Liverpool are currently top of the Premier League table but are just one point ahead of Manchester City and four points ahead of Arsenal
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has shrugged off the sceptics questioning the team’s ability to compete for the Premier League title under Arne Slot. Despite the Reds‘ strong start, sitting at the summit of the table with seven victories from eight matches, some still doubt their firepower against leading contenders like Manchester City and Arsenal.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Alexander-Arnold said: “It doesn’t bother me. We had to try and figure out how good we were as a team in a new system and if that system was going to work and obviously it has.
“We have a lot of world-class players but a new manager and a new system, so of course on the outside looking in you’re thinking, ‘I don’t know. Can they go and challenge the City’s and Arsenal’s?
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“But for us, we were training, we felt good and we got off to a good start. As soon as we came in for the first chat with the manager, it was ‘we want to win things’.”
The upcoming match will be a real litmus test for Slot’s managerial prowess in the Premier League when Liverpool lock horns with Arsenal this Sunday—a clash that’s already generating buzz. Slot himself acknowledged Arsenal’s strength to TNT Sports following his team’s narrow 1-0 Champions League victory over RB Leipzig, stating: “We know how tough an opponent Arsenal are, especially in their own stadium.
“Arteta has done an amazing job in the last few years. So we know, like against Chelsea and like today, we have to be on top of our game to have a chance to get a result. But we will do everything to get that of course.”
Meanwhile, Arteta remains optimistic about his team’s prospects for Sunday’s match, despite recent injury concerns. Following Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, Arteta acknowledged the challenges his team faced, but emphasized that they will be well-prepared for the upcoming game.
“We played two nights ago with players coming from internationals after flying from Brazil and many countries,” he explained. “I was expecting a bit of a drop-off. And the fact that we put so much in the first half and didn’t get the distance in terms of the scoreline, I think we paid a bit for that. Then we made life more difficult for us because we started give the ball away in not the right areas and then it was more open.
“That didn’t help. But we have now four days. Believe me, come Sunday we’ll be flying. For sure. We’ll review, have a day off, then two days to prepare the game. Sunday is far and we are more than comfortable that we’ll be in the right place.”
