Jamie Carragher: 'Arsenal are the team Liverpool used to be'
CARRAGHER COLUMN: Sky Sports Pundit Jamie Carragher during the Premier League match at Goodison Park, Liverpool.
“Arsenal are the team Liverpool used to be,” believes former Anfield legend Jamie Carragher, who says everything about the Gunners is 'exciting'.
“They (Arsenal) are young, fast, energetic, thrilling, hungry, dynamic and on the threshold of ending a long wait for the Premier League title. Everything about them is exciting,” Carragher wrote in a column Friday for The Telegraph.
The last few years it has been Jurgen Klopp’s heavy metal mentality monsters that were going toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title.
Last season, the Reds went close to winning an unprecedented quadruple while Arsenal let Champions League qualification slip from their grasp.
But this season has been entirely different. For both clubs.
“They (Arsenal) are young, fast, energetic, thrilling, hungry, dynamic and on the threshold of ending a long wait for the Premier League title. Everything about them is exciting,” continues Carragher.
“When I look at Arsenal, I see an evolving team with the core of their strongest XI at the start of what should be an illustrious career. When I look at Liverpool, I see a core of players whose peak is behind them.
“Before this season, Liverpool were the template for Arsenal to imitate, especially when Arteta was under pressure to deliver quicker. Now Arsenal are the model for Klopp to follow when embarking on the next stage of his Liverpool reconstruction.
“There is no doubt there will be a Klopp reaction before next season, and Arsenal’s current dominance over Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea will be challenged.
“That makes it more important for Arsenal to kick Liverpool while they are down and deliver a performance worthy of champions.”
But while Liverpool have struggled for most of this campaign, they have flickered into life on occasions in front of their own supporters, as shown by their 1-0 win over Manchester City and their 7-0 triumph over Manchester United.
This Sunday afternoon, the Reds welcome the Gunners to Anfield, a ground Mikel Arteta – a former Everton midfielder – understands how difficult it can be to play at as a visitor.
“Win, and Arteta’s side are the favourites in the title race. Lose, and the championship is in Manchester City’s hands,” insists Carragher.
“Those stakes make this the biggest Premier League fixture Arsenal have played since Arsene Wenger’s glory years.
“Some victories are worth more than three points. Anfield is one of the few stadiums in England which provides a true barometer of whether a team have the mentality and skill to be champions. Arteta knows that.
“He was mocked when the All or Nothing Amazon documentary showed the unique manner in which he tried to prepare his side for Anfield last season, playing the Liverpool club anthem over the Tannoy at training.
“What was generally overlooked was his explanation as he spoke of the Spanish concept of ‘bajara’ - a sense of paralysis - which he once experienced during Arsenal's 5-1 defeat at Liverpool in February 2014.
“Emotionally, physically, I could not cope. I only had that feeling in my career once and it was at Anfield,” he said.
“You cannot play down the significance of that Anfield factor when judging this game, independent of Arsenal’s obvious current superiority.
“The difficulty playing in that compact stadium when it is at its loudest and most emotional is recognised by every top-class visiting player and coach.
“No matter how poor Liverpool are, winning at Anfield is a statement for title-chasing teams. Anfield can be where title dreams go to die.”
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