Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Liverpool and England star Danny Murphy has given his thoughts on the Premier League title race, whether Arsenal fans should be worried for another collapse or if multiple trophies could the cards for the club this season.
Murphy adds his two cents into whether Arteta's use of Eze describing it has "surprising", whether his former club Liverpool should make shock moves for Adam Wharton or Arsenal's Ben White and if Andy Robertson's long-term future is at Anfield
The former midfielder has also spoken about the decision for his former club to sign both Ekitike and Isak last summer but backs both for success at the club.
Arsenal FC
Should Arsenal Fans Be Fearful?
I think the fear is more for Arsenal fans and people within the club. They've been so close and performing so well that there's a worry that history could repeat itself. Once you've experienced that, the anxiety lingers, whether you're a fan or a player.
The difference for Arsenal this time, in my opinion, is twofold. Firstly, no other team is consistently playing brilliantly; even though Man City have had a good run, they still look vulnerable at times. Secondly, and most importantly, Arsenal now boast a huge squad with significant strength in depth, which they might have lacked previously. Consequently, there isn't the same fear if, say, William Saliba gets injured, or any key player is missing, they still seem to perform at a high level.
Looking at it from the outside, I believe they are in the strongest position. It feels like they would have to suffer a significant collapse not to win the league this time. But, with City chasing, the danger lies in their capability for incredible winning streaks, given the quality of their squad. That is a genuine concern. They could easily embark on another eight, nine, or ten-game winning run, especially with the best striker in the world.
It would be unrealistic to think there isn't some apprehension among the players. The longer-serving players are probably more at ease because they recognise the improvement and the increased depth. The longer the players are together and the more comfortable they are in their position, the easier it gets. A little bit of dressing-room chat about the fear of potentially not crossing the finish line is inevitable.
Multiple Trophy Aspirations
I think if you offered Arsenal just the Premier League, they'd take it, but I also think they're capable of winning the Champions League. It's going to be very difficult, though, because in the Champions League, you can have one bad evening, or everything goes against you, and you're out. You can even have an amazing performance and still not go through due to penalty shootouts, bad decisions, or a sending off.
But watching them play as regularly as I have, there's no reason for them not to have the belief that they can win it. They've destroyed Bayern Munich, one of the other strong teams in the tournament. They're playing better than anyone else in the Premier League. I don't think the Spanish teams are as strong as they have been in the past. When you look at what Liverpool did to Real Madrid, even when Liverpool weren't playing well, and what Chelsea did to Barcelona. The only one that concerns me is PSG.
I think once they get everyone fit, similar to last season, they could have a really strong second half. When PSG are at it and playing at their best, that's a tough challenge for anyone. So they would probably be the other joint favourites with Arsenal at the moment because of their experience and because they won it last year. But you have to reach for the stars. When you're at a big club, you're aiming to win it all. I had an experience where we won a treble at Liverpool, not the 'real' treble, but there was still a belief in the camp that every time we went on the pitch, we could beat anybody. Whether it be Barcelona in the semi-final or whoever, we truly believed it.
I think Arsenal have that belief now. They look like a confident group; they don't look fearful. I know there was a bit of criticism after the Liverpool game, but they had played a lot of games, there was some fatigue, and Liverpool played well. Liverpool have top-class players and kept the ball really well to stop Arsenal from getting on top of them. But overall, I think they should be confident. They should have real belief that they can win both.
Arteta’s Eze Use “Surprising”
I think the fact that Eberechi Eze was an unused sub was a bit surprising. The fact that they left him out after the Aston Villa game wasn't. He played on the left, and he lost Matty Cash on more than one occasion in terms of defensive work. One of them ended up in a goal, and another one should have. I think it shows Mikel Arteta's ruthlessness that if you don't do the job you're asked to do, especially off the ball. I've talked before about how good Arsenal are off the ball, the best I've seen in a long time, actually.
If you don't do that side of it, you're going to be on the bench, and you're going to be replaced. They don't carry anybody defensively. I was surprised he didn't get used off the bench a little bit more. I don't think Arteta's trying to teach him a lesson; I think that's probably a little bit coincidental in terms of what was needed in those moments in the game. I think the other thing as well, for Eze, I think he prefers the number 10 role, playing where he got the hat-trick against Spurs, because he can be in the middle of everything, dominating things and getting on the ball.
But we have to be honest, Martin Odegaard's performances recently are back to his best. He looks great, he looks sharp, he's creative, he's getting on the ball, he's getting the odd goal. So I think if you mirror those two things, Odegaard's influence and the poor performance defensively against Villa, it's just Arteta pulling him out a little bit and going, ‘Have a watch from the sidelines for a little bit at what you should be doing because these lads have been with me a while. These lads know that you've got to do the defending.’
When you watch Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard on the left. They don't switch off. They're so used to it now. They've been drilled, trained, and coached into doing that work off the ball. And I don't think it's an issue.
