By Bulldog Drummond
Playing the champions elect brings with it some concerns that we might be badly beaten (given our recent results) and some hope that they will not play well (given their recent results).
The takeover of the club’s decision making by the “Fourth is not a trophy” gang has led to a very poor run against Liverpool…
| Date | Game | Res | Score | Competition |
| 24 Aug 2015 | Arsenal v Liverpool | D | 0-0 | Premier League |
| 13 Jan 2016 | Liverpool v Arsenal | D | 3-3 | Premier League |
| 14 Aug 2016 | Arsenal v Liverpool | L | 3-4 | Premier League |
| 04 Mar 2017 | Liverpool v Arsenal | L | 3-1 | Premier League |
| 27 Aug 2017 | Liverpool v Arsenal | L | 4-0 | Premier League |
| 22 Dec 2017 | Arsenal v Liverpool | D | 3-3 | Premier League |
| 03 Nov 2018 | Arsenal v Liverpool | D | 1-1 | Premier League |
| 29 Dec 2018 | Liverpool v Arsenal | L | 5-1 | Premier League |
| 24 Aug 2019 | Liverpool v Arsenal | L | 3-1 | Premier League |
| 30 Oct 2019 | Liverpool v Arsenal | L | 5-5 | League Cup |
It is not just that we have lost six of the last ten and drawn four, but the number of goals they keep knocking in. 31 goals conceded in ten games.
Mind you the headline in the Guardian, “Mikel Arteta warns Arsenal to spend heavily or forget Champions League” is worrying, since heavy spending by Arsenal usually results in a decline in league position, as has happened after last summer’s expenditure. Mind you a change of manager usually has the same impact, so at least he’s not suggesting that!
But such statements, if he really did say that, is just bad for internal relations – it is hardly a motivation to the promising youngsters to stay if the manager is talking about bringing in more and more expensive players from elsewhere.
We have lost 89 games against Liverpool against the 78 we have won. Mind you since we started winning things in the 1930s Arsenal have never gone 30 years without winning the title (even if we include the war years when the title was not competed for). Liverpool have managed that record. (Actually so have Tottenham).
The fact is that we are going to knock up our lowest ever total number of points since 1994/5 when we came 12th. Now we responded to that by changing managers twice and coming 5th, 3rd and then being champions (double winners in fact). The trouble is we’ve already changed managers twice.
Part of our current problem is that under Mr Arteta we do keep getting into the lead, and then slipping away to draws or defeats. On the plus side Lacazette has scored a couple of goals in his last three games, so that is a terrific improvement.
But we can find some hope in all this as the list of recent Liverpoodling matches shows… they have won four, drawn two and lost four of the last ten and have been knocked out of the FA Cup and the Champions League in the process. Mind you, I’d accept that if we’d just won the Premier League.
| Date | Game | Res | Score | Competition |
| 29 Feb 2020 | Watford v Liverpool | L | 3-0 | Premier League |
| 3 Mar 2020 | Chelsea v Liverpool | L | 2-0 | FA Cup |
| 7 Mar 2020 | Liverpool v AFC Bournemouth | W | 2-1 | Premier League |
| 11 Mar 2020 | Liverpool v Atlético Madrid | L | 2-3 | Champions League |
| 21 Jun 2020 | Everton v Liverpool | D | 0-0 | Premier League |
| 24 Jun 2020 | Liverpool v Crystal Palace | W | 4-0 | Premier League |
| 2 Jul 2020 | Manchester City v Liverpool | L | 4-0 | Premier League |
| 5 Jul 2020 | Liverpool v Aston Villa | W | 2-0 | Premier League |
| 8 Jul 2020 | Brighton and Hove v Liverpool | W | 1-3 | Premier League |
| 11 Jul 2020 | Liverpool v Burnley | D | 1-1 | Premier League |
At home we have not done enough to make up for what is becoming a traditionally poor away form
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 13 | 34 | 52 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 50 | 12 | 38 | 41 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 39 | 16 | 23 | 36 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 33 | 17 | 16 | 36 |
| 5 | Leicester City | 17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 15 | 18 | 34 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 28 | 16 | 12 | 33 |
| 7 | Sheffield United | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 14 | 10 | 33 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 31 | 21 | 10 | 30 |
The interesting point with that table however is that a 2-0 win tonight will give us the same number of points at home as Chelsea have, an identical goal difference and more goals scored. That’s about the most positive spin that can be put on this form.
Sadly for us, even with the recent slips Liverpool are the best away team in the league by a mile and a bit…
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 29 | 14 | 15 | 41 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 41 | 22 | 19 | 31 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 36 | 33 | 3 | 30 |
| 4 | Southampton | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 28 | 25 | 3 | 28 |
| 5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 18 | 5 | 27 |
But if we want a straw or two to clutch at, we have scored more at home than Liverpool have away, (although they have a much better defence away than we have at home).
Since the lockdown we have only played two home games – beating Norwich 4-0 and drawing with Leicester 1-1.
It really is getting to be a bit 1994/5.
Still, there is one laugh to be had: Manchester City fans bending over backwards to try and show that the CAS decision vindicates their clubs, rather than being an assault on the ineptitude of Uefa. That at least has made me smile during what has become a not very smile-inducing time.
Wow, I thought your are one of the few positive Arsenal blogs out there, but lately, you just keep posting negative articles over and over again. Arteta is ambitious and we clearly lack quality in certain areas of the pitch. So where is the problem with spending on the right targets to make this team better? That’s what football clubs do – improving the squad. And this will not be bad in the eyes of the youngsters too. They will love to play with amazing players and be happy about competition. We include a lot of players in the first team already. Are you afraid that we spent heavily and improve, so all your articles saying that spending heavily does not help the team are proven to be false? And don’t say that we spent money in the past and it didn’t help, because if we buy players who are not up to the task – how should that help? Using last summer’s transfer window as a prove of decline if we spend a lot money is ridiculous, as we had three managers this season, a pandemic and performed the worst in 4 decades (at the lowest point under Emery). You always mock people who say something against our current manager, yet you do the same here with Arteta, who looks massively ambitious and amazing. That’s double standards and hypocrisy. Sad to see what this blog has become.
Thanks BD. I find artetas remarks, if he really made them, slightly ominous.
Perhaps he knows he will lose big players and wants to ensure they are replaced?
Unfortunately, as whenever we play city or Liverpool , I fear a bit of a walkover inflicted these days, and saw some tired legs in the NLD. But await to be pleasantly surprised!
I think you have not taken in what is being said on this blog, perhaps drawing conclusions from a selective reading of articles here. Always a dodgy thing to do because it can give a very false reading of the view expressed here, and lead to you looking a little foolish.
But to help out, what I’ll do is write a page that is on permanent display so that you can see.
I would not be surprised if Mikel Arteta had said no such thing.