Liverpool vs Arsenal: Three key players to look out for

Liverpool will host Arsenal at Anfield in an important game in the context of the title race, and three players should prove crucial.

Arsenal are on a terrific run and all geared up to face the challenge posed by Manchester City, who continue to chase them relentlessly. Pep Guardiola’s side reduced the deficit to five points with a victory over Southampton and will hope the Gunners lose ground.

Mikel Arteta has always found a proper response to Manchester City’s victories and will hope for a similar outcome on Sunday. Liverpool and the Anfield crowd stand in Arsenal’s way, but Arteta remains undeterred by his side’s recent history at the venue.

Arsenal’s high-performing stars have given the manager the confidence to see this through, which may be the case at Anfield. Arteta would have certainly learned from their last two league defeats against Liverpool. His sides were generally good in the first half but opened their doors in the second.

At the Emirates earlier, Arsenal showed immense control and attacked Liverpool with intent. They have kept up with that style for most of the season and will not come out differently at Anfield. Top-performing stars, including Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Jesus, are key to their chances.

As for Liverpool, the area of focus will be the right side of the defence. That zone has been the backdoor for teams to exploit their backline and get the goals in. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been the subject of some suspect defending there. He will remain the one from the Merseysiders to watch out for.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

The right-back has come in for criticism throughout the season. In contrast, one can blame the change of shape or the dysfunctional midfield as the main reasons for the performance drop. Alexander-Arnold has not been at his best in how he usually contributes.

Alexander-Arnold has had to defend too much for his liking. The volume of attacks flowing through his channel has been far greater than before, and the right-back has often struggled to deal with it. Arsenal produced two goals back at the Emirates by exploiting the space he tends to leave behind.

In the build-up to the penalty, Alexander-Arnold was guilty of leaving space behind for Arsenal’s attackers to exploit. He needs to remain alert about that and close the gaps there. The Gunners will likely look to overload that area, and Liverpool must cover the tracks tactfully.

Alexander-Arnold has a big role to play in this fixture. Klopp will have to find ways to allow the right-back his usual freedom to dictate play at the other end. The approach has to be cautious and spot-on at the same time. It has to contain the threat Xhaka, and Gabriel Martinelli poses on that flank.

Granit Xhaka

The Swiss international is the player to watch in our preview of this game, and rightly so. Xhaka has been in top form for many weeks and has found an impressive scoring run to cap off some impressive midfield performances.

His goals against Crystal Palace and Leeds United may have been mere formalities. But he can exploit those spaces when needed. A change of role this season has largely benefitted Xhaka and Arsenal, but his performances in the big game catch the eye.

Against Liverpool, he will have the play his part tactically but also become Arsenal’s de-facto leader on the pitch. His experience will prove immense for the Gunners to see this through. In an attacking sense, he must tactfully position himself to exploit the right side of their defence.

Oleksandr Zinchenko is unlikely to sit back and play an orthodox left-back. Hence, Xhaka will have to assume more defensive responsibility. The Swiss midfielder needs to put in a performance of a lifetime to keep his team in charge of the title race and kill the Anfield curse once and for all.

Gabriel Jesus

A knee injury sidelined Jesus for over three months, risking the title race. While Arsenal manoeuvred and came out unscathed without the Brazilian, the striker has returned with a vengeance. His energy in the Leeds United game was evident, which could spew trouble for Liverpool.

In the few games he has played on either side of the international break, Jesus does not seem to lack the intensity he had before his injury. He was fully charged against Leeds United and even ended his goal drought. And it is hardly surprising that the Arsenal striker is a target again for Real Madrid.

Jesus was not known for his goalscoring exploits during his period at Manchester City. Pep Guardiola described him as the best pressing forward in the world, who, essentially, would be Jurgen Klopp’s dream. Unfortunately for the Liverpool boss, the Arsenal striker will again line up against them and seek trouble.

Jesus brings the experience of thriving in the Anfield atmosphere, which is missing with large parts of this Arsenal squad. Arteta might have sensed the crumbling nature of this Liverpool defence under intense pressure. Hence the Real Madrid target will become the key to unlocking it.

Jesus will look to bring his fellow forwards like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli into the game more. Since donning the Arsenal shirt, the Brazilian has barely had a bad game. Arteta will like to see the forward in inspired form ahead of the most important game of Arsenal’s season so far.