By Matt Fortune
Liverpool seem to be in the midst of another fabulously
inconsistent season. They may have beaten Derby 6-0, but draws with
Tottenham, Portsmouth and Birmingham can only be classed as six
points dropped for a title-chasing team.
Like Arsenal, the five-time European Champions have failed to mount
any serious title bid in the last three years and many of the
Anfield faithful wanted that addressed this time around. Boss Rafa
Benitez obliged and spent big in the close-season bringing in
several highly-rated individuals.
Liverpool sit fourth behind the two Manchester teams and Arsenal
after a welcome win on the Blue side of Stanley Park last Saturday.
By winning their game in hand on City and United, the Reds can move
up to third.
Anfield form in the Premiership has been the topic of much scrutiny
with three domestic draws and Liverpool also lost their formidable
European home record with defeat by Marseille. Their saving grace
in past seasons, Champions League form, is also stuttering
somewhat. They are bottom of Group A with one point. Realistically
they require three wins from their remaining three games to qualify
- a fact that may be costly in the coming months.
Still despite a somewhat uncertain season so far one thing does
remain. Sunday is certain to be one of the toughest trips the
Gunners will embark on all season.
We spoke to Tony Barrett of the Liverpool Echo ahead of Sunday's clash.
THE STORY SO FAR
"The season has been a bit of mixed bag for Liverpool so far.
They started very well at the Derby County match when they won 6-0
and I think a lot of Liverpool fans started to think about title
challenges and all that sort of stuff. The international break came
at a bad time for them and I think the momentum they build up was
gone, and since the performances have become much more erratic.
They are still unbeaten but they don't look as cohesive a unit
as Rafa Benitez would have hoped. Everyone looked at the result
against Everton as something that would kick-start our season again
but Wednesday night's defeat at Besiktas has made people think
that there is a still quite a lot of work to be done.
"At the start of the season at Liverpool I think of lot of the
fans were saying that we don't need to talk of winning the
title, we just want to see a genuine challenge and by that they
mean being in contention come Easter time. The past few years they
have been out of it by Christmas or even before. There have been 20
point gaps, even 30 points by the end of the season and that is not
good enough for a club like Liverpool. They are going to be looking
to be closing that gap and if there is a title challenge then the
Liverpool fans will be satisfied with that."
MAN OF THE MOMENT
"Fernando Torres has captured everyone's imagination on
Merseyside. He's a forward that makes things happen. His pace
is what sets him apart because he is the one Liverpool forward who
is blessed with natural speed. If he gets away from the centre back
they don't catch him up. His goalscoring record has been good
since he signed - he has got seven in nine starts. He looks the
part, everyone is impressed with him and happy he's
here."
NEW FACES
"Voronin has been a surprise for many Liverpool supporters
because no-one was expecting much of him. He has actually done OK.
He is a steady player, he holds the ball up well, brings people
into the game and is capable of getting a goal. Ryan Babel has been
used more as a left winger which I think he is having to get used
to. There is enough competition for places up front and you can see
him trying to get in some shots from the left. You can see his
natural game is as a frontrunner but he looks like the type of
player where there is a lot of talent waiting to come through. He
is one of those that you can see in a year or so - if he trains
well and takes on the advice he will be getting - he could be a top
player."
CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM
"Hopefully Daniel Agger will be back in week to 10 days
because his injury has been a big, big blow. He is one of those
centre backs who reads the game really well. He also brings the
ball out of defence and creates an extra man in midfield. I think
he has been a key loss for Liverpool. One of the reasons why they
are not doing so well going forward is that Agger is so often that
extra man in midfield allowing the rest to play a little higher up
the pitch then they are at the moment. Sami Hyypia is at that stage
of his career where ideally he won't be playing two games a
week and that could be a problem if he does because he is 34 years
of age."
TALKING TACTICS
"The side Rafa had out on Wednesday is pretty close to
full-strength considering the injuries they have at the moment. The
back four will likely stay the same but the midfield could be
interesting because Xabi Alonso is back now. I will be surprised if
he doesn't come back in because his passing game is a great
aspect of Liverpool's play. Then we have Benayoun, Pennant and
Babel - that is for three fighting for two positions - as well as
the option of Steven Gerrard who can play wide right. Up front I
think Peter Crouch did himself the world of good by setting up the
goal in midweek as he has been on the sidelines for some time. I
think he will have pleased the manager with his cameo appearance,
but to be honest you can't second guess Benitez's selection
policy."
IMPRESSIONS OF ARSENAL
"Arsenal were very impressive on Tuesday. They are one of
those sides that if they get a goal ahead and hit form then they
will be unstoppable. A very young side with lots of confidence,
lots of great ability, but I do think that they are yet to have a
real genuine test. A team needs to pose a different kind of
problem, maybe psychological type of problems. I think Liverpool
will defend a lot tighter than many do against Arsenal and, at the
other end, they will really look to get at the back four. Not many
teams have really had a go at Arsenal yet and their form has been
magnificent but they are still to be tested and hopefully that test
will come at Anfield.
"The way Arsenal have started the season, they built up
expectations so much that now people are talking about them as
potential winners. But I think Manchester United will take some
stopping and their experience gives them the upper hand slightly.
This weekend though is a big one for Arsenal. If they come to
Anfield and win that will give them the kind of confidence to think
they are not just having a good start but actually they can go on
and win this."
