Sports
Why Arsenal are Liverpool in disguise
Remember the 2013/14 season when Liverpool almost won the premier league title against Manchester City, flashforward to present day and you have another team in red which are Arsenal looking to challenge for the premier league.
What makes both teams; Arsenal and Liverpool eerily similar aside challenging Manchester City for the league title?
A lot, and judging by how the season is going for the Gunners, it is very easy to see why they are destined to slip up at the finishing line. This is a story, a movie we all have seen before; the Steven Gerrard slip, Crystanbul and the annoying draws in games that should be finished off, and then there is facing a certain team in blue towards the end of the season.
Had Arsenal been on full on red kits, we may not be able to tell the difference between them and that Brendan Rodgers side that nearly won the league. So what are the similarities between both totally different teams and eras?
Arsenal’s recent Premier League form has drawn comparisons to Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool team of 2014, as they struggle to maintain a title challenge. The Gunners have drawn their last three league games, after winning seven in a row, and dropped points from winning positions against Liverpool and West Ham. Their latest setback came on Friday night, as they were twice two goals down to Southampton before fighting back to draw 2-2.
Ahead of their crucial game against Manchester City on Wednesday night, fans fear the title is slipping away from Mikel Arteta’s side. The match at the Etihad Stadium is a must-not-lose game for Arsenal, and they will need to focus on not slipping up against “lesser” opposition in the remaining fixtures.
Comparisons have been drawn with Liverpool’s collapse in the 2013-14 season, when they were ahead of City in the title race but lost to Chelsea and then threw away a three-goal lead to draw with Crystal Palace. Gary Neville has criticised Arsenal’s attempts to rally themselves after going 2-0 down to Southampton, likening it to a “bluff”.
One difference between Arsenal and Liverpool in 2014 is the experience of their managers. While Rodgers had limited experience of being in charge of a title-chasing team, City’s Manuel Pellegrini had a wealth of success to draw upon. Similarly, Arteta is still learning on the job, and has yet to prove he can guide a team to a league title.
City have the advantage of having games in hand, as they aim to win a historic quadruple. In 2014, their loss to Liverpool left them with just four games to play, but they won their remaining matches to lift the title. It remains to be seen whether City can maintain their impressive form across all competitions, and whether Arsenal can mount a serious challenge for the Premier League crown.
Arsenal’s young forward Bukayo Saka has been drawing comparisons to Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, who played an important role in Liverpool’s title charge in the 2013-2014 season. Despite not scoring as many goals as his strike partners Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, Sterling’s pace and energy helped Liverpool play an electrifying attacking style of football. Saka, similarly, has been vital to Arsenal’s play this season, with 14 goals to his name so far. Interestingly, Manchester City have been linked with a future move for the young Englishman.
Looking ahead to Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures, the match against Chelsea is crucial in determining their title chances. In the 2013-2014 season, Liverpool beat Norwich City before facing Chelsea in a match that would define their title race.
Similarly, dropping points against Chelsea could end Arsenal’s title challenge this season. Nine years ago, Chelsea’s manager Frank Lampard was a part of Jose Mourinho’s side that played defensively and tried to hit Liverpool on the counter, despite still being in the title race. With a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal, it will be interesting to see if Lampard employs a similar strategy against Arsenal.
It is worth noting that stranger things have happened in football, and perhaps a slip-up from Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko could allow Chelsea to score an important goal. With the title race heating up, all eyes will be on Arsenal as they look to maintain their challenge and take on Chelsea in a crucial match.
