If it was not for the size and the manner of the defeat Arsenal suffered the last time we traveled north to face Liverpool in the Premier League, this would probably not even be an issue. That is why Arsene Wenger, as reported by Arsenal.com, has told the Arsenal players that they should not be thinking about that horrible day in February but should be looking on tomorrow’s game as a completely new and different occasion.
Wenger said, “Yes, there might be a few nerves but our job is not about history, it’s about today.”
But the fact is that it is bound to still be a painful memory for a lot of the Gunners that will line up against Liverpool tomorrow. So Wenger has a tough decision on his hands about how to approach this vital game. The way that Brendan Rodgers and his team have been struggling for form amd results this season should encourage us to go for the jugular and aput them under pressure from the first minute.
But that approach saw us go 4-0 behind in the opening 20 minutes of our last trip to Anfield and so the manager may choose to send his players out with a more cautious frame of mind and make sure that we do not concede an early goal again. But that could also encourage the home side and the fans and make our task a more difficult one.
Wenger also said, “They played on another planet against us last season in that game. We were outplayed and maybe it was the game we deserved the most to lose last season. But let’s not forget that one week later, we beat exactly the same team in the FA Cup. That shows you that it’s just down to the performance of the day.
“We’ve won five of our last six games and now we want to continue our strong run. We had a good game against Newcastle and this game on Sunday is another chance for us to show that we can have the continuity in finding a good balance between attacking well and defending well, because Liverpool are always very strong at home. That’s why we want to continue to be faithful to our philosophy and play our game but also be solid defensively.”
What do you think Gooners? Should the Gunners stick or twist?