While pundits and fans cry out for number nines, are Liverpool and Arsenal proving there’s more to it at the top of the Premier League?
FIRSTLY, Arsenal.
I thought they’d drop points there and they absolutely battered them. All credit to them. That was a horrible fixture to navigate once The Reds had seen off Bournemouth and they did more than come through it. Teams need statement wins.
This was a good thing in some ways. I felt strange nominally supporting Manchester City there.
It would be churlish to sniff at that result. That’s my view, anyway.
What that game hasn’t done though is ‘cut Liverpool’s lead’ as was reported last night. I mean, it did from the 5.30pm the day before, but in the grand scheme of things they just matched us over the course of the weekend while another fixture passed. That’s just one more game where they’ve failed to get into our lead.
After the derby, Arsenal play away at Leicester City at 12.30pm a week on Saturday while we kick off 25-and-a-half hours later. They’ll be drawing 0-0 when the whistle goes. Does that mean they’ve already cut the lead by another point?
I never know what to make of Arsenal. Is this a title-winning side or is this, half a dozen points behind the league leaders, their ceiling?
I can’t help but feel that Liverpool and City have more gears to find. I’m not so sure about the Gunners. Things have come together for them and they’re a dangerous prospect, but it still seems a little short, regardless of what happened on Sunday. I never see them as a team capable of winning 10 on the spin.
What was interesting was the narrative around their apparent need to buy a striker. Arsenal need a number nine, the commentators opined, when Havertz missed a sitter. That’s what we all know about Arsenal. They need to bring in a recognised goalscorer. ‘I’m surprised they haven’t gone into the market.’
That was well before the fifth goal went in, obviously.
While they danced around that view, the same team casually dropped in the fact that Manchester City’s Erling Haaland had only touched the ball four times up to the 38th minute. Oh, he scored and that too was never mentioned again, but up until then the ballboys saw more of it than the Norwegian giant.
Elsewhere, Manchester United played Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine while two of their recognised strikers, Hojlund and Zirkzee, watched from the bench. Likewise, we tried Luis Diaz as the nine again there while Darwin Nunez, Jayden Danns and Diogo Jota twiddled their thumbs.
Is this the end of the classic number nine?
Well, no. Chris Wood would like a word there, but it’s interesting that the top two teams in the country are happier with the Barcelona/Fabregas system of yesteryear rather than buying big upfront and making him the focal point.
That could be due to availability, but maybe this is the time, with three upfront in vogue, where the number nine is ultimately redundant. Maybe even a problem, of sorts.
Liverpool were great on Saturday, regardless of what the commentary team on my stream said. Why is it that every single team we play are somehow so much better than the Reds yet hardly any of beat us? Honestly, you’d think we were playing Melchester Rovers every week with peak Roy Race going for his 100th goal of the season.
Moreover, Lucho was great too. Maybe that’s because he dropped back so often to help the lads out while Szob filled in rather than merely filling a hole. He didn’t score or look like scoring any time soon, but Liverpool won 2-0 regardless.
Darwin, along with Curtis, was also great. Particularly for the second goal, but the damage was done before he came on.
It might just be a coincidental thing, I don’t know, but I’m yet to read Guardiola criticise Haaland’s lack of touches. He’s currently sitting at 19 Premier League goals, so fair enough. Pity he couldn’t muster another four yesterday, really.
The top 10 Premier League goalscorers list is still littered with number 9s with Mo Salah and Cole Palmer being the obvious outliers, but none of them play for the top two teams. Maybe this is the model now. Maybe others will follow suit.
Anyway, we won again and that’s the main thing. Arsenal can do what they want as long as The Reds keep winning.
That was a hell of a result, though. Long may it discontinue.
Gooner here, and I can’t agree with you more about raising this question. Even without Havertz’s eventual goal, he was far more influential on the game than Haaland was. That is not a knock on Haaland, who does his main job better than anyone. But focusing on goal scoring without weighing defensive work, link-up play, and pressing is ludicrous. I am not sure Arsenal is a better team with a classic #9 in place of Havertz.