Jamie Carragher names two excellent stars Liverpool should’ve signed from Arsenal, with Klopp jealous of Arteta
Jamie Carragher believes Jurgen Klopp will be ‘envious’ of the squad Mikel Arteta has at his disposal, while also suggesting two players Liverpool should have signed from Arsenal.
Liverpool and Arsenal have gone on two completely different journeys this season. At one stage last term, Liverpool were close to winning the quadruple. They went on to lift the FA Cup and Carabao Cup but were left heartbroken in their pursuit of Champions League and Premier League glory.
Liverpool have not been able to replicate that kind of brilliant form this time around. They sit eighth in the league, 10 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United. Klopp’s side have also been knocked out of the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, meaning the only way they can salvage anything from this campaign is sneaking into the top four.
There are a couple reasons why Liverpool are struggling so much. At the start of the current season, the players looked incredibly tired, which is probably down to how hard they pushed for the quadruple the previous campaign. The Liverpool owners have also been guilty of not investing in the midfield enough, leaving Klopp with an obvious weakness in his team.
Arsenal, in complete contrast to Liverpool, have only gone upwards this term. They sit top of the Prem and have a great chance at winning the title for the first time since the glory days of Arsene Wenger’s reign. The Gunners have an eight-point lead on second-placed Manchester City, although Pep Guardiola’s men do have a game in hand.
Liverpool and Arsenal will meet this weekend when Arteta’s men travel to Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Ahead of the clash, Carragher has discussed Liverpool’s problems and Arsenal’s strengths. He thinks Klopp will be jealous of the attackers Arteta can use, while also naming Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli as two players Liverpool should have tried to ‘lure’ from the Emirates.
‘Arsenal will arrive on Merseyside with more belief than they have had since their last league win at Anfield since 2012,’ the pundit wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
Klopp ‘envious’ of Arteta squad – Carragher
‘Before Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea, I predicted Liverpool would beat Arteta’s side, purely because of home form. If this game was not at Anfield I would not be so confident Liverpool had any chance.
‘Jurgen Klopp has had little cause to be envious of other squads during his Liverpool reign. He does now. He must wish half of Arteta’s team were in his starting XI.
‘Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli bring the lightning pace and penetration that Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane introduced to Klopp’s 4-3-3 system five years ago.
‘Not so long ago, Klopp must have investigated if it was possible to lure the Arsenal duo to Merseyside. Suffice to say that ship has well and truly sailed.’
There were rumours of Saka potentially going to Liverpool or City if Arsenal failed to tie him down to a new contract. However, the north London outfit are close to extending his deal from 2024 to 2028, as well as increasing his wage to £300,000 a week. These fresh terms will prevent Saka from joining a Prem rival any time soon.
As Carragher points out, Saka and Martinelli would excel under Klopp. They have the attributes and intelligence to score plenty of goals, as well as press hard and defend from the front.
But rather than working with them, Klopp must now work out a way to try and stop them. His main concern will probably be getting Trent Alexander-Arnold to deal with Martinelli.
The right-back has been picked out by other teams as a defensive weakness, and Arsenal will probably use this same strategy. Klopp will be hoping whichever player he selects on the right of the midfield trio will provide Alexander-Arnold with plenty of help.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have reportedly ‘registered their interest’ in a £50m Tottenham target ahead of a summer move.
