The moment I hit “publish” on the Top 6 Premier League table finish prediction, I regretted it. With most of the Prem games postponed this weekend, all eyes were on Arsenal as it was time to see how this team would handle their first major setback of the season; and they handled it very well.
Brentford is a fantastic team with fantastic players. Ivan Toney has just got called up to England which is a career defining moment. Toney’s strike partner Bryan Mbeumo, who is only 23 years old by the way, is another player I really enjoy watching at Brentford as well as many others; Rico Henry, David Raya, Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Sergi Canós, you get it.
The reason I think I’m wrong about Arsenal finishing outside the Top 4 comes down to 3 points.
Gabriel Jesus - At the time of writing, Jesus has 7 league appearances, 4 goals and 3 assists. Every time someone says “Man City won the league last season without a #9” they are slandering Jesus. Man City made a tactical decision not to play Jesus as their #9 last season and fair enough to them, that worked out. But at Arsenal, one could describe Gabriel Jesus as being the team’s Talisman, a role that has gone unfilled for too long.
When I think of Jesus at Arsenal I think of a player who offers Aubameyang’s goal scoring, Lacazette’s link-up play, Giroud’s hold-up play, all in a package that is incredibly more agile, nimble, ambitious and just overall miles better than any of these players are/were, no disrespect. Jesus changes the entire dimension of this Arsenal offense and this is something I should be rating much higher.Youth - Gabriel Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka are all players born on or after the year 2000 and each have over 50 appearances for their club; Saka has 104 league appearances. This is relevant because my thought process in placing Arsenal in 5th place is due to their lack of depth offensively which of course is still a major issue especially in center midfield. However, with games coming in hot and heavy every 3 days, fatigue is going to be just as much a factor as injuries and this should be a season that favors young players who’s bodies are more accepting of quick turn arounds.
Liverpool - If we think Arsenal are going to finish in the top 4 then this means someone else will have to dropout and that someone for me is Liverpool. In an interesting way, this Liverpool squad’s greatest strength is opposite of this current Arsenal team’s biggest advantage. Arsenal have youth and comparing that to Liverpool’s strength, their immense experience, causes a dilemma. Though my perspective is shifting and following a very convincing Brentford win, I’m at the customer service counter now looking to exchange Experience for Youth.
A word like Experience is like a backpack, many things can fit into it but once it’s full it will slow you down. Experience, one could say is acquired through the passing of time as you age. In lesser words, this Liverpool team may have reached its peak and where normally a team can lean on its experience to get it through difficult moments, this team could find itself hampered by their older age.
Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest manager in English football, had an elite ability to refresh and renew his squad when he felt his team was beginning to drop off. In modern football, when club management believe a team is in need of a refresh that typically involves sacking the manager as well as player-related changes.
Jurgen Klopp joined Liverpool in 2015 and although it may be too early to make this claim as many mid-table teams could begin to drop-off, this Premier League season and finishing in the top 4 presents as the most competitive challenge he will have faced in this tenure. A challenge that Mikel Arteta’s team appears to be up for.