Liverpool will finally play their game in hand against Everton, a match that has the potential to deliver a significant psychological blow to Arsenal, says Jamie Carragher.
Arne Slot‘s side currently sit six points ahead of Arsenal having played a game less, with that gap having the potential to grow to nine should Liverpool notch a vital win at Goodison Park.
Earlier this year, Carragher commented on the Gunners’ mentality in the title race and that “it feels to me that every time I watch Arsenal play, they’re only one game away from a crisis.”
The Reds, conversely, come across as “a little bit calmer,” and it is why Carragher is of the mind that a nine-point gap will be too much for Arsenal to overcome.
“When you talk about [this week’s] Merseyside derby, that is the biggest game of the season,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“Not because it’s Everton. Liverpool have been talking about a game in hand, it feels like for about two months. If Liverpool win that, they’ve almost got one hand on the trophy.
“A nine-point lead with 14 games to go is a huge lead with the form Liverpool are in right now.
“If they could win [against Everton], psychologically it’s a massive boost for Liverpool but also what that would do to Arsenal.
“I don’t think many people at Arsenal would believe they could pull that back because it would be a huge lead at this stage of the season.”
It would be a significant lead at the top, but Liverpool know more than most not to take their position for granted. It may not be Man City on their heels, but nothing is won until it is won.
It is why many will share the view of Slot, who knows a run of wins is not out of the ordinary in the Premier League.
‘You cannot slow down’
Speaking to TNT Sports, Slot said what a lot of us will be thinking as Liverpool head into their final 15 league games.
“If in this league you are losing one or two games, then immediately other teams can win their games,” Slot said.
“In this league, teams can win 10 in a row, 15 in a row. Arsenal have shown that last season when they came back from Qatar I think they won 15/17 – and the first eight in a row.
“City were last season were also six, seven or eight points behind Arsenal and they just started winning every single game.
“That tells you that to win this league it is the most difficult league to win because you cannot slow down one single second because then other teams catch up.”
With five Premier League games to come in 15 days, we will know a lot more at the end of it. Buckle up, Reds!
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