Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Paul Merson has admitted that he prefers one key area of Liverpool’s squad to that of Arsenal.
Liverpool and Arsenal boast two of the strongest squads in the Premier League this season and both will once again be expected to challenge for the title.
Both clubs also strengthened their ranks considerably this summer, with Liverpool enjoying an especially fruitful transfer window.
And while Paul Merson is an Arsenal icon with a soft spot for his former side, he has suggested that Liverpool are stronger than the Gunners in one key area of the squad.
Paul Merson prefers Liverpool’s midfield to that of Arsenal
Arsenal’s midfield has been impressive in recent seasons and has become even better with the signing of Zubimendi.
However, Merson has admitted that he prefers Liverpool’s midfield, saying their first-choice trio were “incredible” last term.
“It’s still hard for me to say Arsenal have the best midfield in the league though,” Merson wrote on Sportskeeda.
“I like Liverpool’s three when they play together. Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were incredible last season.
“Don’t get me wrong, the Arsenal midfield is also up there but I just prefer Liverpool’s instead.”
How Liverpool and Arsenal’s main midfield players compare
Liverpool and Arsenal have put together two of the world’s finest midfields and, as such, they will be the subject of much debate over the course of the season.
Admittedly, Arsenal’s midfield was the better of the two when the two sides locked horns earlier this season, but Liverpool still managed to take all three points.
Indeed, Szoboszlai – one of the key midfielders in question – was the player who delivered the moment of magic to secure the victory for Liverpool.
Liverpool don’t even regret missing out on Zubimendi, who turned them down to stay at Real Sociedad a while longer before his move to Arsenal.
| Statistic per 90 | Dominik Szoboszlai | Alexis Mac Allister | Ryan Gravenberch | Declan Rice | Martin Odegaard | Martin Zubimendi |
| Non-Penalty Goals | 0.2 | 0.21 | 0.02 | 0.18 | 0.15 | 0.08 |
| npxG: Non-Penalty xG | 0.22 | 0.12 | 0.03 | 0.12 | 0.17 | 0.07 |
| Shots Total | 2.3 | 1.32 | 0.61 | 1.52 | 1.81 | 0.74 |
| Assists | 0.2 | 0.18 | 0.12 | 0.23 | 0.27 | 0.03 |
| xAG: Exp. Assisted Goals | 0.21 | 0.19 | 0.1 | 0.19 | 0.2 | 0.03 |
| npxG + xAG | 0.43 | 0.32 | 0.13 | 0.31 | 0.37 | 0.09 |
| Shot-Creating Actions | 3.86 | 4.05 | 2.17 | 3.14 | 4.75 | 1.25 |
| Passes Attempted | 49.72 | 51.96 | 54.01 | 52.39 | 56.75 | 54.07 |
| Pass Completion % | 84.00% | 83.20% | 89.40% | 84.20% | 82.70% | 84.10% |
| Progressive Passes | 5.24 | 5.96 | 5.28 | 5.79 | 9.26 | 5.09 |
| Progressive Carries | 2.48 | 1.32 | 1.99 | 2.67 | 3.65 | 0.92 |
| Successful Take-Ons | 0.75 | 0.56 | 1 | 0.47 | 0.92 | 0.56 |
| Touches (Att Pen) | 3.31 | 1.94 | 0.68 | 2.51 | 3.98 | 1.64 |
| Progressive Passes Rec | 4.49 | 2.64 | 1.66 | 2.56 | 5.52 | 1.23 |
| Tackles | 1.58 | 3.14 | 1.99 | 1.65 | 0.68 | 2.17 |
| Interceptions | 0.43 | 0.91 | 1.54 | 0.9 | 0.27 | 1.2 |
| Blocks | 1.3 | 2.35 | 0.91 | 0.97 | 0.27 | 1.51 |
| Clearances | 1.07 | 0.94 | 1.54 | 1.42 | 0.36 | 2.51 |
| Aerials Won | 0.58 | 0.5 | 0.77 | 1 | 0.24 | 1.56 |
While the above stats can be analysed to figure out which players have been better than the others in certain key metrics, that doesn’t always paint the best picture when it comes to playing as a trio.
One thing’s for sure – the midfields of Liverpool and Arsenal will be responsible for getting their respective sides a lot of points this season.
Receive weekly football news and updates to your mailbox