Liverpool and Arsenal Roundtable: Questions About the Season So Far (Part Two)

Welcome to part two of a three-part edition of the Bleacher Community Roundtable.

Part two will again focus on Liverpool and Arsenal and will speak to community members from the club's respective Bleacher communities, as well as members from the Manchester United community here on B/R.

Part two continues with input from Liverpool supporters Barney Corkhill and Mick Menace.

We also welcome back Arsenal die-hards Maire Ofeire, Shyam Parthasarathi, and A Gooner from the B/R Arsenal community.

Part two also includes answers from Red Devils supporter, Steven Ho, who is an established favourite on Bleacher Report's Manchester United Community.

The Questions and Answers

5. Why do you think Liverpool are rated the No. 1 English team in Europe over the last five seasons; yet they struggle in the domestic league?

Maire Ofeire: European teams tend to play more open football which is why the competition tends to suit Arsenal more than the EPL. More football is played and Liverpool combat this by being tight at the back and in midfield, both home and away.

It has worked really well for them in Europe but not in the EPL; where many teams employ this tactic.

Also, Rafa can set up his team very well to beat most in a one-off game, but over a whole season he can't seem to do so.

Mick Menace: Benitez is really very good at playing underdog and setting up his team to defend and hit on the break.

When presented with a team that tries to do that to him he doesn't have good enough attacking players to win.

Shyam Parthasarathi: Liverpool are a cup side and Benitez is a cup manager.

He loves managing in the cups and Liverpool's record in the Champions League has been very good in the past five seasons and hence, their aggregates in each year have been high—hence why they're No. 1 in Europe as far as UEFA are concerned.

The league is a whole different ball game altogether.

Liverpool don't have the consistency over 38 games to do it yet. In the past it has been Benitez's odd rotation policy, but this season it has just been Manchester United's dominance—and of course, Liverpool, as I've said before, have had their deficiencies.

Barney Corkhill: Because Rafa Benitez is a fantastic cup manager.

Perhaps the best cup manager in the world, as he showed taking Valencia to the UEFA Cup and then, of course, Liverpool to two Champions League finals in three years.

Benitez's Liverpool are incredibly hard to beat in Europe, and in the league. But draws have more of an effect in the league.

For example, had Liverpool gone to Real Madrid and got a draw, it would have been seen as a good result. Use the exact same tactics against Middlesborough and a draw would be a bad result as you lose ground in the title race.

You can get away with draws in Europe, but not so much in the league.

A Gooner: I don't put much stock in team ratings and I don't take much stock in form guides either. Results speak for themselves, and Liverpool seem to be better suited to play against teams in a European style.

Same can be said for Arsenal. But EPL teams have gotten used to that now, and so, Arsenal and Liverpool have to pull another trick out of their bag and win 'dirty' against EPL teams, as well as win 'clever' in Europe.

United don't score fancy goals, they just get that ball in the back of the net. That is who Demento (Ferguson) employs to ply his trade.

Rafa and Arsene seem to also want to build the play and come up with some way to win that is different than United, and they don't do as well in the EPL for that reason.

But head-to-head, they bring out that special something against United, that is if they employed that, game in, game out, against the rest of the EPL, then they would be more consistent like United have been.

6. Do you think Arsenal have become one-dimensional with no Plan B and can now be stopped easily? Do you think they need to adapt their "beautiful football" concept to deal with some teams in the Premier League?

Maire Ofeire: To a degree, yes.

You can win with the fancy football when you have Henry, Pires, Ljunberg etc in the team, but not Song, Eboue, and Denilson.

Mick Menace: Boring boring Arsenal needs to make a come back.

The Spanish national team have been playing the same way for years, but recently they have accepted the virtue of quick transition and the fast direct ball forward which added another dimension and has made them very successful and hard to contain/beat.

Arsenal needs a similar road to Damascus revelation.

Shyam Parthasarathi: In a certain sense, yes they have.

But you have to consider the fact that Cesc Fabregas has been out for awhile, Theo Walcott has been out for four months, and Eduardo and Rosicky were out for almost a year, or more.

So, when you miss these kinds of players, it's difficult to win every football match.

In the context of this season, Arsenal leaked goals in the first half—Arsene Wenger recognized this and set up the team slightly more defensively, with Song and Denilson sitting a bit deeper. So, it was restricting the team's creativity and lead to a spate of 0-0 draws.

All in all, the team has learned quite a bit this season, and the form seems to be peaking at just about the right time.

Barney Corkhill: Teams often go to big clubs to play for the draw, but the problem with Arsenal now is they don't have the players to break them down as they did before.

Either they haven't become one dimensional, or they've always been one dimensional.

I don't think the way they play has changed, but the quality of players has. Of course, Adebayor, Fabregas, Van Persie, Rosicky, Walcott, and Eduardo are all more than capable, but they have been injured for most of the season.

The reason their "beautiful football" concept worked a few years ago was because they had the likes of Henry, Vieira, and Bergkamp.

A Gooner: They will adapt, because they must.

If you look at the Burnley game, they did something I can't say I have seen them do much of all season; tackle to win the ball.

They got "stuck in there" and had some guile and some muscle and some conviction to win the ball, and turn that possession in to punishment for Burnley.

You got the sense that they felt like they owed Burnley some revenge, and Burnley were humiliated in front of their travelling fans.

So they can win the way they need to, sometimes. They have to realize that Plan A doesn't work, got to Plan B, and win to fight another day.

