Premier League 2018/19: 3 reasons why Liverpool will beat Arsenal

This weekend sees more great Premier League action on offer, but the big game that really stands out is Saturday’s clash between title contenders Liverpool and Arsenal. The Emirates Stadium plays host to the match between the two sides, and with neither side having suffered a loss since August, something has to give.

So who will win? Can Unai Emery’s resurgent Gunners take what would be their biggest scalp of 2018/19 so far? Or will Jurgen Klopp’s men once again prove themselves to be superior – and prove that Arsenal still aren’t back to their best?

For me, the latter is more likely. Here are 3 reasons why Liverpool will beat Arsenal this weekend.

#1 Liverpool’s tighter defence

The addition of Alisson has bolstered Liverpool's defence hugely

Last season was a hugely successful one for Liverpool – they reached the final of the Champions League and secured their place at Europe’s top table again this season by finishing 4th in the Premier League, but it was quite clear that they were far from the finished article.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were notably impressive in attack, but had a soft underbelly – their defence was brought into question on numerous occasions, most notably in games against title rivals. They conceded 5 in a loss to Manchester City, 4 in a loss to Tottenham and 3 in a draw with Arsenal.

When 2017/18 was over, they’d scored a tremendous 84 goals – the second most in the league – but had conceded 38, more than any other side in the top 4. Klopp evidently spotted this weakness for himself and the last two transfer windows have seen him bolster his squad in the defensive area, signing centre-back Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

The change thus far in 2018/19 has been pretty dramatic – not only have Liverpool conceded just 4 goals thus far compared to 16 at the same point last season, but in games against title rivals (Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea) they’ve only let in 2.

The addition of Alisson has added some much needed safe hands between the sticks to replace the calamity-strewn pair of Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet, and Van Dijk has formed a mean partnership with both Joe Gomez and the resurgent Dejan Lovren.

Arsenal’s front line is formidable – Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are both dangerous strikers – but if any defence can keep them quiet throughout 90 minutes, it’s Liverpool’s.

#2 Mo Salah could take advantage of Arsenal’s defensive frailties

Mo Salah appears to be back on form after a lean period

Unai Emery might have Arsenal fans dreaming of the good times once again, but there are some ominous signs that things may not be quite as rosy as they’re being made out to be right now. Sure, the Gunners have won 7 of their 10 Premier League matches thus far, but they definitely haven’t looked invulnerable while doing so.

Most notably, their defence doesn’t look quite as strong as the ones called upon by their title rivals – teams such as Liverpool. New signing Sokratis was supposed to add extra strength, but while he’s performed well at times, his fellow defenders Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi have still looked questionable on occasion.

It’s notable that the Gunners have conceded 13 goals thus far this season – more than any other side in the top 5 right now – and they’ve also only kept 2 clean sheets, in games against Everton and Watford in September.

Even more worryingly for Emery and his side, on Saturday they’re facing one of the most deadly attacking forces in the Premier League – and one whose most dangerous weapon is just coming back to form.

After his shoulder injury in the Champions League final, questions were being asked of Mo Salah when he scored just 3 goals for Liverpool in his first 11 games this season – hardly the prolific form he showed in 2017/18.

Those questions suddenly seem to have disappeared now though. The Egyptian hitman has hit form with a vengeance, scoring 4 goals in his last 3 games and making 2 assists along the way as well. An on-form Salah will only mean problems for Arsenal, and if their defence fails to hold up, he will almost certainly punish them – leading to a Liverpool victory.

#3 Arsenal’s slow starts might catch up with them

Despite 7 Premier League wins, Arsenal have suffered from slow starts

Despite Arsenal’s good form as of late, winning 7 out of 10 games in the Premier League thus far, it’s notable that they’ve often struggled for success in the first half of their matches. They’ve hit an impressive total of 24 Premier League goals thus far – but worryingly, only 6 of those goals have come in the first half.

And worryingly for them, on the flip side, of the 13 goals, they’ve conceded, 8 of them have come in the first half. The Gunners have actually fallen behind in 5 of their 10 games, even if only Chelsea and Manchester City have managed to defeat them.

What does this mean for Saturday’s clash with Liverpool? Well, the Reds are known for coming out of the blocks quickly. They’ve scored 20 goals thus far, with 12 of them coming in the first half. Most notably, they performed a smash-and-grab job on Southampton in September, scoring 3 goals in the first half to kill the game dead before half-time.

Add in the fact that this will be the first time Arsenal have faced a genuine title rival since their first two games of the season – the two losses against Chelsea and Man City, arguably no coincidence – and they could be in deep trouble when they face Jurgen Klopp’s flying Reds, particularly if Salah and company get onto the scoresheet first.

The truth is that despite putting together some impressive performances, Unai Emery’s side haven’t really beaten a really strong side this season yet, and 3 of their wins have come against relegation candidates in Cardiff, Fulham and Newcastle.

Liverpool are the acid test for them come Saturday, and the likelihood is that they won’t be able to pass it.