Ahead of the two teams’ clash at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night, Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has said live on Sky Sports that it is still too early to crown Arsenal Premier League champions.
The reigning Premier League champions arrive in the capital in fourth place, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal, after Arne Slott’s side found it difficult to defend their title.
Another victory for the Gunners, who have lost just two league games all season, would ensure Mikel Arteta’s side maintain pole position and their first league win since Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles in 2003-04.
But Szoboszlai, who will be the first name on the visiting team sheet on Thursday night after an excellent individual season with five goals and five assists in all competitions so far, has warned Arteta and Co not to look too far ahead in the title race, especially with Man City and Aston Villa only six points apart.
“It’s a long road,” Szoboszlai said. “The Premier League is not easy and I don’t think we’ll win before January, but I don’t think so[against the champions]. They’re playing against the champions. They’re one of the favorites too and we know they’re an unbelievable team with unbelievable players.”
The Premier League is not easy and we cannot win it before January.
Dominik Szoboszlai
“They can’t forget about City and Villa, they’re doing very well. No, we’re not playing against the champions, they’re playing against the champions.”
As for the champions’ own desire to retain the title this season, the Hungarian captain says that even with a strong second half of the season, Liverpool will not have a chance due to their points difference with Arsenal.
“It’s crazy. If you go back to last year, by February we were 10 points ahead and we were still saying we couldn’t win,” he said. “But in my heart, I thought, this is my chance.
“Maybe right now we are so many points behind that we can’t think long-term. We can talk about dreams, but we have to think game by game and show that we can even be in the top four. We need things to go our way, so why not?”
Thursday, January 8th 7pm
Kickoff at 8pm
The Reds have already lost six league games this season, two more than in the entire season they won the title, but the 25-year-old said he and his team-mates must cope with the pressure that comes with such a poor run of form.
“It happens sometimes,” he explained. “When he took over last year, no one thought we had a chance to win, but then we started really well and just kept going.
“If you ask anyone, you won’t think we can win and the chances will be small. Now we had a good start and luck was on our side. But it showed that we are ready again. Sometimes small blows come and we don’t react as we need to. You saw that with City last season.”
“I need to understand what I’m aiming for now, game by game because I can’t look at the long term.
“It’s very tough, but it’s different from other teams. In fact, that’s what you want. That’s why you come here, the pressure is why you play in the biggest club in the world. Whether you win or lose. We have to deal with this.”
“It’s not my job to say[what needs to be fixed]. There are a lot of people at the club who are trying to find solutions and I’m sure they will. There are some things that every player is thinking about, but they will keep it to themselves because we will grow as a group because we are Liverpool and we are the champions of England.”
The champions head to Arsenal on a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions, having lost nine of their last 12 games.
“We were at rock bottom, so it’s all progress from there,” he added.
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Watch for free: Highlights of the Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal.
“We are trying to get back to where we belong. We want to play the same football as last season, not just in position. We already know the other teams, they saw us last season. They will try to hurt us everywhere. Still, if we want to compete for something, we have to find a solution.”
However, one player who will not be taking part in Thursday’s game in north London is Mohamed Salah, who won last season’s two-time Player of the Year award and is currently leading Egypt in the African Cup of Nations.
The forward’s future at Anfield remains in doubt after a public falling out late last year with Slott claiming he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club during a defeat.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Fulham and Liverpool.
Despite the situation making Szoboszlai “sad”, the midfielder is hopeful that Salah will return to help the Reds turn things around again.
“I think we have a very close relationship. From day one he has protected me and helped me with anything I asked him to do, just to learn from him. We have grown closer each day and we have learned to trust each other even more. I know a lot of things about him that no one else knows.”
“Yeah (it was sad to watch). I wasn’t happy to watch, but he’s professional enough to handle his situation. I never got involved. I knew I couldn’t (help) because he would do it himself. I was there for him every day. He’s going to figure this out and he has the character to deal with it.”
“Everyone wants him to come back after the AFCON and help us like he did last season, but it’s his decision and the club’s decision. As a teammate I love playing with him and I know what he can do. He showed enough that he can do anything.”
