Emirates’ ‘wounds’

All major parties cause some deterioration in relations between opponents. Some take the form of visible wounds, such as injuries, and others, emotional blows or less visible accusations, such as malice in verbal confrontations, often leave a mark. It also happened between Arsenal and Liverpool, whose growing rivalry to be the club that could oust Manchester City became very tense, to the point that, after the match at the Emirates, full of tactics between the coaches , the spark of accusations.

It is already focused on even a dispute for the title, which will keep the ‘gunners’ and ‘reds’ side by side in the ‘skyblues’ of Pep Guardiolathe dialectical conflict between Arne Slott and Mikel Arteta surprised by the recriminations of Liverpool’s Dutch coach. There was a lot of equality on the pitch, and no one could emerge as the winner, and that’s why the final tie (2-2) made the team even more unhappy. spacewho, after losing the lead at the end of the match, accused Arsenal of trickery and foul play. He blamed it for trying to slow down the game and wasting a lot of time with fouls or interruptions due to injury. This is the kind of mockery that will mark the future of the season, will increase the pressure on Artetaand also the atmosphere of the second round at Anfield.

In fact, some UK press have written a lot these days about the alleged dirty tactics used by Artetaeven comparing it to what the Portuguese used to do Mourinho. The only certainty is that Arsenal’s Basque coach has the experience of his other failed seasons fighting for the title and does not want to make more mistakes, at a time when injuries are taking a toll on the north London team .

The first visible effect of the rivalry between Arsenal and Liverpool was nerves. Both are on Arteta as in spacethe pressure exerted by Manchester City Guardiola They are forced to demand maximum performance from their players in every game and prioritize the defensive aspects. It is no coincidence that they are the two best defenses in the Premier League, as both have come to the conclusion that the best way to win games is to avoid conceding goals.

defensive struggle

Arsenal finished the match at the Emirates with obvious signs of being badly affected. Injuries and three expulsions sustained in the first nine games have greatly affected their lineups. It was enough to see the team form the second half against Liverpool with a completely improvised defence: Party-Kiwior-Whitenext to the young man Lewis Skellyon the left side. However, the ‘reds’ were unable to knock him down which caused despair Arne Slott: “A lot of times they were on the ground,” the Dutchman complained about Arsenal’s style. “I don’t blame them for that, but that takes the energy out of the game, in my opinion, he said very angrily, but all coaches use their strategies when their teams are exhausted.

Liverpool are also a more cautious and tough team now than they have played Jurgen Kloppprone to dizziness attacks. They conceded just five in the first nine games. At the Emirates we saw two very protected teams, it is not in vain that they compete as the best defense. Arsenal held the Premier League record last season, Liverpool now lead it. Both technicians prioritize the property to try to avoid hazards. They want control, to dominate games by denying the opponent the game.

The tiredness of the city

The tension between the Gunners and Reds will grow from now on, as they see the odds of victory close. Manchester City were already showing signs of fatigue in their early holes. It’s not the same team as last year. Fatigue and injuries cause him and the cycles of Guardiola They do not provide the same performance. This will be seen on Wednesday at the Tottenham Stadum in London, where the ‘skyblues’ are in overdrive. With a two-goal deficit in 25 minutes, a frantic reaction from the team was expected. Guardiolawho lined up the youth like O’Riley19, but did not come, and City were eliminated from the EFL Cup. Guardiola He wanted to return the result: “The news is not that we lost, but how long we didn’t lose,” he reacted, defending himself from criticism.

Due to this situation of greater weakness of the four-time Premier champion, which was aggravated by the injuries of Rodri, De Bruyne and now the SavinoArsenal and Liverpool saw the opportunity, and increased their rivalry off and on the field, without caring about the moments of tension. One at the Emirates, in a tie full of parity, left an emotional ‘wound’, and two injuries at Arsenal (Magalhaes and Number), and it also means that Liverpool have lost their lead in the Premier League. a hurt Arne Slot, already feeling strong in his first year on Merseyside, announced the match: “The team likes him. I feel it every day. Players who can’t play are agitated, and no doubt that makes them very dangerous. “There we are.”

The two candidates also made it past the round of 16 of the EFL Cup, thus placing themselves on the ramp that gives access to the titles. Punished by previous seasons, where City capitalized on all their mistakes, the Gunners and Reds are competing in guts and determination to break City’s long dominance. The task they face paints a scenario of massive parity, meaning there will be a ‘war’ of attrition to influence the final outcome.