Arsenal legend Ian Wright believes the key factor that separates the Gunners from Liverpool is the quality that the Reds have at their disposal on the substitutes bench.

Head coach Arne Slot possesses the ability to alter the course of a game by making changes but Wright says Mikel Arteta doesn’t have the same luxury:

“Liverpool’s bench is so good. When you look at what they’ve got to come off the bench, and that is the total opposite to what we have.”

“I remember hearing Mikel say it not long ago. What Liverpool have on the bench is the total opposite to what we’ve got. Sometimes we’ve got a bench that’s not even a Premier League goal on it.”

Comparing the two benches

Liverpool could call upon the likes of Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Konstantinos Tsimikas against Bournemouth last weekend, and they even had to leave Federico Chiesa at home.

In contrast, Arsenal had only one experienced forward (Raheem Sterling) available to them on the bench versus Manchester City, although some may argue that Ethan Nwaneri is quickly becoming another potent weapon. Of course, the injuries to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus have also weakened their options, making it seem that they lack depth compared to their title rivals.

Liverpool will need to have every member of the first team available

Considering that Slot’s team remain in every competition, the manager will need to utilise the squad to its fullest as they try to negotiate a packed schedule.

Avoiding the Champions League playoff round means they have managed to reduce fixture congestion somewhat. Later this month, they will actually have a seven-day gap between the games against Wolves and Manchester City but that is the exception to the rule.

Find out who is in Liverpool’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here