LONDON – Liverpool’s 2-0 win at Arsenal to advance further in the FA Cup was impressive enough, but when you consider the list of players who They were not involved at the Emirates, gives an indication of why the Reds are serious contenders in four competitions this season.
The irreplaceable Mohamed Salah had already departed for the African Cup of Nations with Egypt before this FA Cup third round tie, and midfielder Wataru Endo also signed for at least a month to join Japan’s bid to win the Asian Cup . But Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was also without Virgil van Dijk, Joël Matip, Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago Alcantara, Dominik Szoboszlai and Stefan Bajcetic through injury or illness.
However, despite that absentee list, Liverpool were still able to book their place in the fourth round due to the great depth of Klopp’s squad.
– Stream the FA Cup on ESPN+: Wigan AFC vs. Man United (Monday, 3pm ET)
– Read on ESPN+: Investigating what’s behind Arsenal’s sudden fall
Coaches only tend to talk about injuries and the impact they have on a team when their teams lose; is a useful excuse to suggest that winning prospects diminish when key players are unavailable. But that kind of diversion tactic doesn’t really work when a team like Liverpool can travel to Arsenal (the most successful club in FA Cup history) and win without so many crucial players.
This was a big test for Klopp and his players as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta only made limited changes to his first-choice team, but they overcame it.
And with a growing fixture list ahead of them, including the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League, as well as the challenge of fending off champions Manchester City’s threat at the top of the Premier League, Liverpool showed they can put up with. overcome the storm of injuries, illnesses and international tournaments to keep the foot on the pedal in all four competitions.
Liverpool sit at the top of the Premier League table at the moment, but being able to overcome a shortage of personnel like they did at Arsenal on Sunday is a sign of a winning team and potential champions.
Manchester United and Newcastle have failed to show the same qualities under Erik ten Hag and Eddie Howe respectively this season. Tottenham have shown spirit and tenacity under Ange Postecoglou in a bid to deal with their long injury list, while Man City and Liverpool have pressed on anyway.
Liverpool and Arsenal’s respective teams have not been built on the cheap, so perhaps both are simply performing as they should considering the huge financial outlay, but football often doesn’t work like that. Ask Ten Hag at Man United.
In Liverpool’s case, Klopp has been able to find a way to fix things and trust the players to do jobs they wouldn’t normally be asked to do.
In Sunday’s match, Joe Gomez, a right-handed center half, played at left back because Robertson and Tsimikas were injured. Gómez was comfortable all day. Jarell Quansah, the 20-year-old defender, was calm and measured alongside the increasingly impressive Ibrahima Konaté, while Trent Alexander-Arnold produced a dominant performance in his hybrid right-back/central midfield role.
Alexander-Arnold will never be the best defender in the world, but experience is allowing him to evolve his game and when given the time and space in the defensive third, he can be equally effective in those positions, especially with such a devastating ability to create with their delivery to attack positions. Liverpool’s first goal, in the 80th minute, came when Gunners defender Jakub Kiwior headed Alexander-Arnold’s free kick into his own goal.
In midfield, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott proved to be more than adequate replacements for Szoboszlai and Endo, while Luis Díaz, who scored Liverpool’s second goal in added time, Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo represented a combined offensive threat in absence of top scorer Salah. .
With Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota making an impact off the bench, the Liverpool team’s weakness in their absences ultimately didn’t feel like a weakness at all. Rather, it was an opportunity to project his strength.
“It was obvious there would be changes,” Klopp said. “Today the boys accepted it and we were able to do it. Not many, but in the end we did it. I am very happy and proud that we were able to win this game. Arsenal could have won it without a doubt. We finished it. and it spoke to the character of the guys: Joe Gomez, come on. It was really hard. A lot of good things happened today.”
Liverpool’s resilience will clearly be tested in the coming weeks. Winning without key players in a match, even against a team as strong as Arsenal, is one thing, but being able to do it over an extended period of time is another challenge.
But Liverpool are the real deal and by winning this match they were spared the grueling effects of a replay, so they will be able to refresh and recover with a mini-break between Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham (live stream on ESPN+) and the Premier League trip to Bournemouth on January 21.
In 2021-21, Klopp’s team played 63 games, the maximum possible, to reach the finals of the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Champions League. This time they could happen the same again if they reach the two national finals and the Europa League final.
This victory over Arsenal was the 30th game of their season, so if they repeat the workload from two years ago, they are not even halfway through their campaign. But they have the depth to do it and once they get their unavailable players back, Liverpool will be even stronger.
