Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are in line for a tricky Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday and could go into the game without several key first-team stars
It’s crunch time for Arsenal on Sunday afternoon as title rivals Liverpool travel to the Emirates Stadium.
Arne Slot’s Reds can move seven points clear of Mikel Arteta’s team if they’re able to preserve their 100 percent record on the road. They’ll be up against against an Arsenal team shorn of the suspended William Saliba, with several other players in danger of missing out through injury for the hosts.
Arteta gave a pessimistic update on Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber when he spoke to the media on Friday. While he stopped short of ruling all three out, it appears unlikely that all of them will be involved.
In the lead-up to the game, though, it’s not just Arsenal’s injury situation which has been attracting attention. Here, Mirror Football provides the latest lines from around North London.
Arsenal antics upset Deeney
Arsenal and Troy Deeney have history from the former Watford striker’s time in the Premier League. The club have fallen foul of Deeney again of late, but this time it’s the recent red cards for Leandro Trossard and William Saliba which have left him irritated.
“If the likes of Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and William Saliba had been sent off for violent conduct, aggressive behaviour or arguing with refs, I could understand,” Deeney wrote in The Sun. “These things happen, move on. But in Arsenal’s case, none of them were for tackles. They were simply for petulant, lazy and stupid actions — things that manager Mikel Arteta cannot account for.
“In all fairness, Rice’s red against Brighton for kicking the ball away was mental. The ref handled that badly. But Trossard’s against Manchester City was incredibly petulant.”
Arteta issues challenge
Mikel Arteta has challenged his Arsenal players to show they’re up for a title charge. The manager laid down the gauntlet in the lead-up to the Liverpool meeting, where a depleted team will aim to get a result.
Will Arsenal beat Liverpool on Sunday? Give your predictions in the comments section
“When you lose your captain, that’s a big thing,” Arteta said. “When you lose your central defender, a full back, another full back, a striker, a winger: the team has to have the resources. First of all mentally to adapt to that and then maintain the same belief that even like this we’re a great team.
“I love watching individuals and teams react to that. It is a [down] look? I hate it. I haven’t seen it in the staff, I haven’t seen it upstairs, I haven’t seen anyone talk about it. Get on with it. Get on with it. Show your teeth. Show how much you want it.”
Gunners handed referee warning
Former Premier League referee Peter Walton believes current officials have wised up to Arsenal’s use of the so-called ‘dark arts’. Walton has compared the Gunners’ behaviour to that employed by Chelsea, after he oversaw games involving the West London club at the start of the Roman Abramovich era.
The former official admitted referees will do homework on players and teams ahead of games. “It would be unprofessional not to learn from what has gone before. So referees will exchange observations,” Walton wrote in The Times.
“For example, in my day, Chelsea were good at blocking opponents off the ball, but then referees and the media drew attention to their tactics and they were much more likely to be caught,” . “I sense a similar process has happened recently with Arsenal’s set pieces.”
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