Liverpool present a challenge to Arsenal’s quest for the EPL title, even more serious than Manchester City
As a new season unfolds with excitement and with the array of predictive analytics tools at our disposal, it’s a daunting task to forecast the EPL trophy winner come May 2025.
About four teams are expected to challenge for the EPL trophy. Amongst them, Arsenal and Manchester City are very much mentioned by many football pundits and fans.
English Premier League (EPL) teams have spent over £1.96bn (BBC), which, according to Football Transfers, was more than double that of its nearest rival, Italy’s Serie A. That shows, albeit hypothetically, that teams in the EPL have invested heavily in pursuit of continuous improvement and aim to do better this time around than the last time.
This summer, Arsenal added a few big names to their list: Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna (£38.4m), Mikel Merino, and David Raya at £27.4m each from Real Sociedad and Brentford, respectively. Also, they have loaned Raheem Sterling and Neto from Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, respectively. According to the BBC, Arsenal spent £93.9m but sold £76.8m worth of players. We aren’t ‘outliers’ here in pursuit of the crazy Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSRs) off the pitch. However, Arsenal fans are craving the EPL trophy after 21 years of trying without success, so they aren’t bothered so much with the confusing PSRs, just like Manchester City fans who are also not bothered about the outcome of their team’s 115 charges!
Liverpool are certainly in the mix! After missing out on their prime target, midfielder Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad, Liverpool purchased winger Federico Chiesa at a ‘bargain’ price of £10m from Juventus, and keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili for £30m from Valencia. In general, they have made quite ‘good’ business this summer without changing the dynamics of the team both on and off the pitch negatively, taking into consideration they made a profit of £14.4m, yet they play ‘scary’ football under the new manager, Arne Slot.
By the early signs, few would doubt Arne Slot’s abilities as a top manager. He has already achieved a lot in his few months’ tenure at the club, what other managers have failed to do, including his compatriot Erik ten Hag at Manchester United in three seasons. You can see his Liverpool team looks like a well-coached unit and ready to fight for any trophies that come their way. After Klopp’s departure at the end of last season, few would have anticipated this fit for the team. Instead, he perfectly fits like a hand in a glove, sort of a duck to water, so far.
According to stats, Liverpool are taking fewer shots per game under Slot but have a similar xG (expected goals), meaning they are more clinical. See the table below for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons.
| 2023/24: Under Klopp | Parameter/game | 2024/25: Under Slot |
| 20.8 | Shots | 16 |
| 7.3 | Shots on target | 5.3 |
| 2.35 | xG | 2.73 |
| 10.3 | High turnovers | 9.3 |
| 86 | Pass accuracy(%) | 88 |
| 3 | Saves | 2 |
| 61 | Ave possession(%) | 57 |
For the record, since Arne Slot assumed the role of manager at Liverpool, he hasn’t lost a game, whether in a friendly or in the EPL.
What is more fascinating about Arne Slot’s Liverpool, is that many players have improved their games, including the much-maligned (more recently by his own national team coach!) and now the man of the moment, Ryan Gravenberch. His rejuvenation has already saved Liverpool millions in buying a new number 6!
Liverpool played 8 matches under Arne Slot, won 7, and drew 1. Along the way in their friendly matches, they beat Arsenal 2-1 and Manchester United 3-0, among others. They have a 100% record in the EPL so far and have not conceded a single goal, including humbling Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Yes, Manchester City are always a threat under Pep Guardiola and are the ‘main’ team that Arsenal aims to pip for the 2024/25 EPL trophy, but Liverpool are right there as well to fight for the same. With their style of play under Arne Slot, they can cause a lot of problems for many teams.
Aziz Senzia
A Gooner Fan in Tanzania
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We are the main challenger to ourselves. After spending 700m on incoming in last 4 years, it was expected at some point it will come to a halt, and this window it showed. But the cost is already showing, we probably improved our squad quality, but lost depth a lot. I am not even sure who will play those EFL and Carabau cup. It came at a time when we are inches shy to Man City, so if we finish second or third this season, it is not on City or Pool, it is on us.
