Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has hit the nail on the head when he discussed Arsenal’s troubles ahead of the Carabao Cup game on Wednesday.
The Reds are going to face Unai Emery’s disjointed side this week and Lijnders was asked a question about the recent trouble between Gunners’ skipper Granit Xhaka and the fans.
Arsenal are a side who aren’t playing with a clear identity and it’s affecting the players as well as the fans, who don’t know what to expect from the side.
On the other, Liverpool have these ingredients and that’s part of what makes them so successful. Pep Lijnders knows this, and nailed it when he was asked about Arsenal’s recent struggles.
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“It’s always about three things, the Holy Trinity. The fans, the manager and the squad,” said the assistant during the press conference – which you can watch here.
These three things help the Reds to push themselves to greater heights and to accomplish more than they thought was possible. Emery hasn’t really been able to implament one style during his time in London and that’s another thing Lijnders picked up on.
“These three have to be really connected, they have to be one, have one idea, they have to understand each other,” the Dutchman continued. At Arsenal, they aren’t connected. There isn’t one idea and they don’t understand each other.
But despite these problems, the Gunners are still a good side. They got to the final of the Europa League last season and have a truly elite striker with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Nicolas Pepe has come into a bit of form lately.
This fixture will hand more minutes to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Adam Lallana while youngsters such a Curtis Jones are expected to get another chance to lay down a marker for the season going forward.
Aston Villa are the next team to face Liverpool in the Premier League. That game is on Saturday, so keeping key players fresh will be key.