Another Arsenal DAY!!! Liverpool vs Arsenal; These are the
fixtures I live for!
Whether they are on the slump or are breeding a new
generation which will conquer everyone in the near future, I don’t care about
Liverpool, but these are the times when
Thierry Henry’s 2004 spirit should envelop Gunners’ hearts.
Speaking of Henry, finally the King himself decided to hang
his boots after a 20-year illustrious career. King Henry will forever be the
best player to ever grace football, to many, living a legacy so unique that no
other pair of feet will ever match his fete.
Henry made his bow for the Arsenal on a sunny day in August
1999. The young French forward, fresh from lifting the world cup with his
national team, stepped into the famous Highbury Stadium with a dream to shine.
His was a dream carried by an untapped talent, but eight
years later, he left a legacy that apart from him being idolized outside
Emirates Stadium; he left a name that will forever be sung by generations to
come.
His records are simply unmatchable
and his 228 goals record will have to wait for a few more years to be broken.
Henry who won 2 Premier League titles with the club, was one of the club’s key figures throughout his entire career with the club, most notably his contributions in Wenger’s famous ‘Invincibles’ title winning team in 2004.
Henry who won 2 Premier League titles with the club, was one of the club’s key figures throughout his entire career with the club, most notably his contributions in Wenger’s famous ‘Invincibles’ title winning team in 2004.
On a day like this, all I can recall is his iconic displays
against Liverpool at Highbury a decade ago when Arsenal fell behind twice in a
crucial tie which would go on to decide the title winners. Henry was considered
a huge gamble when Wenger opted to start him, despite concerns that he had back
problems. The gamble paid off and Thierry went on to spearhead his team to a
memorable 4-2 win; in a match which saw him rack a vital hat trick.
All the best to the
main man who made me fall in love with the red and white, I might not
have 14 on my back but his prolific nature in front of goal will forever be my prayer whenever Arsenal got rookie players leading our line.
Today's match might not have much hype compared to
last season's first leg, when Arsenal's position at the top of the table
only depended on the fixture at Emirates; hours after Chelsea faltered
at Newcastle. Cazorla and super Ramsey's goals were enough to condemn
Rodgers men who were on a hot winning streak.
Months later, in February, the worst happened.
Arsenal were shattered, torn and subjected to the worst first 20 minutes
in their history, when Liverpool's unforgiving forward line left Arsenal
with 4 goals in their bag, lighting up the famous Anfield crowd.
Mertesacker disappeared, Koscielny lost touch and
Monreal was still contemplating on the chance to get back to North
London with the very first train after an embarrassing outing. Well
thanks to our clueless captain, Mikel Arteta, managed to end the
game with a 'respectable' 5-1 scoreline compared to pundits
expectations before the break.
Fast forward and the month is December, Cazorla has
found his dancing shoes again and Brendan Rodgers is no longer Kop
fans' favorite. Liverpool may have lost over five league matches, but Arsene
Wenger's side know the intensity of the game way before stepping to the
Anfield tunnel.
Arsenal enjoyed a long free week , healthy enough for the
players after registering two crucial wins against Galatasaray and the
mighty Newcastle. Liverpool on the other side never had the luxury of
enjoying a rest but their 3-1 win over Bournemouth to set a mouth
watering semi final encounter with Chelsea in the league cup,serves as enough booster thanks to Raheem Sterling's resurgence.
Santiago Cazorla managed to score twice on his 30th
birthday while Giroud made it six goals against his national team
mates, at Newcastle, in just 4 appearances. Cazorla once again, amidst
criticism proved he is a fine wine which only gets better with time. His
delicate chip from the edge of the box was world class and purely
second to none.
He followed it up with a superb easy chip from the
penalty area to mark his D-day with an emotional and memorable fashion.
Arsenal's display was scintillating and much
entertaining regarding the fact that they were passing the ball easily
around, a side which was fresh from breaking Chelsea's 23 match unbeaten
run. Bellerin stepped up the plate and his assist to Giroud was simply
awesome, excellent way to cap a successful evening, after a poor show at
Brittania Stadium.
Today's match will simply expose both managers to
much stick and sheer criticism should one of them bite the hard sandwich
of a three point loss. Wenger has always proved a hard nut to crack in
the festive period, and Liverpool coupled up by a trip to Upton Park on
Friday and another encounter with QPR, will serve as a realistic test to
his record.
Brendan Rodgers, whose side lie on position 11,
knows the value of each and every game, as they look to relive their
season, after a successful run which they nearly won the premiership
after a 20-year drought. Who will emerge victorious? well it will all go
down to the managers' selection, as well as the tactics deployed, leave
alone the players' confidence levels.
KEY POINT: Cazorla is used to scoring against Liverpool but Sanchez make it a happy belated birthday after he turned 26 on Friday?
MATCH FACTS:
-Liverpool have won just two of the last 14 Premier League meetings with Arsenal (W2 D7 L5).
-There
have been four 90th minute or later goals in the last six Premier
League meetings between Liverpool and Arsenal at Anfield.
-Liverpool v Arsenal has seen more hat-tricks than any other fixture in Barclays Premier League history (5).
-Last
season’s 5-1 annihilation of the Gunners at Anfield ended a run of six
home games without a win over the Gunners for the Reds (D3 L3).
-Arsenal
have trailed in six of the last seven Premier League games against
Liverpool at Anfield and come back to win two and draw three of those
six where they fell behind.
-Mario Balotelli has had more shots (42 – inc. blocked) than any other player yet to score in the Premier League this season.
-Only
Sergio Aguero (17) has had an involvement (goals or assists) in more
Premier League goals than Alexis Sanchez (14) this season.
-Alexis Sanchez has scored (7) or assisted (4) 11 of Arsenal’s last 17 Premier League goals (65 per cent).
-After
failing to score with his previous 38 shots this season in the Premier
League (inc. blocked), Santi Cazorla has scored with three of his last
seven in the competition.
-Liverpool
had more points from their first 16 games of 2010-11 under Roy Hodgson
(22) than they do currently in 2014-15 (21). Based on three points for a
win, this is Liverpool’s worst -record after 16 games since 1964-65.
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