Does Liverpool's win over Arsenal show just how far behind the Gunners are compared to the PL big boys?
Does Liverpool's win over Arsenal show just how far behind the Gunners are compared to the Premier League big boys?
By Oscar Maung-Haley
Liverpool slammed the brakes on Arsenal’s top four push with a 4-0 drubbing of Mikel Arteta’s side at Anfield last weekend in the Premier League.
Arsenal had undergone something of a transformation throughout September, October and early November, going unbeaten during this period until they ran into a buzzsaw Liverpool attack on Merseyside.
Liverpool found another gear which Arsenal don’t quite yet have in their locker, and it leads us to ask did the 4-0 defeat show just how far behind the Gunners are in comparison to the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool?
Separating the men from the boys
Arsenal went toe to toe with Liverpool for about 30 minutes of action on Saturday night until a brief argument broke out on the touchline between Jurgen Klopp and Arteta.
The spat seemed to galvanise both the entire Liverpool starting line-up and the Anfield crowd, whipping them up into a frenzy that pushed them to a higher level.
Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped a beautiful ball into the path of Sadio Mane who gave the Reds the lead shortly before half-time.
And in the second half, Liverpool dispatched Arsenal comfortably, with goals from Diogo Jota, Mo Salah and Takumi Minamino settling the contest with relative ease.
The fact of the matter is, there isn’t a single position that Arsenal are better in than Liverpool, not one.
In those terms, Arsenal have quite a distance to go before they can consider themselves among the Premier League elite.
And again, while Arsenal’s defeat to Liverpool wasn’t quite as abject as the 5-0 loss to Manchester City in August, it was another reminder that both Liverpool and City are operating in a completely different stratosphere to the Gunners.
Similarly, they also lost comfortably to Chelsea earlier in the season, further emphasising the gulf in class.
Reasons to be cheerful
If you’re looking at the Liverpool game for positives, it’s relatively slim pickings for the Gunners.
However, it’s not all just doom and gloom.
Arsenal are at the start of a journey whereas Liverpool are close to being the finished article.
They’ve been through their growing pains and Mikel Arteta’s relatively young side are still enduring them.
Arsenal have a young core of players who could become strong Premier League starters.
In Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel and Ben White, they have a cast of young stars to build the spine of their team around.
In terms of performances and quality of players right now, Arsenal are miles off the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool.
All three have shown they have an extra gear against the Gunners that Mikel Arteta’s side have yet to find when it comes to facing off against the best of the Premier League.
They could one day find themselves in and around the top tier Premier League sides if their youngsters continue to develop well and if they buy smartly in the transfer market – after all, they’re not going to be able to outspend Chelsea and Manchester City.
PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES