Arsenal Must Look Perfect To Beat Liverpool In The Premier League Title Competition

Leandro Trossard became Arsenal's mainstay in the race for the Premier League title (Instagram/@leandrotrossard).

JAKARTA - Arsenal failed to maximize their chances of tight-knitting Liverpool after only playing a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday, January 19, 2025.

Before the 22nd Premier League match, Arsenal were four points away from Liverpool. The Reds then won over Brentford that week, but the Gunners only got one point.

Arsenal striker Leandro Trossard admits that his team should not slip if they want to beat Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title.

"You have to be perfect every season. Over the last four or five seasons, the competition is very tight."

"Everyone competes, not just the team at the top of the standings, everyone gets better every season so the competition gets tighter."

"You have to be in the best form of every game. It's hard, but we just have to keep believing and being ourselves, so we can achieve something," Trossard told Sky Sports.

Arsenal actually have a golden opportunity to enter the turn of the year. You see, Liverpool only packed two points from two Premier League matches in early 2025.

If the Gunners wipe out the first two matches of 2025 with a win, their difference is only two points from the Reds.

Unfortunately, Mikel Arteta's team only packed four points so that the distance with Liverpool was four points before the 22nd week of the Premier League.

Even worse, after the draw against Aston Villa, Arsenal even failed to keep a distance of four points. Now, they are six points clear of Liverpool which makes their move to become league champions even steeper.

Moreover, injury problems, especially in the front lines, are also one of the factors that make it difficult for the Gunners to be consistent.

Gabriel Jesus suffered a recent ACL injury and joined Bukayo Saka on the sidelines.

"The injury was a big blow to us. We know what Bukayo (Saka) has shown for the club and Gabriel Jesus is in good form. Those injuries are bad luck."

"We hope we can be ready in the meantime. We have to change a few things due to injury so that everyone gets the opportunity," said Trossard.

In addition to injury, Arsenal are considered to be able to only rely on set pieces to score goals. This method drew criticism, especially from supporters, because they were not varied in scoring goals.

However, according to Trossard, the scheme still has to be maintained while looking for other ways to open the game to score goals so as not to rely too much on sets.

Arsenal telah mempertahankan ancaman dari bola mati dan berdiri sebagai tim yang paling efektif menggunakan tendangan.

"It was part of our game that we were very good at. We wanted to be the best in everything, including set pieces."

"We've shown consistency over the last few years and that's where you can determine the outcome of the game."

"That's a big part of our game, but it's not the only part. We can also score goals from open play."

"I don't think there's an over-dependence on corner kicks. The point of view from the outside would be like that because we've scored a lot of goals (from set pieces)."

"However, it is not in our minds to say that we can only score goals from set pieces. It is just an additional tool for us to win the game."

"I think everyone in the league wants this. We are very happy with this, of course, we can score more goals. But, in the end, you have to be happy when you win in the Premier League," he said.

Trossard didn't just talk. He proved that Arsenal's two goals against Aston Villa came from open play.

Interestingly, the two goals came from the Belgian assists through a cross, which Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz welcomed.

Since several attackers were sidelined due to injury, Trossard has become Mikel Arteta's trust. This year, he has played three times as a starter in the Premier League. Two of them played full and produced one goal and two assists.

"Of course, I am always happy (to fill the position in front). I am always ready to play in any position in the field," said Trossard.