Dominik Szoboszlai: Arsenal aren’t champions yet, you don’t win the Premier League in January | Football News

It is still too early to crown Arsenal champions of the Premier League, Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai said ahead of the two sides’ meeting at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday evening, live on Aerial sports.

The reigning Premier League champions travel to the capital in fourth place in the table, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal after a difficult title defense for Arne Slot’s side.

Another victory for the Gunners, who have lost just two league matches all season, would keep Mikel Arteta’s side in pole position to win the championship for the first time since Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ in 2003-04.

However, Szoboszlai, who will be one of the first names on the visitors’ team sheet on Thursday evening after an outstanding individual season which has so far yielded five goals and five assists in all competitions, has warned Arteta and co not to look too far ahead in the title race, particularly with Man City and Aston Villa just six points behind.

“It’s a long road,” Szoboszlai said. “The Premier League is not easy and you don’t win it until January, I don’t think (playing against the champions). They are playing against the champions. They know it too, they are one of the favorites and an incredible team with incredible players.

The Premier League is not easy and you don’t win it until January.

“They can’t forget City and Villa, they are doing very well. No, we are not playing against the champions; they are playing against the champions.”

As for the champions’ hopes of retaining the title this campaign, even a strong second half of the season would give Liverpool no chance, such is the points gap between them and Arsenal, according to the Hungarian captain.

“It’s crazy because if I go back to last year, in February we were 10 points ahead and I was still saying we hadn’t won yet,” he said. “But inside I said to myself: this is a chance.

“Now probably, because we are so many points behind, we can’t think long term. Dreaming, we can talk about it, but we have to think game by game and perform to show that we can even be in the top four. We need things to go our way, why not?”

Thursday January 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Kick-off at 8:00 p.m.

The Reds have already lost six league games this season, two more than in their entire title-winning campaign, with the 25-year-old saying he and his teammates must deal with the pressure that comes with such poor form.

“It happens sometimes,” he explained. “Last year when the coach came in, no one thought we had a chance of winning, but then we started really well and kept going.

“If you asked anyone they wouldn’t think we could win and the chances were low. Now we started well and luck was on our side but that shows we are ready again. Sometimes there is a little blip and you don’t react the way you should, you saw that last season with City.

“Now you have to achieve what you are aiming for. Game by game because we can’t look long term.

“It’s very hard, but different in other teams. In fact, that’s what you want. That’s why you come here and play for the biggest clubs in the world, for the pressure. Whether you win or lose. We have to deal with that.

“It’s not my job to say (what they need to fix). We have so many people in the club to find solutions and they will, I’m pretty sure. Every player has a few things in mind, but they will keep them to themselves. We will grow as a group because we are Liverpool, we are the champions of England.”

The champions travel to Arsenal on a nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions, having lost nine of their previous 12 matches in total.

“We were at the bottom so from there, everything is progress,” he added.

“We are trying to get back to where we belong. Not just in the position, but we would like to play the same football as last season. The other teams know that now, they saw us last season. They try to hurt us wherever they can. But still, if we want to compete for something, we have to find solutions. »

One player who will not be involved in north London on Thursday, however, is last season’s two-time Footballer of the Year, Mohamed Salah, who is currently leading Egypt to the Africa Cup of Nations.

The striker’s future at Anfield is still uncertain after a very public row with Slot when he claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club during their losing streak at the end of last year.

Despite the ‘saddening’ Szoboszlai situation, the midfielder still hopes Salah returns to send the Reds back up the table.

“I think it’s (a friendship) very close. From the first day he took me under his wing and tried to help me with as many things as I asked him. To learn from him. We are getting closer every day and we trust each other even more. I know a lot of things about him that no one knows.

“Yeah (sad to see). It wasn’t nice to see, but he’s professional enough to handle his situation. I never got involved. I knew I couldn’t (help him) because he would do it on his own. I was there for him every day. He will handle it, he has the character to deal with it.

“Everyone hopes that he will come back after the CAN and help us like he did last season, but it is his decision and that of the club. As a teammate, I like playing with him and I know what he can do. He has shown enough that he is capable of anything.”