31/08/2025

SUNDAY | AUG 31, 2025

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Tears flow and records fall

Rashford picked to face Andorra

Speculation squashed

Gloom and frustration

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Gunners’ newfound hope Story on page 12

Arsenal believe the Premier League champions offer more space than last season, which could present opportunities in a pivotal game for this year’s title race

BY MIGUEL DELANEY

Zubimendi, Eze… and Alexander Isak. The rationale is they should have only signed game-changers, to elevate the squad, rather than so many alternative options, that mostly deepen it. Liverpool have almost taken exactly that approach. Sure, they have still signed four players – and want to make it six with a new forward and Marc Guehi as a defender – but all are starters. Since even the fullbacks play in a differ ent way to Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, both Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimping

point that Bukayo Saka’s injury isn’t the disaster it might have been – but it is still all within Arteta’s design. There isn’t the same scope for individual imagination. So, although Arteta’s ideal might be that opposition managers find it impossible to predict his line-ups, he knows exactly what he wants from them. Today’s potential title clash might conse quently represent more control against more release; order

generally gone for players that change the boundaries. These differences have even manifested in the teams’ goal records so far. Liverpool have scored seven but conceded four. Arsenal have scored six but conceded none. Despite these contrasts, there is still common ground, that is just as relevant to the title race. All of this comes in a Pep Guardiola shaped landscape. Both of these managers have enthused about how they’re disciples of that tactical school, and everything they do is informed by those principles. They implement the same positional game. It merely shows how influential Guardiola’s football has become, and how far it’s spread, that two diverging interpre tations can still rightly cast themselves as from the exact same ideology. Guardiola’s own interpretation can’t yet be dismissed so readily, either. Manchester City may look a different force when this new group internalise his approach. And yet the very fact that Liverpool and Arsenal were top two last season, and are already two of just three teams with 100% records this season, further suggests this might be the shape of things to come. If so, it would be the first proper title rivalry not to feature City since 2015-16, maybe even 2010-11. Liverpool and Arsenal might have been involved in the most famous title race of all, in 1988-89, but that was one of few. The primary emotions that surrounded it were also solemnity and respect, given Hillsborough. Outside Michael Thomas’ exhilarating moment, there have only been four other seasons where Liverpool and Arsenal fin ished as the top two. Of those, probably only 1972-73 was a proper title race. So, if this is to develop into a race, the main difference might really be the tac tical approaches. It’s all why today’s match feels unusually significant for a fixture so early in the season, especially given all of the unknowns. One unknown is whether Arsenal can finally step up. Another is what Liverpool’s attack will try in any given moment. The difference could decide the game, and maybe the season. – The Independent

IN Arsenal’s analysis for the match against Liverpool at Anfield, they have already noticed something different about the Reds beyond new players. The champions now try the unexpected much more. It is as if the attackers have been given greater creative licences, to indulge some of their individual quality. Hence the soar ing beauty of Rio Ngumoha’s raucous win ning goal against Newcastle United. That can make this Liverpool team much more unpredictable, especially as stars like Mohammed Salah attempt things others couldn’t imagine. A fitting game for Eberechi Eze to make his debut, perhaps. The offset is that it also makes Liverpool much more open, to go with Arne Slot’s front-loaded system. It’s not just that Ryan Gravenberch pinned the midfield together on his own against Newcastle. The more freedom you give players, the less proscribed any formation is going to be. So, if someone like Florian Wirtz loses the ball when trying something riskier, there’s instantly much more space in behind. Arne Slot has been will ing to take such risks because Liverpool have the quality to punish you out of nowhere. He’s been vindicated by two results so far, despite the questions about perform ance. It’s almost as if the Liverpool manager is very literally trying to push the boundaries of last season; to move the lines of his formation; to try new things in order to go to new levels. Against that, Mikel Arteta has sought to harden his team’s boundaries; to fill in the remain ing gaps. He surveyed last season and knows what Arsenal’s top level is good enough – “probably better than Liverpool’s”, in the words of some insiders. The problem was depth and alternatives, two issues very much tackled by this summer’s business. Arsenal now have multiple possible con figurations for all areas of the pitch – to the

against unpredict ability. The differ ence could also decide the season. It has already defined the entire summer. Some Arsenal sources have argued that, rather than sign ing six different players, they should have just gone big ger with the budget by s e c u r i n g Martin

can also be con sidered “game changers”. Wirtz’s style is obviously what people really mean when they use that descrip tion, and Isak would be a level beyond. Liverpool h a v e

Mikel Arteta (left) and Arne Slot. – REUTERSPIC

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