SoccerNet Live

Over the past few weeks, punters who placed their faith on Arsenal had their fingers burnt badly. The Gunners slumped into a crisis, blew their five points advantage, and now languish six points behind league leader Manchester United. Some injured pride was healed in the 3-2 victory over Bolton which, in the words of Wenger, was their “best comeback” since he was in charge at the club.

It wasn’t a pretty performance and Bolton were calling the shots until the last 30 minutes. The deadlock was broken with their first shot on target. Arsenal had a player sent off (Abou Diaby) and just before half time, Bolton compounded their troubles when Taylor’s shot deflected off Gallas.

Fortunately, Adebayor came off the bench to turn the game on its head. Gallas toe-poked the ball from a corner to close the deficit and van Persie equalized with a penalty. Right at the death, Hleb’s cross was deflected off Fabregas and Bolton’s Jlloyd Samuel into the net.

If performance was the yardstick, Arsenal are far from their best but it will be a great folly to write them off. Fate has lined them up for a triple header with Liverpool, twice in Europe with a Premier League game sandwiched in between. It is a toss-up in normal circumstances as both teams are so familiar with each other, only the form of the day will determine the victor.

Liverpool’s form is not assuring yet. After going on a superb run, they crashed into the ground when Manchester United completely outclassed them in a 3-0 victory. Mascherano’s sending off was a sideshow which was immaterial in stopping the whitewash. Against Everton, however, a dominant Liverpool took center stage and it restored confidence to Anfield fans that their team will not be humiliated by Arsenal.

A fourth minute mistake by Yakubu Ayegbeni allowed Fernando Torres to capitalize with a superb shot into the net. Perhaps the best of Everton were not showcased as midfield dynamo Tim Cahill was injured. Andy Johnson was also incapacitated, and Mikel Arteta and Yakubu might as well have been on the bench as they were listless. Everton ended up devoid of ideas, made sloppy passing and were reckless in defense.

It is unfair to take anything away from Liverpool though. The intense performance illustrates their ability in proving their critics wrong when they put their mind to it. The Reds deserve their dominance with superior passing and movement. No punches were pulled as Liverpool fielded their best team, instead of reserving energy for the midweek Champions League clash with Arsenal.

According to Alex Ferguson, Arsenal’s title hopes will be finished off by Liverpool, either that, or they will be drained to such an extent before the Red Devils plunge the knife into their heart. This is part of Ferguson’s mind games to unsettle Arsenal in the Premier League race.

I believe Arsenal still retain an outside chance to clinch the Premier League crown by edging out the Reds but in the Champions League, it is a complex issue. Benitez has better credentials, having guided his side to two out of the last three finals of Europe’s elite competition.

Benitez dismissed claims that Liverpool will be scared of facing Arsenal on Wednesday, insisting his squad have earned the right to be respected on the European stage. Kolo Toure had expressed a fear factor in Liverpool which may outweigh their vast European experience and tilt the tie in Arsenal’s favour. Benitez gave an emphatic response to Toure’s remarks. His question: “Are we scared of Arsenal?” was followed up by a firm “No.”

“We beat Arsenal 4-1 at Anfield in the league last season and our league game earlier this season finished 1-1, despite Fernando Torres having an injury problem. This will be a tough game for both sides, but we are confident that we will get through if we do our job properly.”

“Whenever we play in Europe, we have a lot of confidence. These are games in which the managers know each other and the players know each other. That makes it difficult to find an edge, but it also makes the game more exciting.”

I have no doubt Fernando Torres will be the main danger man when Liverpool travel to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. The Spanish striker has settled down well and forged an excellent partnership with Gerrard. He had now scored 28 goals in all competitions (21 EPL goals) helping the Reds to a five points lead over fifth placed Everton with six games left to contest. In the process, he equaled a club record to join Fred Pagnam, Roger Hunt, Ian Rush and Michael Owen as the only players to score in six successive games at Anfield.

Besides his obvious skills, Torres has the perfect temperament for big matches - his coolness under pressure and a competitive streak will hold him in good stead. Liverpool’s system of playing Torres as an out-and-out striker with Gerrard, Babel and Kuyt providing ammunition also suited him to a tee. Arsenal have to maintain their focus till the final whistle as a porous defense (appearing frequently against lowly teams, the latest being Bolton) will be a god-send for the sizzling Torres.

Javier Mascherano is set to return to the first XI after missing the derby victory over Everton due to suspension and Benitez admits the Argentinian’s ability to shield his defence could be vital. Gerrard had a magnificent derby, dropping deeply to gain possession and switching play with his repertoire of short and long passes.

He was unfazed by jeers from Everton fans who derided his insipid international performance. Wrecking havoc in Everton’s defenses at will, Gerrard is at his best when he is lambasted, symbolical of Liverpool’s spirit when they are backed into a corner. If Arsenal can restrict his damage or he had another bad game, half the battle is won.

Benitez believes that Arsenal may be distracted by the win over Bolton Wanderers as they have to allocate resources for the Premier League challenge. I doubt so as Wenger is not likely to repeat the same mistake twice. Earlier on, he prioritized the Champions League over the FA Cup which resulted in a humiliating 4-0 loss to Manchester United. That derailed their momentum while the Red Devils grew from strength to strength.

I think, on paper, Liverpool possess the edge over Arsenal but that is what we thought also when Arsenal clashed with AC Milan and we know where the Italians are now. The next ten days will be an immense challenge for Wenger. If they come out unscathed from the triple header and then a clash of the titans with Manchester United, they may yet reach for a prestigious double. So long as Arsenal believe in themselves that they can defeat any team, Anfield fans must brace themselves for an upset.