Merson says Liverpool ‘will get ripped to shreds’ if Henderson and Thiago start vs Arsenal

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal take on Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday and Paul Merson has issued a warning to Jurgen Klopp regarding Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara.

The Gunners are flying in the Premier League. They’ve won seven of their first eight games and are on top of the table. They will go into the game on Sunday high on confidence, and a win against Liverpool will certainly send a strong message to the world.

Merson says Liverpool ‘will get ripped to shreds’ if Henderson and Thiago start vs Arsenal

Liverpool have looked nothing like themselves this season. They’ve won just two of their first seven league games, and are at a real risk of missing out on a place in the top four if they don’t get back to their best.

The Reds’ most-talked-about issue this season has been their midfield.

Henderson and Thiago started in the middle of the park in their win against Rangers on Tuesday, but Merson believes the Reds will get battered by Arsenal if the two start again at the Emirates on Sunday.

The pundit wrote in his column on Sportskeeda: “Liverpool played against Rangers in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday and won quite comfortably. The Reds will have a bit more rest heading into the much-anticipated Premier League clash, but on current form, Arsenal are probably favorites as things stand.

“Liverpool played four forwards against Rangers and dominated the game as they secured a 2-0 win at Anfield.

“Against Arsenal, though, I think they’ll get ripped to shreds if they play Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara against the likes of Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard as the Gunners trio have been in sublime form this season.”

TBR View:

Tottenham made the mistake of playing just two central midfielders against Arsenal in the North London Derby last weekend and they got battered. The Gunners overran them in the middle of the park and deservedly won the game.

Liverpool will definitely not play as deep as Spurs did, but going into the game with just two central midfielders feels like a mistake considering how good Arsenal have been this term.

Klopp would’ve definitely watched Arsenal’s game last weekend, and he will likely revert to his preferred 4-3-3. We expect Fabinho to come back into the side, and he has almost always been exceptional against the Gunners.

However, if Klopp decides to stick with Henderson and Thiago, Arsenal will back themselves to dominate the midfield and win the game.