So Arsenal’s game against Liverpool ended in a 3-3 draw just like Manchester United’s joke of a game against Newcastle the night before.
For some reason United supporters are comparing the matches saying Arsenal were victims just like them but that is far from the truth. We have all watched Liverpool resurgence under Jurgen Klopp and while they have faltered in some games, mostly because of injuries, they are a damn good side and still amongst the top teams in England.
Newcastle on the other hand are a far cry from their glorious past. They were relegated in the recent past and have struggled ever since. So Red Devils supporters, please stop comparing your 3-3 draw at Old Trafford to lowly Newcastle with Arsenal’s 3-3 draw at Anfield against a good Liverpool side.
I am actually not upset at the result because in my view, and I’ll probably get some backlash from my fellow Gunners for saying this, Liverpool were the better side on the night. Yes Arsenal had a few brilliant spells and some missed chances during the 90 minutes but overall the Gunners were on the back foot for large chunks of the game. It’s a wonder Liverpool didn’t win.
Fortunately Manchester City failed to get maximum points against Everton which worked in our favour because it means Arsenal are still top of the league. Leicester are looking good but we know how to deal with Leicester and even now I consider City as more of a challenger for the title than Leicester.
Back to Arsenal’s actual performance on the night. The Gunners were lethargic and took nearly half an hour to really settle into the game. I’m not sure whether it was the madness of the Christmas calendar that warranted that but we need to realise that all teams were victims of the Christmas madness so it can’t be an excuse. While Olivier Giroud scored brilliant goals; he also missed clear chances. Once again I had an issue with Arsene Wenger’s substitutions. Bringing on Mikel Arteta and taking away the attacking force in the side was a mistake. If we were playing a team like Aston Villa then you could play defensive late on when you’re leading; but we were playing a fiery Liverpool outfit; who were matching us goal for goal; and who, given another five minutes in that game, could have scored a fourth.
So Wenger’s priority until the end was to keep on attacking. Anyway right now I think it’s critical for Arsenal to firstly complete the damn signing of Mohamed Elneny that’s been going on for two weeks and bringing in another striker. If we’re suffering from fatigue right now; then we are no-where near ready to face February. For now though; we are still enjoying the “trophy” known as “top of the league and I’m happy about that.” Talk to me on @CarolRadull on twitter or www.facebook.com/CarolRadul