Rodgers delivers latest Liverpool update ahead of Arsenal game

“And we know we’ve got that ability to scrap and to fight to get a result, as well as play good football“.

Last season the 24-year-old netted 13 goals in 29 Premier League games for Villa.

Apart from Liverpool, the other 100 per cent records are held by the two Manchester clubs and Leicester, the surprise team among the pacesetters. The acquisition of Petr Cech has been hailed as the final piece of the jigsaw, but the truth is that high-quality additions would significantly improve Arsenal’s chances of silverware.

“The quality of the ball in and the athleticism, the touch and the finish have made it hard “. The interesting aspect of the match should be Rodgers’ set up, as it would be courageous to attempt to outplay Arsenal at the Emirates. They picked up three points in their second fixture of the season, where they traveled to Selhurst Park to face Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace. Both were grind-it-out, stodgy victories.

His first goal for the Reds was awarded despite team-mate Philippe Coutinho being in an offside position.

The Liverpool defense looked poor, despite the clean sheets. Memphis Depay had a good night in the Champions League play-off against Club Brugge but so he should against that sort of opposition.

The Gunners have started the season poorly after losing against London rivals West Ham United. Sloppy passes flew all over the place.

Instead, Clyne and co have stemmed the advances of Stoke City and Bournemouth to lay the foundations of consecutive 1-0 wins.

When his team lost 1-0 at home to Swansea late last season, Arsene Wenger said it was an “accident”, but those slip-ups have become worryingly commonplace at the Emirates stadium.

“If you assess games against Arsenal we have always had dominance of the ball, especially at home”.

“If you look at Arsenal’s last 10 games that they’ve lost at home, the teams that have won there, it’s been about risky possession”, he said.

Even if Liverpool were to miss out on their target of a return to the top four, they need to put in a stronger and more sustained challenge than previous year . “You don’t dominate the ball but you can dominate space”, explained the Liverpool manager having obviously done his homework.

“This is a very important game where the result will of course be vital”. “It gives us a different dimension to our game, whilst looking to retain that philosophy to move the ball and get fluency”. And against Palace, Sanchez was the best player on the pitch.

Yes it’s only two games in, but Manchester City’s form and confidence can’t be overlooked.

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A loss in this match could send either team into a downward spiral.

RK: I am going for a Stoke win. Given Arsenal’s history of injury problems, that would be a definite concern for Gunners fans.