Arsenal boss Unai Emery thinks that his side are closing the gap to Liverpool, after losing 3-1 at Anfield. To be fair, it is an improvement on recent years, but I don’t agree with him.
You see – the Reds didn’t get out of fourth gear against the Gunners. Mohamed Salah played like a man possessed, but the rest of the team can play better.
Bobby Firmino had another cracker, but Sadio Mane was pretty quiet throughout the 90′ – it’s a joy that we don’t have to rely on any one of our star players every week.
Regardless, Emery believes the visitors should be happy with their shift. “We need to be optimistic,” he told BT Sport.
“But also confirm each training [session] and each match how we can be different [against] other teams. I think we have reduced the distance between us and Liverpool.
“I think in 90 minutes the [gap between us and them] compared with last year, but at the moment it’s not enough, but I think we can be positive.”
Arsenal have improved, but their performance at Anfield doesn’t suggest that much. Nicolas Pepe offers them something they lacked last season – a threat from the wing.
Clearly their most promising player on the pitch, Pepe was unfortunately only really used for his pace as the Gunners often hoofed the ball out from the back for him to chase.