I think we could see him in the next few weeks be really influential and impact the Arsenal team again. He's a super talent, and he's learning Arteta's ways. But I quite like the fact Arteta is ruthless in that way. I think it's great because he's got such good competition for places, so why wouldn't you be? Nobody should be guaranteed. Martin Odegaard is the captain, and he sat on the bench for weeks watching Eze.
So I think it's a short-term thing to give him a little kick off the backside and just make sure he focuses and hones in on his defensive work.
Liverpool FC
Wharton’s Next Move
I think Adam Wharton is a phenomenal footballer who makes the game look very easy and would benefit from being in a better team because he'll have more of the ball, and he'd be able to dictate play more, and I think that's inevitably going to come for him. I'm not sure he's what Liverpool need at all right now, to be honest with you. Because I think Ryan Gravenberch, arguably his best game against Arsenal, looking right back at his best in that position, you're not going to put Wharton ahead of him.
Now, if Arne Slot wanted to release Gravenberch to play him higher up, then what do you do with Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Alexis McAllister? I actually think most Liverpool fans I speak to are just desperately hoping they reinforce the back line. You've now got a problem with Conor Bradley. The cover at centre back is limited anyway, probably Joe Gomez is the only one you can think of, and he has his injury problems, and he's going to have to fill in at right back anyway.
So the majority of people I'm speaking to are just desperately wanting Liverpool to reinforce the back line. Even if it's a temporary fix for now, just someone who can come in and cover that, because if there was an injury to Ibrahima Konate or Virgil van Dijk, you do feel that we'd be weakened. Whereas if you look at Arsenal, they've got Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, Ben White can go in there, they've got so many options, whereas Liverpool are really down to the bare bones defensively.
Swapping Arsenal For Liverpool “Makes Sense”
Ben White to Liverpool would make sense, but Arsenal might not want to sell to a rival. It would depend on how adamant the player is that he wants to go. If Ben White was an option, I think that would be a good option for Liverpool. I think he's a really good footballer, he's a big lad. Yes, he's had a couple of injury problems recently, but he's an experienced guy, he's played a lot of games, and he can play centre-back and right-back.
The obvious good thing for Liverpool would be in that negotiation, if that was something that was to materialise, would be that any player would rather go to Liverpool than Everton, I'm not saying that because I'm a Red, I'm saying that because Liverpool are competing for the Champions League, you know, still in the top four, still in the FA Cup. Whereas Everton are obviously out of the FA Cup, they're not competing for European competitions.
I wouldn't see why, if Liverpool were keen, then why wouldn't he try and force that move? Having said that, I'd find it strange to think that Arsenal would let him go. Or they might just think they're too far ahead of Liverpool anyway, so we'll have to see how that plays out.
Would Arsenal and Liverpool Do Business Together?
Robertson To Parkhead?
I think it's hard to understand a player's mindset when he's nearing the end of his career, and Andy Robertson is accustomed to being a regular starter at a big club. It's difficult to gauge what he truly wants in terms of game time. I believe Andy Robertson should be utilised more than he has been, as he has performed really well whenever he's played. While Milos Kerkez is starting to find his feet, there are still a lot of erratic performances.
Having Andy Robertson available is crucial. Not only is he a good option on the pitch, but he's also a leader with experience. I would be using him more if I were in charge, partly to keep him happy. By the summer, inevitably, footballers often want to go and play regularly and feel appreciated. He might choose to leave, but from what I've seen so far, it would be silly to let him go because he still looks like a very good player.
I'm a big believer in experienced players having crucial roles at the club, especially off the pitch. However, a lot will depend on his own mindset and what he wants. Maybe he'll want to see out his career at Liverpool and finish on a high, or perhaps he'll want a new challenge, as Celtic is a massive club. We'll have to wait and see. I personally hope he gets more game time and becomes more content with the situation.
Isak Decision
I don't think Liverpool would do it differently because their belief in their working method is focused on the bigger, long-term picture. I agree that Hugo Ekitike has surpassed the expectations of probably even the recruitment team and Liverpool staff.
However, to be the best team in England and Europe, you need brilliant attacking players. Perhaps their thinking was that those two players could share the load, given the number of games played now. Also, Ekitike has the capability of playing wide and as a number 10, and we might have seen him more in wider areas had Alexander Isak stayed fitter for longer or hit the ground running.
So, I don't think they'd look back and change it now. I believe it was a strategic plan for the next four or five years of the club, not just one season. Obviously, nobody anticipated what has happened with Isak, but all in all, they should be genuinely happy and content with the risk they took on Ekitike because he is clearly a super talent and already a favourite with the fans. As I said, it's a long-term plan.
They need both of those players moving forward, especially when considering them both at their best, whether Ekitike is starting wide or as a number 10, or coming off the bench for Isak. Liverpool aim to be in the latter stages of four competitions every season. I think that's why they made the decision, and I believe it will pay dividends in the end.
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