How Liverpool can beat Arsenal by half time – and the big concern the Gunners have despite strong start

We know Liverpool are the real deal.

One look at the current Premier League table and the progress they have made under Jurgen Klopp is testament to that.

But what about Arsenal?

They go into Saturday’s tea-time showdown at the Emirates on the back of 12 wins from their last 13 unbeaten matches in all competitions.

So can the Gunners, in what is Unai Emery’s first season in charge, be considered genuine title challengers?

To answer that question – plus many more besides – we spoke to Football.London’s Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts for our latest podcast on the Blood Red channel.

You can listen to the podcast in full below:

But here are some of the highlights.

Hi Charles. I don’t think I would have been alone in thinking that this was going to be a season of transition for Arsenal. But, given their results, can it be more than that?

No, I don’t think so; I think it’s still going to be a season of transition. This winning run has certainly caught a lot of people by surprise, and while some may point to the teams they have faced and say these are the games Arsenal should be winning, which may well be the case, but in recent seasons they haven’t won these games, which was Arsene Wenger’s downfall.

They are proving a tougher nut to crack. They’ll stick in games when they’re not playing too well and then turn it on in the second half, and that’s what they’ve done recently, and things have started to click. But it’s still very much a work in progress. Nobody down here is getting carried away and thinking Arsenal can challenge Man City and Liverpool for the title but the fans are happy.

We’ve heard in recent games them chanting, ‘we’ve got our Arsenal back’, but that’s not a representation of what the expectations are, in terms of trying to win the league, it’s more a case of having a sense of unity at the club that that has been dreadfully lacking in recent years. The fans are united behind Emery, they are happy with what he’s doing, and the style he’s trying to bring in, the players are enjoying it, and there just feels a different vibe around the club, which hasn’t been there for years.

So this ability to dig in… is it one of the key differences to the latter Wenger years?

Yes, but they’ve been slightly fortunate as well. They have dug in, but even against Liverpool’s great rivals Everton, better finishing from them and they would have been well out in front before Arsenal went on to win the game. It was the same at home to Watford and West Ham. So when we’re talking about digging in, we’re not talking about them being really resolute. They are still giving away plenty of chances, so that’s why so many Arsenal fans are fearful of what Liverpool could do this weekend.

It’s a recurring theme this season. They’ve started games really slowly or been poor in the first half in the majority of the matches they’ve played, and then really improved in the second half, and that’s something they’ve got to sort out, especially against a side like Liverpool. If they start badly on Saturday they could find themselves totally out of the game by half-time because Liverpool are not going to miss the sort of chances Everton, Watford and West Ham missed. It’s going to be a big, big test for them and it’ll be interesting to see how they do.

It looks like Emery’s has major concerns over who he will play left-back, up against Mohamed Salah…

It is the major concern – but it’s not just left-back, it’s right-back as well as Bellerin didn’t come out for the second half at Crystal Palace last weekend. But, yes, left-back has been and is a real issue as Kolasinac and Monreal have both been out for three weeks now with hamstring problems, and it’s really beginning to hurt Arsenal. Granit Xhaka has been made to play as a makeshift left-back, which has hurt Arsenal down that side, but also in midfield as Xhaka has formed a really good partnership with Torreira.

Kolasinac is back in training but he’s the type of players who needs a few games to get fit, and I’m not sure throwing him in against Mo Salah is the right thing to do. Emery played Carl Jenkinson at left-back in midweek against Blackpool (in the Carabao Cup), but it was his first game for Arsenal for about 700 days, so I can’t imagine he’ll start, so it’s going to be a tough decision, and it’s certainly the key decision facing Emery going into the weekend.

I would say if Bellerin is fit, he’ll start at right-back, with Lichtsteiner moved from right-back to left-back, where hopefully he’ll use all his experience, and years at Juventus, to deal with Salah. But I’m not sure if Bellerin will be fit, so it’s a real issue for Arsenal, and unfortunately it could be the issue that decides the game.

Will Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang start? His record since signing for Arsenal has been superb but he’s started games on the bench recently…

He has and it’s because of the formation Emery is going with. It’s a 4-2-3-1 and Lacazette is very much the spearhead and central striker. He gives Arsenal more strength and presence, so when Aubameyang has played, he’s been on the left of the front three, and as much as you want him on the pitch because of his goals, you do get the sense of him being wasted out there. And Arsenal have been a lot more balanced when Iwobi, who has been in great form, has been out on the left, with Mkhitaryan on the right, and Ozil at 10.

Watch James Pearce’s take on Jurgen Klopp’s press conference

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I think Aubameyang will start the game given the nature and size of the game, and given his goal record, but he’s been really handy coming off the bench in recent weeks, like the goals against Fulham and Leicester, so while it’s crazy to say this, I wouldn’t play him, I’d have him on the bench and ready to come on, if Emery sticks with his formation. But when push comes to shove I think he will start.

It’s been confirmed this week that Aaron Ramsey will not be signing a new contract with Arsenal. Liverpool have been linked with him. Would he be a good fit at Anfield?

I’m a big fan of Aaron Ramsey. The whole decision is a strange one and it’s clouded in a bit of mystery as to why Arsenal will not to give him a new contact and why they have the withdrawn the one they had for him on the table. I don’t think he really fits in with Emery’s formation going forward, so I’m not surprised in another way, but now they won’t be getting good money for a very valuable asset, who I’m sure would be able to fit into an awful lot of teams.

I imagine Liverpool will be looking at him, they’d be mad not to, and that’s the same for Man United, Chelsea and a lot of big European teams. He’s a real energetic player, he’s got fantastic work effort, with a brilliant engine, and those are the kind of qualities that ticks the boxes for Jurgen Klopp.

There’ll be a long list of suitors for Ramsey. Where he’ll go to, I have no idea at the moment, but if Liverpool were to make an offer to him, and it was attractive, I’m sure he could go and make a decent impact at Anfield, similar to his good mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.