Former Arsenal captain William Gallas has made the rather surprising claim that his old side are the big favourites for a win when they take on Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.
The Gunners have a poor recent record against the Reds, but Gallas feels Jurgen Klopp’s side are now there for the taking after their poor start to the 2022/23 campaign.
Gallas expects Arsenal to win 3-1, and he also singled out Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold as a weak link in Klopp’s team.
The England international has come in for plenty of criticism for a dip in form this season, though Gallas insists it’s actually not that surprising to see him struggling.
Gallas feels Alexander-Arnold’s defensive weaknesses were always there, but people didn’t notice them as much when LFC were at their best and winning games.
Although the Frenchman rates Alexander-Arnold as an attacking player, he thinks it’s clear that his playing style is now costing Liverpool.
“I will back Arsenal to win this game, that is for sure. I think 3-1 to Arsenal because it will be an open game,” Gallas told Genting Casino, as quoted by the Metro.
“Arsenal, don’t let me down please! [They] must take advantage of the shape that Liverpool are in.
“I think it would be a big disappointment if Arsenal fail to beat Liverpool at the Emirates, especially after their victory against Tottenham.
“When you see the performances of Liverpool this season, at the weekend against Brighton, it is a great opportunity to beat them.
“Liverpool are struggling at the moment. The performance against Brighton didn’t surprise me because they look like a different team this season.
“There have been warning signs all season. They look weaker without [Sadio] Mane. At the back, they have been really, really poor.
“Alexander-Arnold is struggling. The problem with Liverpool is that almost every goal is coming from Alexander-Arnold’s side of the pitch.
“He is playing far too high. From an attacking perspective, we all know that he has great quality and he can deliver plenty of crosses and create chances for his team-mates to score from, but when he has to defend he is not strong enough.
“I’m not surprised by his performances. I think over the last few years, because of what he can do going forward, creating so many assists, people failed to see the weaknesses in his game as a defender.
“His first job is to defend very well. How many goals have Liverpool conceded from his mistakes? Nobody talks about this when you’re winning games.
“Liverpool were on fire, winning games, winning trophies and the number of assists he registered was magnificent, but these errors were always in his game.
“For Arsenal, this is the right time to play Liverpool.”