Arne Slot could deliver a major blow to Arsenal in the hunt for the Premier League trophy should Liverpool emerge victorious against the Gunners at the Emirates on Sunday, Reds expert David Lynch has suggested.
The Reds finished third in 2023-24 with 82 points, seven fewer than the Gunners and nine fewer than champions Manchester City.
In truth, though Jurgen Klopp's side put up an admirable fight against the Gunners and City, their third-placed league finish fairly reflected their performances on the pitch last term.
Under Slot, Liverpool are already four points ahead of Mikel Arteta's side and are two points behind Pep Guardiola's City with a game in hand after eight league games, and Lynch believes that the Gunners could find it difficult to close the gap to both the Reds and the Cityzens if they lost on Sunday.
"Arsenal so far, really, their title charges in the last couple of seasons have been really built on going out strongly and being the side that takes the lead, really. And so if they had to chase and they ended up as far back as seven points at this early stage, that might be really, really tricky for them," Lynch told Sports Mole.
"It's a very, very difficult test. I mean, I think back to the season when Liverpool went close to the quadruple, I think they were seven or eight points behind Manchester City at one point and then clawed them back and got very close to winning it in the end, but never got in front. We haven't actually seen that Arsenal are capable of that.
"If Liverpool could land a blow like winning there this early in the season, I think as much as it would be a blow to Arsenal, it would also be very, very significant, I think, for Liverpool to prove to them and the group of players that, OK, we're back there now. We've got our noses in front of Arsenal again. We're not the side who's watching them run off into the distance with Manchester City. So, it couldn't be more significant for what it says about Liverpool, actually."
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Best defence in the league
Sir Alex Ferguson was arguably the greatest manager in the history of the Premier League, and he famously remarked that the key to winning major trophies was an exceptional defensive foundation.
Ferguson's adage seems to have been taken to heart by Arteta, who has transformed the Gunners into a formidable defensive outfit and this can be seen in the fact they conceded just 29 goals in the league last campaign, the fewest in the division.
However, it is Liverpool who boast the league's best defensive record this season, conceding just three goals while also having not conceded in the first half of any of their eight top-flight matches.
"Liverpool deservedly have that defensive record. I mean, they've only conceded three times in the Premier League, but they've also got the best expected goals against, which is somewhere around sort of seven or six or seven. And so, you know, there's no fluke to this. They deserve it," Lynch told Sports Mole.
"They're not relying on the goalkeeper all the time. They just, all those defenders are just getting to do what they do best and in a really structured system. So, it's absolutely working and it's, yeah, it feels like a bit of a step change actually, because last season, I think, you know, we've seen great defensive sides under Jurgen Klopp. Last season was a little bit chaotic. It was kind of basketball, we'll score more than you kind of approach.
"It's such a good basis to be hard to beat. And I think, you know, particularly when you're going into a game like this against Arsenal away from home, to know you've got that solidity and it's going to be hard for Arsenal to score against them and you're kind of halfway to a clean sheet already. That's really, really encouraging and gives you faith that they can, you know, nick a goal that will win it at the other end as well."
Liverpool had been criticised last term for an inability to control matches and for regularly conceding first, with Klopp's side keeping just two clean sheets in their final 17 Premier League games.
Slot's style of play is inherently more risk-averse than the German's, although that is not to say that the Reds are no longer adventurous, but rather that they are more conscious about preventing shots on their own goal.
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Konate to shine on Saliba's turf?
Some have labelled Liverpool favourites ahead of their encounter against Arsenal due to the fact William Saliba will miss out because of suspension, with the centre-back a vital figure in the heart of Arteta's defence.
The Frenchman's absence will bring Gunners fans back to the end of the 2022-23 season when he missed the final 11 league matches, a period in which Arteta's side won five, drew three and lost two.
Arsenal had won 21 of the prior 27 top-flight fixtures, drawing three times and losing on just three occasions.
While Saliba's red card could be a negative in regard to the overall spectacle of Sunday's clash, it could afford the likes of Ibrahima Konate the chance to stand out.
Liverpool's French centre-back has in the past been compared to Saliba, though Konate's injury issues have meant that he has missed a significant amount of football during his time on Merseyside.
Against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night, the defender played his ninth consecutive match for the Reds without getting injured, something that he had previously never managed.
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Konate's improved fitness levels this season have coincided with the defender being singled out more regularly for praise, and when asked about Konate's form, Lynch said that the Frenchman is one of few centre-backs that could challenge Virgil van Dijk in some aspects of the Liverpool captain's game.
"I think the one thing you would put him kind of close to Van Dijk, and he's the only centre-half in the Premier League, I have to say, who would get anywhere close for this, is his aerial dominance.
"I think the one criticism people have had in the past is his ability with the ball at his feet. But I think he's showing, even this season, that he's much more comfortable than people maybe expect. I mean, he's shown it in the past. For example, he almost sort of wins the World Cup with a little chip over the top to Kolo Muani, is it, in the last seconds of that game?. And again, I think he's shown it for Liverpool, that he is comfortable, he can use the ball quite well, and he's being asked to do that a lot, actually, under Arne Slot, but looking very comfortable.
"I think, you know, Saliba, for example, probably more comfortable on the ball, a really good footballer, but nowhere near as dominant aerially. So, you know, it's helpful to him, for example, to have Gabriel alongside him, whereas, you know, Konate feels a little bit more like the complete package there. So, yeah, the only criticism really of him is, can he stay fit? Can he put a consistent run of games together? But, you know, touch wood, he is doing that at the moment."
Konate will have the chance alongside Van Dijk to win at the Emirates in the Premier League for the first time since March 2022, and further cement Liverpool's place as genuine title challengers.
Lewis Nolan
