Liverpool legend highlights defensive fears ahead of Arsenal visit

Given the abundance of attacking talent that has come through the doors at Liverpool and Arsenal this summer, it is only natural that a strong sense of expectation surrounds their Premier League summit meeting at Anfield this weekend.

The teams twice drew 2-2 in the league last season, and the addition of Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz to a Liverpool side already containing Mohamed Salah, who finished last term as the competition’s top scorer and provider, would seem to offer as strong an assurance of goals as Arsenal’s acquisition of Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyökeres.

But for former Liverpool striker John Aldridge, the focus on Sunday will be at the opposite end of the pitch, where Arne Slot’s side have been uncharacteristically open in their recent Premier League outings against Bournemouth and Newcastle.

‘Arsenal can defend right now and Liverpool can’t’

“There’s a reason Arsenal have already overtaken us as favourites to win the Premier League this season: they can defend right now and we can’t,” said Aldridge, who scored 63 goals in 104 games in a two-year spell at Anfield between 1987 and 1989. 

“Going forward we have no issues, with seven goals in two games, but if we can match up with Arsenal defensively sooner rather than later, then I don’t think it will be long before Liverpool are favourites again.”

If that is to be achieved, Aldridge believes further reinforcement of the club’s back-line is essential before the transfer window closes on Monday evening. Liverpool acquired the Italian centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma earlier this month, with the 18-year-old promptly receiving an international call-up, and they remain in talks to sign Marc Guehi, the Crystal Palace captain.

Guehi, 26, has a year remaining on his contract, and Palace chairman Steve Parish has indicated a willingness to sell in order to avoid the England international leaving for nothing next summer. With several big clubs circling, Anfield is understood to be Guehi’s destination of choice, but Palace are believed to be holding out for a fee of about £40m – at least £10m more than Liverpool are prepared to pay – and a compromise is yet to be reached.

‘Arsenal will have been licking their lips at the problems Newcastle were causing’

Ibrahima Konaté’s unconvincing start to the season has handed Palace a useful bargaining chip in the negotiations. The France international was at fault for Bournemouth’s equaliser in Liverpool’s 4-2 win on the opening day of the season, and the 26-year-old looked similarly off the pace in Monday night’s last-gasp win over Newcastle. 

With Joe Gomez prone to injury and Jarell Quansah sold to Bayer Leverkusen last month, Aldridge fears Arsenal could exploit the Merseysiders’ defensive shortcomings on Sunday. 

“Arsenal are supposed to be the elite team in the world at set-pieces, so they’ll have been licking their lips at the problems Newcastle were causing Liverpool,” Aldridge wrote in his column for the Liverpool Echo. 

“If I was Virgil van Dijk, I’d be using that as an incentive to keep Arsenal out. After all, [Liverpool] can’t keep on having to score three goals to win.”