2019-2020 PL: Arsenal vs. Liverpool

(The Guardian) PREAMBLE
--It’s fair to say these two clubs know how to put on a show. Since the pair drew 0-0 at the Emirates in August 2015, they’ve met nine times, and here are the final scorelines: 3-3, 4-3, 3-1, 4-0, 3-3, 1-1, 5-1, 3-1, 5-5. And so a cry goes up from the millions of neutrals without any skin in this particular game: “More, please!”

Arsenal fans may demur. They’ve played their part in all those matches, but haven’t managed to win any of them. Their last victory against today’s opponents came in April 2015, when a sensational eight-minute, three-goal, first-half blitz dispatched a Liverpool side coming apart at the seams. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez were the heroes for Arsene Wenger’s side that day; Brendan Rodgers was struggling to get a tune out of Alberto Moreno, Joe Allen and Lazar Markovic. Times change, huh.

Jurgen Klopp’s champions elect are favourites to win tonight. They’ve won all four of their previous matches in London this season, and will be desperate to complete the set, given they need to win all three of their remaining games to surpass Manchester City’s all-time record 100-point total. But there’s desperate, and there’s desperate, and how Arsenal need a win if they’re to finish above north-London rivals Tottenham, and perhaps still secure some European football next season. A strong finish under new boss Mikel Arteta, including a statement victory over the new champions of England, would give them great heart going into 2020-21.

So this Arsenal and Liverpool showdown might not have the super-high, winner-takes-all, up-for-grabs-now stakes of 1989, Alan Smith, Michael Thomas, all that. But there’s still plenty to play for. And it’s fair to say these two clubs know how to put on a show. More, please! It’s on!

(The Guardian) Arsenal make five changes to the XI named ahead of the 2-1 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday. Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Saed Kolasinac, Dani Ceballos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are all benched, making way for Rob Holding, Cedric Soares, Lucas Torreira, Reiss Nelson and Bukayo Saka. This weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City perhaps very much in mind there.

Liverpool make two changes to the team sent out to draw with Burnley on Saturday. The youngsters Neco Williams and Curtis Jones drop to the bench, stepping aside for the not-particularly-older Trent Alexander-Arnold and, returning to his old stomping ground, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

(The Guardian) Jurgen Klopp speaks. “We have this game against a really strong side. They are especially good at counter attacking. It will be intense. I was honestly really happy against Burnley, for 70 to 75 minutes we were outstanding. We should have scored more, but that’s the nature of football that makes the game so exciting. Burnley was ready and deserved the point in the end. So we didn’t change a lot, we go again, we will give it another try.”

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Mikel Arteta’s turn. “We have made some changes. The players who are in the starting XI deserve to play. We have played a lot of minutes, so we need everybody. It is about who is in the best condition to start the game today, who is in the best condition to give something from the bench. And it’s the balance between players who haven’t been given much game time and really deserve to start. They always keep pushing in training and demanding, so today is an opportunity.”

(The Guardian) 2 min: A quiet start as both teams take a turn to have an early touch. Plenty of time to get another ten-goal thriller unfolding yet.

(The Guardian) 6 min: Some fireworks snap, crackle and pop outside the ground. A few London-based Liverpool fans in celebratory mode, no doubt. Amid the banging, Saka wins the first corner of the game down the left. The set piece is worked all the way round to Cedric, on the right, but he freezes a little with the ball at his feet in the Liverpool box, and can’t find a team-mate with his panicked cross. A nice training-ground move, though.

(The Guardian) 10 min: Now it’s Liverpool’s turn to showcase a corner routine of their own, Firmino having won one out on the right. Alexander-Arnold elaborately plays it up and down the flank and swings infield. Arsenal half clear. Van Dijk tries to trap and shoot from the edge of the box, but can’t sort his feet out, and the danger is over.