Jurgen Klopp's Premier League-leading Liverpool making Mikel Arteta and Arsenal look bad with Gunners failing to build on breakout season

Comparisons had already been drawn with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool circa 2017 - a rapidly-improving side led by a passionate tactician and roared on by a revived fan base that was quite clearly destined to achieve great things.

Klopp even acknowledged the "similarities" ahead of a trip to the Etihad in March 2022. "They have a clear structure, clear idea, properly tuned, possession-based, young, full of talent and joy," the German told reporters.

"Other teams will not like it because it's another big name back on track but that's how it looks. Arsenal fans, maybe since I was in England it was not always easy for them to enjoy. But they seem to be now and that's exactly how it should be."

Arteta has also admitted on several occasions that he has drawn inspiration from the way in which Klopp managed to get Anfield fully behind what was, at least initially, a team in transition during the first couple of years of his tenure.

Only last April, the Spanish coach reiterated, "For sure, [he is an example to follow]: coming from abroad, the way he did it, the way he installed that clear identity, values and the way he transmitted and everybody bought his ideas so early. He needed some time but then results came up in the best possible way.

"They are a great team managed by a top manager and they create an incredible atmosphere that makes it very difficult for any opponent. It is the same to come to the Emirates now. It’s very, very difficult...

"But he also transformed the club with the results they've had and how much they won. You can sustain yourself at this level only if you produce the results that are necessary to continue."

And that is the challenge now facing Arteta as he prepares to welcome Premier League-leading Liverpool to the Emirates for a massive match in the context of this season's title race.

The visitors can ill-afford to drop points with Manchester City having ominously and inevitably slipped into second-half-of-the-season mode, but a draw would not be a disaster.

For Arsenal, though, this is a must-win match. They racked up 50 points by the midway point of the 2022-23 campaign; this season, they have 46 from 22 games and sit third, level on points with second-placed City but having played one game more. Liverpool lead the way on 51 points.

When one considers that Arsenal have struggled to play with anything like the same fluency as last season, questions are already being asked of their true title credentials, because from being in a position of real strength last summer, the Gunners look worryingly weak in certain areas, as Arteta admitted himself.

Losing Jurrien Timber to injury on the opening day of the season was obviously desperately unfortunate but it's worth noting that Liverpool (19) have conceded fewer league goals than Arsenal (21) despite being without their two first-choice left-backs, their first-choice right-back and a starting centre-back at one point this season.

Klopp has also had to make do without his most reliable source of goals, Mohamed Salah, for the best part of a month (one dreads to think what would happen to Arsenal if they lost Bukayo Saka, their top Premier League scorer this season with seven strikes) - and yet Liverpool are still competing on four fronts as we enter February.

It is an awesome testament to Klopp's coaching credentials and, truth be told, is making Areta's Arsenal look bad. The Londoners were meant to be the ones taking the fight to City - not a Liverpool side that failed to even finish in the top four last term and then had to completely overhaul their midfield during the summer.

It's startling, then, that the Reds presently have a better balance and more options in their engine room than Arsenal, who, let’s face it, only have themselves to blame for overpaying horribly for Rice and Havertz, who cost a combined £170m ($217m) - £35m ($45m) more than Liverpool spent on Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.

Rice is undeniably having a good season at the Etihad but there's no hiding the fact that sixth-placed West Ham are doing a lot better out of the deal.

In fairness to Arsenal, they needed a player like the England international and their hand was forced by City's interest, but there's still no excusing the £65m ($83m) committed to signing Havertz when one considers Arsenal still lack a great goalscorer - something Gabriel Jesus, for all his attributes, will clearly never be.

Indeed, it was concerning to see how many chances Arsenal wasted in last month's FA Cup meeting with Liverpool before eventually losing complete control of the game in the second half and slumping to a 2-0 defeat.

What was startling about that encounter was the way in which Klopp made full use of his squad, and particularly his youngsters, who are playing an increasingly prominent role in this remarkable campaign. Jarell Quansah has vindicated the decision not to sign another centre-back last summer, while it doesn't look like a new right-back will be required now either, with Conor Bradley playing so impressively that Trent Alexander-Arnold is free to make a permanent move into midfield if Klopp so wishes.

This final season at Anfield really couldn't be going much better for the former Borussia Dortmund boss, who is perfectly primed to leave Liverpool on a high this summer - and with his reputation as the best manager in the game today restored, by once again over-achieving with the resources at his disposal.

In that sense, the contrast with Arteta is quite stark. He is using far fewer players than Klopp and his in-game changes aren't making anything like the same impact. Consequently, while Arteta's squad looks thin right now, Klopp's appears to be bursting at the seams with talent - which is a seriously bad look for Arsenal and their manager.