heels. In reality though, Liverpool and Arsenal have faced only one of the ‘so called’ top six teams in the Premier League and their high positions in the table can be attributed as much to the easy fixture list as to the evolving SAS partnership for Liverpool or the Ramsey renaissance, and arrivals of Ozil and Flamini for Arsenal.
Liverpool have faced only Manchester United while Arsenal have faced only Tottenham and though both clubs came out on the top in these meetings, it is clear that harder challenges await. After the match against Liverpool, Arsenal play Manchester United and the high flying Southampton with a tricky visit to Dortmund sandwiched in between. On the other hand, in the next ten fixtures Liverpool face away games against Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea, Tottenham and City. As a result, the match on Saturday proves to be a watershed moment for both these clubs. A victory would provide a welcome boost for both the clubs ahead of a tricky set of fixtures. On the other hand, a loss could prove detrimental to their early season ambitions, as it can see either club falling out of the top four if the results go against them this weekend.
There is no doubt about the fact that in Suarez and Sturridge, Liverpool boast the best premier league striking partnership this season and it is because of this flourishing partnership that Liverpool are perched so high up the table. On the other hand, Ozil has rekindled the belief in the Arsenal team that they have the quality and ability to match and take on any first eleven in the Premier League. The face-off between Suarez, Sturridge and Coutinho starting against Giroud, Ozil and Cazorla looks like an enticing prospect and will surely create a lot of headaches for both the defences. As a result, the clash will not be determined by who has the best strike force but by the team that exerts greater control with and without the ball. Arsenal have an upper hand as far as their midfield goes but with Flamini ruled out and Arteta suspended, a midfield trio of Gerrard, Lucas and Henderson will be fancying their chances of exerting their dominance.
Suarez as expected will be hogging all the limelight in the pre-match talk thanks to the now infamous 40 million and 1 bid from Arsenal. But, I think Liverpool will be glad that they stood firm in spite of Arsenal’s interest as they can see the benefits of keeping Suarez in their league position. On the other hand, Arsenal will be happy that they were able to buy Ozil instead(I highly doubt if Arsenal would have bought both Ozil and Suarez for nearly 100 million) as the young German has already galvanized the Arsenal team and provides Arsenal with almost the same quality as Suarez without getting banned for a quarter of matches every season.
Finally, it will be the team that shows more character on the field that will decide the winner of the match. It is not clear if Liverpool or Arsenal can sustain this early season form for 38 weeks. But one thing is certain that a victory could go a long way in demonstrating their title or top four credentials and certainly allow them from playing catch-up to other teams as has been the case in recent seasons. This match may not ultimately decide who wins the title but it will demonstrate the mental strength and character of each team and where they actually stand.
