“I used to call them my babies”- Patrice Evra warns Liverpool ahead of encounter vs “real deal” Arsenal

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra warns Liverpool ahead Arsenal encounter

Speaking to Betfair (h/t Liverpool Echo), former Manchester United right-back and pundit Patrice Evra claims that Arsenal could be a tough opponent to come up against at the moment given their form and claimed that the Gunners could cause Liverpool problems.

Back in the day when Evra was still making overlapping runs on the right flank, the rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal was at its peak with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger going at it.

Liverpool at that point in time were probably not in the picture as much as they are now, and Evra claims that since then, both Arsenal and the Merseysiders have gone through their ups and downs.

With Arsenal struggling to make it to Europe, and Liverpool meanwhile becoming the European superpowers they were once again, the odds of winning probably were more in the Reds’ favour. But this season is proving to be different.

A new-look Arsenal side under Mikel Arteta are the present front-runners to win the league alongside Manchester City, and Liverpool have struggled to win their games this campaign. Hence, Evra’s thought process about the Gunners has changed.

The Gunners are second in the points table with seven wins from eight games and could potentially go all the way. With a drastic change in how they played in the earlier seasons, it is understandable that Evra now calls them the “real deal“.

“They just attack you and they don’t let you breathe. It’s weird for me to talk about Arsenal this way, because I used to call them my babies, but now they are the real deal and I understand why the Arsenal fans are dreaming about contending for the title.”

“It’s a big game for both sides, I can see Arsenal winning and if they do, they will believe that they can fight for the title.”

Gunners against The Reds

Arsenal have gone from strength to strength under Arteta and it shows in their performances. The midfield duo of Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard are in sublime form this season and that is contributing to the Gunners’ success.

Meanwhile, Liverpool coming off a wonderful campaign last season, playing all games possible and winning two trophies as well, have not had the best start this time around. With only two wins from seven games, it is crucial for the Reds to get back on winning terms and at least pose a threat to the title.

This Sunday will prove to be a major test for the Reds and could potentially change the way the rest of the season shapes up for Jurgen Klopp‘s side. With Arsenal no longer ‘the babies’ they used to be a few years ago, this will be an exciting watch for the neutrals.

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It is extremely important for the Reds to get their season going at this moment in time or else it will be too late if Liverpool do not act on time. The tough part of the campaign only begins, with a fixture against Manchester City also to be played later this month.