Who can play the Carabau Cup:
Neto, Zinchenko, Calfiore, Kiwior, Tomiyasu, Nwaneri, Partey, Jorginho, Trossard, Sterling and Jesus. That’s a full starting 11 and I haven’t touched our ACTUAL starting 11 for the Premier League and Champions League. I am so confused with this whole squad depth “issue”
Slot are just having a managerial honeymoon as what Arteta, Conte, Postecoglou and other managers had in their first seasons, because players tend to work harder to impress their new boss
I’m more worried about Guardiola and Man City, because they have a lot of experience in EPL and they have proven their dominance in the last six years
On point @Gai👌
Epl is a marathon not about winning 3 games. City is Arsenal’s biggest threat because they have loads of experience. There is an “ART” to winning Epl Cup after 38 games I hope Arsenal have learnt the tricks and have enough personnel’s to get the job done. But I must agree City are Masters.
But I kind of think not having a proper CF to deputise for Halaand after selling Avarez may be to our advantage this season. It is obvious Arsenal can score goals with a prolific striker but can City?
Yeah I think Man City will struggle a bit without Haaland, because they’d have to modify their tactics
It is City, everyone else is a challenger. Haaland is scoring at will and the slight-of-hand to get arguably Barcelona’s most important player for free says it all. The only thing that stops them from another are injuries.
I can almost hear a hint of “Arteta out” on the board of late, plus a healthy dose of gloom and doom.
We are a fickle bunch…too thin, too weak, no depth, dropping points (although we held a half with 10 against a pretty strong team).
Enjoy the ride and we might get a pleasant surprise at the end! After all, we are unbeaten after three and both Villa and Brighton are good teams.
@SW you must be new to JA and stench of ‘Arteta out’ at every opportunity, and anticipated failure of this Arsenal squad because ‘striker, striker, striker’, also at Arteta’s door
“enjoy the ride”, for me the last two seasons have been the most fun and most enjoyed as Arsenal supporter, including the Invincibles, anticipation of this season the most excited as an Arsenal supporter as I truly feel we are on the cusp of something special
not the cusp of doom and condemning Arteta
The stats are fine and all but without looking at Liverpools first 3 opponents last season compared to this one they are pretty pointless .
Maybe after they have played half the games then maybe but even then ,different teams and players never shows the whole picture.
I did watch the Man Utd game and they looked solid that’s for sure .
I’m worried about both City and Liverpool.
Salah (Liverpool also have Luis Diaz who is doing well ) and Haarland are on fire. Havertz has had a good start too
Salah and Haarland will score plenty of goals
Question is: Will Arsenal have enough too?
Far too early to say that one way or the other. It may turn out to be true, but after only three games?
As others have suggested, you could equally say at this stage then that Liverpool is the main threat to City in 2024-25, leaving Arsenal exactly where?
Let’s wait and see how things look after a more representative number of games.
I just know that I’m very very happy when all clubs (except us of course) have lost at least one game each season.
We cannot win the league failure to land a prolific striker in the transfer window will once again prove to be the downfall arteta seems to have the blindfold on when it comes to buying strikers!
I”m afraid that Arsenal will not challenge at, all for the title Our next game is at Tottenham and we could be forced to field a midfield without Rice and possibly Odegaard with possbly Havertz playing in midfield So up front it could be a returning but wasteful Jesus or Sterling who had done little for two years an out of form Martinelli and Saka I hate saying this but Arsenal have made big mistake in handling the transfer window We are too short in midfield and any change from predicted first choice trio of Merino Rice and Odegaard means playing players outside of their preferred role I really think Arteta”s job could be on the line We still dont have the squad to win the league
That’s a cheering endorsement of our manager and director of football
A couple of ‘could be forced’ and a couple of possiblys as well as a mistake to contend with.
I can’t quite get my head around the point of wallowing in what smells of despair after 3 games
He is spot on about our transfer window being atrocious. We have no one else to blame but ourselves. I feel like we always do this. We know we’re one or two players away from potentially being champions but don’t address it. In this case, a striker
How can you say it’s atrocious after 3 games? We are not the only club who required a striker but cost and suitability- as well as availability- were all part of the equation.
I saw Liverpool pressing vs Man United, it’s ‘scary’ really. Let’s hope Arsenal can find a way to beat them when we play against them. Yes, they are a force to be reckoned this season. Hopefully, that ‘bubble’ won’t last longer!