When the good ship Arsenal sails clear of the doldrums that comprise the current international break, we have the reigning (but somewhat tarnished) league champions on the horizon.
Liverpool visit the Emirates on Saturday for an 8pm kick-off, and I really wish it was a game we had played before the Interlull, not afterwards.
Going into the break the Scousers’ form was: P8 – W2 – D0 – L6.
People in Liverpool are used to the idea of “the wheels coming off” (whenever they leave their car parked on the street overnight), but the champions’ fall from grace this season is something to behold.
Liverpool were so good last year that no-one could touch them. They finished 18 points – EIGHTEEN! – ahead of the next best team, Manchester City.
This season they have had some bad injuries but that should not be enough to explain their precipitous decline. It’s more like they climbed a mountain last season in winning the title and psychologically thought “that’s it, job done. No need to worry now.”
Anyway, here’s my point. Their recent run has been so bad that it can’t possibly continue. Their players are too good for that. Consequently the two-week break from domestic football will have given Jurgen “Gnashers” Klopp time to refocus, bang some heads together and aim for a strong finish to the season.
If we had played them before the break I would have fancied our chances a lot more, given that we are coming off a run of six games with only one defeat (at the hands of the champions-to-be Man City).
Provided we don’t perform like we did for the first half hour against West Ham, we have the tools to hurt Liverpool.
The question is, have we missed our best chance? Has international footy scuppered our opportunity?
We shall find out at the weekend.
RockyLives
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Thanks Rocky
Interesting your thoughts on climbing a mountain and “job done, no need to worry now” for Scousers. I dont know about Sue’s contacts but certainly my Dipper relatives seem to echo some of that mood. “We won everything, what else is there to go for?” Certainly not the swollen red -nosed one’s approach. Win more, win better, get rid, he’s had his day, we are Manure and laugh at you losers!!
And just when you are happy to let them wallow in PAST AND BRIEF glory, the old Scouser devil appears!
Rumour spreads that Martin BOdegaard was a boyhood Liverpool fan. ” Let’s buy him, better than having Coutinho back, and couldnt we wind up the Gooners!!”
Cant see why we cant perpetuate our good overall form, provided Mikel ensures each player comes onto the field with a proverbial rocket up their a*** from minute one.
COYG, make us smile.
I think the break was indeed better for them than for us. It is good to halt a negative spiral and refresh your mind.
Our form was not as disastrous as Liverpool’s so I think they benefited more than us.
I am hoping our players come back energized (Partey was not great with Ghana by the way) and ready to win against LFC!
https://www.justarsenal.com/has-maitland-niles-done-enough-on-loan-to-get-into-arsenals-midfield/277789
Fred
I know you are a fan, but I dont think he is even good enough to get in ahead of Xhaka…..and you know how highly I rate him!!!
£16.46m in agent fees last year. Got to be the next worst thing to hedge fund managers.
Well hopefully he save WBA from relegation and we shame be saying xhaka who
Douzi on scoresheet for France U21s.
ARGHHH!! Those teeth…..
Disappointing Saka and Smith-Rowe injured. Hope no more problems from tonight’s games.
Declan Rice a monster of a holding central midfielder tonight.
Rice is a very solid player indeed.
@Rocky – what did you make of Milik? He is not bad…
Rest in Peace Rocky Rocastle.
What about Hakimi from Inter Milan as a replacement for Hector?
“Outperforming Robertson”.
KT is the man; what a buy; make him Captain now, Mikel!
On this day in 2003, Francis Jeffers scored his 13th goal in as many England U21 appearances to equal a record set by Alan Shearer. A most disappointing “fox in the box” in the end. Hope Eddie N does himself more justice in the end, but perhaps not for us!?
Thank you, Rocky, for your usual excellent post.
I owe you an apology for not producing even a half-baked possibility of a ‘fill-in’ post during the inter-lull, as I
threatenedpromised to do, but I have an ‘excuse’ for failing to do so, and I have a certificated chit, signed and authorised by my bestess friend, Michael, confirming the following events are true.I also had promised Michael that I would try to improve his tree cabin, so that it did not allow rain to pour down the necks of his ship mates, as no 9 year old pirate captain wants that, for goodness sake.
So, I set to, armed with a sword, sometimes known by the hoi-polloi as a box-cutter, or Stanley knife, to reshape the roof and cut out tree-holes for them to stick their heads out, and a specially shaped tree and shaping the necessary aport-hole for the captain’s head and cocked hat to fit through too.
So when a wet north westerly wind blew a monstrous sea of rain, the brave crew and their captain could keep an eye out for any approaching Navy ship that might want to sink them.
All went well until the sea of rain arrived while I was still cutting the necessary apertures, and the
box-cuttersword became slippery causing my middle finger to slide down and experience a deep half-inch cut.I did not cry at all because of the pain — no, seriously, I did not cry for such a wimpy reason, at all, at all.
Any treacherous tear that might have escaped was because I was forced to leave my carpentry task uncompleted, and also because my wound dripped blood whenever I subsequently, and inadvertently, came into contact with anything firmer than a ginger cat’s fur. To be fair, the cat was the only one to show me any empathy for my circumstance, provided I fed him titbits of steak.
As you can understand, I am desolated that only three of my fingers and a thumb are ready for duty, but the damaged middle finger has a huge red and white bandage that prevents that hand from being applied to a keyboard, and subsequently I am typing with my other digits on the hand on the port side of my finely toned body.
I will make it up to you, and produce the promised Post, once I bravely overcome the inconvenience of typing with my sinister hand — unless, of course, we both totally forget my promise, and instead blame LBG for not producing the Post he promised.
RA
Traitorous dog! I did my best in week one of the Interlull and left the triumphant conclusion to a man with one typing hand.
I know, LBG, I know — but never let the truth get in the way of a good deed — I’m with Meghan — the only truth is my truth – although that is possibly the opposite to her truth, but what can you do? — but my fall back position is “any man who substitutes a ‘peasant’ for a ‘phoenix’ rising from the ashes” has no taste – we are running out of peasants, and they need to be protected — so ipso facto — you need to sharpen your quill pen, and get scribing!! 😜
[Don’t tell Rocky — sshhh — I have managed to type a little bit using the odd fingers on both hands.
No matter – get the quill going.]
Dammit Redders, not you injured on international duty too!
It’s too much.
Rocky, 😁😁
Totally understand the Terrier! Let him go home to his family!
Kris Boyd
Tierney is at the biggest Club, already.
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