7. Should Arsenal persist with Wenger and Liverpool with Benitez; and for how long?

Steven Ho: Yes for both, and if I was a chairman/owner, I'd give both as long as the managers thought they needed.

MO: I can't really answer that in regards to Liverpool. I feel the question that needs to be asked is can Rafa take Liverpool to a league title?

For Arsenal I would say Yes.

My hopes is that this season has been a mighty kick up the arse for Wenger. Gunners love him to no end, but we love our club more. I fully expect him to see out his contract and to win a few trophies along the way.

MM:Arsenal will persist with Wenger, but probably shouldn't.

Benitez will probably leave Liverpool in the summer having gotten tired of the internal nonsense and having a better offer from Inter Milan—who will want him to work his Champions League magic for them.

SP: The simple answer is yes.

How long is a question which really cannot be answered because that is dependant upon their teams' performances on the pitch next season.

BC: Arsenal should persist with Wenger until he either seems to have lost it; or until he calls it a day.

He is rebuilding a new team and will need a few years before he has created one of the best teams in the world again—and I think he should be given that time.

Benitez has been progressing every year, and as long as that continues, he should stay.

When he starts regressing, perhaps we can think of a replacement, but sacking a manager for consistently improving is nonsensical.

The problem is that he seems a bit of a handful for the board, and they may prefer someone they can boss around. I've noticed some fans becoming unsure about Benitez recently as well, but, as I said, as long as he keeps improving I think he should stay.

Having said that, I do think that had he not won in Istanbul, he wouldn't be Liverpool manager anymore.

AG: Wenger should continue for as long as he wants to because Arsenal owes that much to him.

Again, I feel that Benitez is a liability for Liverpool, and so if he left this Summer, I wouldn't feel sorry for Liverpool and I would actually worry more about them more.

Sorry to say, but I don't take much stock in Liverpool. I'm not saying I don't respect them, but I feel about them and Chelsea, in the same way, but for different reasons.

I think Liverpool is beatable, but that's because, man to a man, I think Arsenal are better.

Chelsea, I just think of them as the golden retirement home; beatable, but they gave up the game for money; at the Club level, and you can see it in who plays for the team, and the revolving door mentality at the coaching position.

I don't have much respect for Chelsea, their players, their fans, or the club, or the ownership. I actually feel they are more of a nuisance in the Top four; the rich kid who turns up to the party in his sports car bought by daddy's money.

Liverpool aren't like that; I think they have earned their place as a worthy opponent, because they are just that; a worthy opponent.

But I don't much care for their style of play or their players—except for Torres and Gerrard—but that is because I am an Arsenal supporter and I am focused on Arsenal.

Liverpool will always be the team that Arsenal beat at Anfield 10 years ago. Always.

8. What do you think will happen to Liverpool and Arsenal next season? Will this season's mistakes make them more experienced and help them to get closer to first place?

MO: For Liverpool, the club needs to sort out the boardroom first and foremost.

Parry is stepping down, but is that enough? The owners hate each other and it's all a bit of a mess and that needs to be sorted more than anything.

Well I hope so for Arsenal and I hope Wenger realizes he has to buy some experienced players; but then again I have said that for the last two summers.

MM: I fear for the future of Liverpool Football Club since I think Rafa will leave and his replacement will be a joke.

No self-respecting manager would be interested in managing this organization with no money to spend.

For Arsenal it depends on whether or not Cesc Fabregas stays. He'll leave and they'll be lucky to hold off Man City's fantasy team.

SP: At the end of last season I thought that Arsenal would challenge for the Premier League big time.

But that obviously hasn't materialized because of Hleb and Flamini's departure.

Not many people thought that Liverpool will be where they are today, so they've done very well.

It's hard to predict where both these teams will be come next season. All that depends upon what the clubs do in the close season.

BC: I expect Liverpool to push even harder for the title, with Rafa hopefully making some smart buys during the summer transfer window.

This season's experience of the pressure of a title challenge will be invaluable to him and the Liverpool players, so I'm expecting an even bigger push.

I think Arsenal won't be too far away either. I think they'll finish fourth, but not a million miles off first.

That all depends on whether or not they keep their star players during the summer though, and whether they have better luck when it comes to injuries.

AG: If Liverpool do what they must, and get rid of Rafa, then who knows. Under him though, I will truly feel that anything they achieve will be unexpected (by me) and a result of some fluke or some kind of cheat.

I am still very sore over the European exit in the quarter finals last season because Babel, for me, will always bring one word to mind; "cheat."

Just as I said that Manchester does what they need to do to win a game, I feel that Liverpool will do what they need to do to steal a game.

Sorry, but that is just how I see it, and call it sour grapes, but I know many neutral fans who truly feel that the ref in that game was horrible for awarding a penalty for a clear dive on the edge of the box. Shameless.

I know when I speak with my mates that are Liverpool supporters, they get this rueful look on their face, and cannot look me in the eye and tell me different.

They won a crucial game, in an underhanded and dirty manner, and its not something any Scouser I know of, is proud of.

I think this young Arsenal team learned a lot from that, as they do every defeat. They have had too many of them this season, and so, they know now that they must treat every game as important as any other.

Funny thing for a team of professionals to have to learn, but there you have it.

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That concludes Part two of this three-part edition of the Bleacher Community Roundtable.

Part one of this edition can be found here and part three can be found here.

Once again, a big thanks to all contributors and the BCR team are on the look out for the next set of questions and which two communities to fire them at.

Thanks to you for reading.