Former Arsenal forward Ian Wright has warned the Gunners that they face a "big test" when they play Liverpool on Sunday in another Premier League clash. Mikel Arteta's side had an ideal start to the season, winning seven of their eight games played so far in the division.
Victory over north London rivals Tottenham last time out earned them another three huge points - inflicting a first defeat in the league for the Lilywhites and building a four point gap on them too. It keeps Arsenal top of the Premier League, leading champions Manchester City by one point.
"I’ll leave that to you guys honestly," Arteta said when asked at which point his team are officially part of the title race. Given the form of City, they will have to continue winning every game ahead of them to keep on setting the pace with the busy fixture schedule ahead.
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Next up are Liverpool, who narrowly missed out on winning a second Premier League on the final day of last season after a remarkable comeback into the title picture. Their form this campaign couldn't be more contrasting, sitting ninth in the table with just two wins from their opening seven games.
While they have struggled, Wright has warned Arsenal that the Merseyside club will be a test in their hopes of a top four finish and in potentially pushing for the title. He told Premier League productions: "We [Arsenal] are trying to chase down City but all they can do is what they are doing now.
"Liverpool is going to be a big test because you saw against Manchester United a couple of mistakes and they were beaten, that’s how small the margins are. Liverpool, defensively they can be got at, but can you sustain it against that team because Liverpool have got the type of players that offensively can hurt you.
"I don’t believe that Arsenal should go into that game feeling like you’re at home you should be beating this Liverpool side the form they are in at the moment, that’s how you should be approaching the game. What I saw of Liverpool this is the time to play them.
"So Arsenal, with the belief, everyone is buzzing, no injuries at the moment, this is the type of game where, at home, they’ve got to go and beat Liverpool if we’re serious about trying to get where we want to be which is the top four and pushing Man City as much as you can. I read the other day, which is the main thing and really interesting, a team with this many points at this stage of the season have always made top four.
"Arsenal are trying to make top four and that for me is the focus. You can’t legislate for injuries but from what I’ve seen of them from the start of the season to now is the intensity, the crowd the players and the belief that they can do something."
The Gunners first face Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday before Liverpool on Sunday, but the busy run of fixtures as a whole before the World Cup could be a determining factor in the chase for the top four and possibly beyond.
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