Liverpool have been earning a lot of praise for their 0-0 draw against Arsenal.
The Gunners went into the game at the Emirates as the favourites due to their brilliant recent form, but they weren’t at their best.
In the first half, Mikel Arteta’s side were the better team, but Arne Slot’s tactical tweak at the break helped the Reds take control of the midfield in the second period.
The game ended goalless, which was probably the fair result. Yet, Arsenal have been getting criticised left, right and centre, while Liverpool are being showered with praise by people like Gary Neville.
If you could make one pundit stop talking about Arsenal, who would you choose and why?
Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher or someone else?
Arsenal fans should listen to Arne Slot after Liverpool draw, not Gary Neville
It’s not just the pundits who are criticising Arsenal; even some of their own fans are having a go at them following the 0-0 draw.
The frustration about not beating a not-so-strong Liverpool side is evident, but a few are blaming the players and Arteta for dropping two points.
That may well be influenced by pundits like Neville, who said on Sky Sports after the game: “I don’t think he (Arteta) will let that performance go tonight without thinking it’s disappointing that his team haven’t turned up at such a big game where the crowd were ready.
“It wasn’t a celebration night where they were going to win the league, but it felt like a big, monumental moment where they could get that eight-points-clear statement victory, with everybody watching.
“But brilliant what Liverpool did in the second half. It’s very difficult to actually turn the performance around when you’re so defensively-minded like they were to go and then flip into a dominating possession-based performance in the second half. That was the big surprise, and I think it shocked Arsenal.”
Liverpool definitely deserve praise for turning things around in the second half, but they never threatened Arsenal or even looked like they were close to scoring.
That’s exactly what Arne Slot mentioned after the game, and his comments make a lot more sense.
He said about his side’s performance, as per HaytersTV: “I’m a bit surprised that people think this is a good performance because when we have 60 or 70 per cent ball possession against other teams, people find it boring, and now it’s a good performance.
“Again, we hardly created a chance, and now we say ‘phwoa, what a performance’.”
Who was your Man of the Match against Liverpool?
Not much quality on show tonight
Arne Slot summed up Arsenal vs Liverpool perfectly
Slot is absolutely spot on.
Yes, Liverpool controlled the game in the second half after their tactical tweak of overloading the midfield, but all they did was nullify Arsenal’s threat for most of the half.
The Reds didn’t have a single shot on target all game, so to see them receive praise for not even getting close to a victory makes no sense.
Pundits like Neville will criticise Arsenal like they always do, but to see some fans jump on the bandwagon and slate their own players and manager is not right at all.
The Gunners weren’t great in the second half, but they did more to win the game than Liverpool did.
For that, the supporters need to praise the team and back them going forward as they lead the Premier League and Champions League tables.
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