Liverpool vs. Arsenal - Two Premier League powers headed in opposite directions
As two of the titans of the Premier League meet on Sunday at Anfield, one cannot help but note how Arsenal and Liverpool are heading in opposite directions.
Less than half a season removed from narrowly finishing second in the title chase, Liverpool is off to its worst start since 1964 and enters the weekend in the bottom half of the Premier League table. Arsenal, meanwhile, has surged into sixth place and sits two points back of the fourth and final Champions League berth, which may as well be renamed "Arsenal’s spot."
Where these teams currently stand is perhaps best explained by the contrasting seasons of Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud and Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge.
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Giroud and Sturridge both suffered injuries early in the European campaign. Giroud was expected to sit out until January after injuring his foot on August 23 against Everton. Eleven days later, Sturridge went off injured while on England duty but was not meant to miss too much time.
Giroud recovered well ahead of schedule to provide Arsenal a joyous reminder of just how much easier life is with a quality striker in the lineup. On Merseyside, news of Sturridge undertaking a winter rehabilitation program with the Boston Red Sox medical staff further served as yet another painful reminder that Liverpool will likely not list Sturridge on a team sheet until 2015.
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For the Gunners, the sun is shining through London’s wet winter weather. Manager Arsene Wenger lucked out with a favorable draw in the Champions League, and Arsenal appears to have survived its sour patch of results, winning two in a row and five of its last six matches across all competitions.
Following a demoralizing defeat to Manchester United on November 22, the Gunners have looked sharp. Getting Giroud back at the point of attack has certainly helped the cause. The fashionable Frenchman has three goals in five appearances since returning from injury. Also, Santi Cazorla has regained form with three goals and three assists in five starts following Jack Wilshere's injury, ending a goal drought that lasted three months for club and country. (Just imagine what the reaction would be if Mesut Ozil went through a less-than-productive patch like that at the Emirates.)
While Arsenal smiles about passageway into the Champions League knockout rounds, Liverpool groans about entry to the Europa League. The Reds instantly become one of the favorites to win the competition, but the Europa League further pulls resources and distracts from the Premier League.
Distracted or not, Liverpool has been awful in the Premier League this term.
The same side that narrowly missed out on a Premier League title because of a Steven Gerrard slip is now sitting in 11th. Entering Sunday, Liverpool has more defeats (7) than victories (6) this season. At Anfield, where the Reds won 16 of 18 matches a season ago, Liverpool has recorded only three wins in eight league games.
Sturridge’s absence due to injury and Luis Suarez’s departure have combined to effectively dull a Liverpool attack that was frightening only a short time ago. The title-contending Liverpool scored 101 goals. The 11th-place Liverpool is on pace to score less than half that number, 45.
To say that Liverpool’s attack has been depressed does not fully encompass how poor the Reds have been in front of goal. Along with missing Sturridge and Suarez, Liverpool’s top player this campaign, Raheem Sterling, has been having a nightmare season in front of goal.
Sterling scored twice in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday, but he earned his brace against Bournemouth, a Championship side that prioritized its league standing by picking a second-rate squad. Before the 3-1 win, Sterling had played 21 consecutive matches for club and country without scoring a single goal.
Liverpool still offers pace and the speed of Sterling, who has drawn interest from German champion Bayern Munich, is impossible to harness. However, the 20-year-old has yet to develop the strength required to beat top Premier League keepers consistently. For all his darting runs and tricky dribbling around defenders, Sterling has only scored three goals this season despite putting a high percentage of shots on target. According to Liverpool and Opta Stats, Sterling has 62.5 percent shot accuracy and has put 15 of his 24 shots on target in the Premier League. Three goals from 24 shots, though, hint at the lack of consistent quality in front of net.
Although a victory at Anfield is a difficult proposition for any side, Arsenal is in form, has a stronger squad to choose from and has a higher quality of reserves in the stables.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal.
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• One cannot help but think that Danny Welbeck would have fit in perfectly at Liverpool as Sturridge’s replacement during this injury spell. Sturridge left Chelsea as a disgruntled striker often played wide and overlooked for bigger names. Welbeck’s backstory reads verbatim. Welbeck’s pace, positioning and timely runs would have fit perfectly at Anfield.
• Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers benched goalkeeper Simon Mignolet for Australian Brad Jones. No disrespect to Jones, but Liverpool should be in search of a keeper come January. Victor Valdes would be an intelligent pickup if the Spaniard has fully recovered from a knee injury.
Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. He has previously written about the 2014 World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup and regularly provides opinions on the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA
