Top of the league, nine wins out of 10, the bookmakers’ favourites to win the Europa League and all the summer signings gelling like Gorilla Glue - it is easy to get carried away as an Arsenal supporter right now.
Mikel Arteta has enjoyed the perfect start to silence the naysayers who questioned his side’s mentality last season. A calamitous end to the 2021-22 campaign saw the Gunners miss out on a coveted Champions League spot to Tottenham Hotspur - despite having a six-point advantage over their bitter rivals in March.
Adding Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko - two proven Premier League winners - as well as former loan merchant William Saliba, appears to have drastically improved the side. However, the brutal reality is that Spurs were the first top side Arsenal have beaten all season.
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Despite their stuttering start, Liverpool should provide a far sterner examination of what the Gunners can achieve in 2022-23. Victory at the Emirates Stadium would widen the gap to 14 points over Jurgen Klopp’s side - an unthinkable feat back in August.
The Reds provide the acid test where supporters can judge how much ammunition the Gunners truly have. BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton typifies the understandable hyperbole currently surrounding Arsenal.
In his weekly pre-match prediction column, the former Blackburn Rovers striker backed Arteta & Co to thrash Liverpool 4-1. “The way Arsenal went at Tottenham last weekend was impressive and bodes well for this game too,” Sutton wrote.
“While the Gunners are playing well and are full of confidence, things still aren't right at Liverpool as far as I can see. Jurgen Klopp's side were very comfortable against Rangers in the Champions League on Tuesday but they weren't tested defensively. Here, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus won't give them a minute's peace.
“I think Liverpool will score, even though they have not quite clicked yet this season, but Arsenal's attacking talent are going to cause them a lot of problems at the other end.”
Dismantling Liverpool would require tearing up the Premier League history book. Fans will be well aware of their disastrous run against the Reds - who have become a bogey team for Arsenal in recent years.
The Gunners are winless in their last five outings against the red half of Merseyside. Just three wins in 19 - with 11 defeats - should fire an ominous warning to Arteta pre-match. Despite this, Arsenal go into the clash as overwhelming favourites.
But football, after all, is renowned for its fickle nature. After all, Sutton - four months before his bold 4-1 prediction - insisted he could not envisage Arsenal competing with Liverpool in the coming years.
“From Arsenal’s point of view, I like the continuity and stability at the club, but I just don’t see this Arsenal team ever being able to compete in the next few seasons with the top two,” Sutton declared.
“Having said that, I don’t really see Spurs’ team being able to compete but I think they stand a better chance under Conte than Arsenal do under Arteta.”
A top-four finish was seen as a necessity this season - anything beyond that is a bonus. Supporters are allowed to dream but must be wary of the volatile media furore that engulfs the modern game. Beating Liverpool will not be the walk in the park many expect - as Gunners fans have repeatedly learned over the years.
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