Jurgen Klopp enjoys a good chat about Arsenal’s young stars. Gabriel Martinelli has been a particular favourite of the German manager since he tore through Anfield in the Carabao Cup during his debut season for the side.
Since then, Klopp has been a firm admirer of the Brazilian starlet. As Arsenal prepare to face Liverpool, once again Mikel Arteta’s adversary has come forward to speak in complimentary terms of Martinelli but furthermore a number of his teammates too.
“A lot of talent. Martinelli, I was excited about him early, Odegaard, I spoke to him at 15 in Norway with his dad. Saka...oof,” Klopp said.
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“And Gabriel Jesus, Mikel could see how good he could be not in a Man City shirt. Thomas Partey, everyone saw how good he was at Atletico Madrid. Lots of quality. A young, exciting team doing really well. Now we go there and we don't think about [past results].”
Whilst Klopp would speak glowingly of these players, increasing the concern that the then title-challenging Reds might be tempted to come in for them to offer a ‘higher level’ at the time, things have changed. An Arsenal win on Sunday would take the Gunners a startling 14 points ahead of Liverpool, having played a game more.
Manchester City’s yearly title rivals, as they are tipped, seem off the pace whilst Arsenal have grown into a force that not only Klopp but Pep Guardiola is also wary of. It has reached a point where a transfer from Arsenal to Liverpool is not necessarily a step of progression.
There’s little debate about the size of the two clubs historically, but at present, the debate surrounding which side looks better equipped for future success is a far tighter discussion. With the likes of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson all reaching the latter point of their prime, it seems a cycle at Liverpool is coming to an end.
Meanwhile, the likes of Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard, the players Klopp chose to focus on, represent just a small part of a group that is bursting with young top-quality talent. William Saliba spearheads a defence with an average age of just over 23.
The project conducted by Arteta and technical director Edu is bearing fruit at the perfect time and the scary thing for sides like Liverpool is there appears little indication of a deceleration of investment in young talent.
Liverpool and Klopp have missed their chance. So whilst the talk might continue, the playing field is now level.
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