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Jamie Carragher believes Arsenal possesses one crucial edge in the Premier League title battle against Liverpool. The North London outfit currently sits at the summit, holding a three-point cushion over Manchester City following eight fixtures.
Mikel Arteta's men have registered six wins, one draw and just one defeat — that solitary loss being a 1-0 setback against Liverpool at Anfield back in August. Despite what many viewed as a pivotal triumph over Arteta's charges, the Reds have been struggling of late.
Arne Slot's charges have endured four straight losses across all competitions for the first time since November 2014. Three of those reverses came in the top flight, leaving the Merseysiders four points adrift of Arsenal in third spot.
Former Liverpool center-back Carragher has offered his thoughts on what makes Arsenal such a formidable adversary — emphasizing their menace from set-pieces.
Arteta's outfit has built a fearsome reputation for their excellence from dead-ball scenarios, with eight of their league strikes this campaign stemming from either corners or free-kicks.
"I'm a Liverpool supporter, I'm watching Arsenal and every time they get a corner, my head is in my hands," he said on the Sky Sports Premier League Podcast.
"I've never seen anything like this before in football. I think the whole football world feel every time they get a corner, they're going to score a goal."
Arsenal's set-piece specialist, Nicolas Jover, has built an outstanding reputation since joining the north London club. The Frenchman, who previously refined his expertise at Manchester City, is a recognisable figure on the touchline, passionately directing players during matches.
"We want to be the kings of everything," Mikel Arteta said. "Set-pieces, the best in the world. High press, the best in the world. In open spaces, the best in the world. The best atmosphere in the stadium and the best at everything.
"We want to be the best at everything. We want to have the best academy, be the best at player development, recruit the best players, best coaches. That's the aim."
Arteta's team currently occupies joint-first position in the Champions League group phase standings alongside defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and last year's runners-up Inter Milan.
Carragher was thoroughly impressed by their dominant 4-0 thrashing of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday and has completely changed his assessment of their European chances following last season's semi-final run.
"Right now I think Arsenal and Bayern are the two most impressive teams I've seen when you look at their performances domestically and what they're doing in the Champions League," he said on CBS Sports.
"I've said before on this show that I've never had Arsenal down as a Champions League club. I know that might sound obvious because they've never won it before but I've always thought there's something about them that doesn't connect, they've never really gone close.
"Thierry's [Arsenal] team was the best team I ever played against in the Premier League and even that team didn't come close enough to winning the Champions League. It wasn't that team that got to the Champions League final.
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"I do look at this team now and see how strong they are defensively. My Liverpool team that won the Champions League [in 2005] were not a great team attacking-wise but we were strong defensively.
"That always gives you a chance, especially when you get to the knockout stages and the two-legged ties. If you're strong defensively you've always got a chance. So, yeah, I see Arsenal as one of the four or five teams that can win this competition."
The Gunners are scheduled to host Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, seeking to preserve their position at the Premier League summit.
Meanwhile, Liverpool has the opportunity to reduce the deficit to Arteta's side before Arsenal takes the field this weekend, with a journey to Brentford on Saturday evening (8pm kick-off UK time) following their midweek European encounter against Eintracht Frankfurt.
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