After winning our first two games of the season, albeit unconvincingly, Liverpool travelled to the Emirates with a sense of cautious optimism. Although it was evident to everyone that we would need to up our game to take any points away with us, there had been enough flashes of quality to suggest that we could put up a fight. This we did: the first half was a masterclass of attacking play from the visitors at times, while the second showcased our newfound defensive solidity. Although we had a couple of great chances, on the whole Liverpool can be very satisfied taking a point away from a tough place to visit. This was (excuse the cliché) the sort of game we would have lost last season – getting such a positive result raises a question about just how far we can go this campaign.
If we can build on our first half performance, then the answer is surely that we can go very far indeed. Only an absolutely amazing performance from Petr Cech kept us at bay, denying Benteke from point blank range before tipping Coutinho’s curling effort on to the post. He rightly picked up the man of the match award – had it not been for his interventions we could have been out of sight after the first forty five minutes. The crossbar also denied us in the early minutes – Coutinho ran on to a nice through ball, and his curling effort beat Cech but struck the woodwork. Our other Brazilian attacker also impressed; Firmino was granted his full debut, and he showcased his skill and workrate. It was he who put in the excellent ball for Benteke, only for the Belgian to be denied by the keeper. In fairness Arsenal can rightly feel aggrieved after Ramsey had a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside, but on the balance of play they should frankly be grateful that they went in level.
Source: liverpoolfc.com
The second half, too, was very positive for us, but in a different manner altogether. The balance of play shifted massively after the interval; Arsenal came at us immediately. They applied the sort of pressure that we’d been putting on them in the first half, but, to my delight and surprise, our back line held up admirably. Nathaniel Clyne continued to impress – already he is proving to be an extremely astute signing. Skrtel, too, did very well: he made a couple of vital interceptions, frustrating Giroud on multiple occasions. Happily, Lovren also showed further signs that he is finding more confidence and form. He has now played perfectly competently against Stoke and Arsenal, albeit briefly reverting to the Lovren we all know and love against Bournemouth. The man who stood out the most, however, was Joe Gomez. 3.5 million is rapidly starting to look like an absolute steal – he kept Arsenal’s right hand side quiet all game, including a particularly memorable seal-out where he knocked Sanchez off the pitch. His level-headedness was remarkable for such a young player in such a big game, and while I am a big fan of Moreno it does seem that he’ll struggle to regain his place (at least at full-back – for my views on his potential future as a winger, read my last article). Lucas also deserves a mention. He looked lost at times in the first half, but his shift in the second period may well have saved him from being sold. He never allowed Arsenal too much time on the ball, constantly closing them down quickly, and this certainly contributed to a hard-earned clean sheet.
Of course, despite all of these positives, this is by no means a finished article of a Liverpool side. For one thing, they didn’t get the win! Although the attack deserves great credit for creating so many opportunities, it should also come under scrutiny for failing to take any of them. Benteke has now missed two clear cut chances in two games – although both were excellent saves in fairness, one would have hoped a 32 million pound man could give the keeper no chance at all. Also, the defence can hardly be called impenetrable; Ramsey demonstrated this by beating it, only to be denied by the flag. There is work to be done, and if we are to challenge for the title (yes, this can be considered as a possibility) then we need to become more clinical at one end of the pitch and tighten up at the other.
That said, these remaining flaws are no reason for the perpetual pessimism currently permeating the Liverpool fan-base. The performances thus far have all given us flashes, at the very least, of what we are capable of – unlike last season all of the new signings are excelling, and when Sturridge comes back things can only get better. Certainly 7 points from the opening 3 is nothing to complain about: it is an excellent points tally, and with a decent run of games coming up it gives us an amazing foundation to build on. I believe we now more or less have the squad that we should have built last season, a squad which can more than make up for the absence of a talismanic striker like Suarez, and which, if things go well, can challenge for the title. If nothing else, we should definitely be able to put up more of a convincing fight than last year, and with a bit of luck we’ll be back in the Champions League in no time.
James Martin
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