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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has claimed that the Reds would have been six points clear at the top of the table had they signed Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice in the summer. The Reds take on Mikel Arteta's side in a top-of-the-table Premier League clash at Anfield on Saturday, December 23.
Ahead of the game, Jamie Carragher questioned whether Liverpool can go all the way to win the title without an established defensive midfielder. He also insisted that if the Reds had signed Declan Rice ahead of Arsenal, they would have been at least six points ahead in the title race.
Carragher also claimed that Arsenal are currently ahead of Liverpool in terms of rebuilding the squad. However, he insisted that the Reds are progressing well. Carragher wrote in his colum for The Independent:
"Can Liverpool win the title without an established, high-class holding midfielder? If Liverpool had signed Declan Rice last summer, they might already be six points clear of the rest. Overall, Arsenal are a year ahead of Liverpool in their development, but the teams are closer than Klopp could have imagined when playing catch-up at the start of this season."
Declan Rice has brought stability and reassurance in the Arsenal ranks following his reported £105 million move from West Ham United in the summer. The Englishman has not only taken the Gunners' midfield to the next level but has also contrubuted with three important goals and two assists in 25 games across competitions.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have only Waturu Endo as a natural defensive midfielder at the moment. Jurgen Klopp has mostly used Alexis Mac Allister as a deep-lying playmaker this campaign, which has cost them in some games.
David James tells Liverpool how to stop Gunners by dominating one star
Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James has claimed that his former club need to stop Martin Odegaard if they have to beat Arsenal on Saturday, December 23. The former England shotstopper insisted that the Norwegian is the key player for the Gunners and makes them tick on the pitch.
Speaking on The Football News Show on BBC Sport, James said, as quoted by Empire of the Kop:
“What do they need to do? Just dominate [Martin] Odegaard, I think, is the key. I think he is [Arsenal’s] out-and-out best player. I know the other players have got individual quality, the likes of [Bukayo] Saka [are] very impressive to watch, but Odegaard pulls the strings."
James added:
“He gets the opposition out of position in order for him to sort of control the game, and I have seen Manchester City do it on a number of occasions, keep him quiet, and all of a sudden Arsenal don’t know how to function.”
Odegaard has been excellent for Mikel Arteta's side since joining the club in 2021 from Real Madrid, initially on a loan spell. Currently the captain of the side, the Norwegian has seven goals and three assists to his name in 22 games this season.
