Arsenal’s Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday is a battle for the present and the future. Jürgen Klopp’s decision to step down as Reds manager at the end of the season abruptly altered the dynamics of this and future seasons.
Liverpool’s current dominance contributed to the shock. Klopp announced his departure just as they appeared to have reestablished themselves as Manchester City’s main challengers.
This weekend’s meeting at Emirates Stadium will test both the improved endurance of “Liverpool 2.0” and Arsenal’s prospects of demonstrating that last season’s title challenge was not a fluke. And by moving into position now, one of these teams may establish themselves as the leading candidate vying to break Pep Guardiola’s stranglehold on a trophy he has won in five of the last six seasons.
Klopp was the only manager capable of ending the monopoly. Can he do it one last time and prepare Liverpool for life without him? Or will Mikel Arteta build on his blossoming reputation by transforming Arsenal into City’s most credible threat in the next years?
At first appearance, Arsenal’s need for a victory on Sunday appears more pressing. Arsenal trail leaders Liverpool by five points and are equal with City, despite having played one more game. Defeat would result in a deficit that would significantly decrease their margin for error in the final 15 games of their league season. There is also a larger, more existential war raging in the red half of north London, as they strive to demonstrate better durability after failing to reach the distance last season.
Arteta has frequently speculated on the points total that may be required to win the league, and his most recent statement on the subject noted that “what will happen in direct games” between rivals is “a big consequence.”
