Saka’s return nears, but is it too late for Arsenal as Van Dijk warns Liverpool? | OneFootball

With Bukayo Saka nearing his return, Arsenal’s hopes of reigniting their title challenge hang by a thread as Virgil van Dijk warns Liverpool not to let up.

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Virgil van Dijk has cautioned his Liverpool teammates against complacency in the Premier League title race, but with a 12-point lead and only nine games left, the reality is that Arsenal, as their closest challengers, are most likely too far adrift to mount a serious challenge.

Liverpool’s hopes of a quadruple have evaporated over the past fortnight. A meek Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle followed their Champions League elimination, leaving the league as their only remaining chance at silverware.

Yet, Van Dijk is adamant that the job is far from finished.

“We all have to realise the job is not done for what we have coming up,” he told L’Equipe. “We have to work our ass [off] for it.”

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Liverpool do not play again until April 2, when they face Everton at Anfield, but their lead at the top remains commanding.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta‘s Arsenal, riddled with injuries and hamstrung by their own January transfer decisions, have done remarkably well just to stay in second place.

A forward line that once boasted Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabriel Martinelli has been decimated. Both centre-forwards have been ruled out for months and won’t return until next season, Martin Ødegaard missed a significant chunk of the season, and Saka, Arsenal’s most dangerous attacking outlet, has been sidelined for four months.

Instead of reinforcing in January, Arsenal opted to rely on Kai Havertz to see them through the rest of the season, only for him to suffer a hamstring injury in Dubai eight days after the window closed.

Photo via Havertz on Instagram

There is some hope, but it is small. Saka is expected to return after the international break, but after the longest layoff of his career, the question remains: how long will it take him to get up to top form?

With Arsenal still battling in the Champions League, his return comes at a crucial moment, but whether it will be enough to reinvigorate a title challenge remains doubtful, and still relies on Liverpool collapsing.

Van Dijk, though, is not taking anything for granted.

“Let’s hope so, but we can’t think about it like that,” he said when asked if winning the league would erase the pain of their recent defeats. “We have nine games to go and I don’t think there’s any motivation needed to try to get the job done.”

For Arsenal, the job now is to hold onto second place and ensure another Champions League campaign next season. A title challenge looks increasingly unlikely, but if Saka can return firing, they may at least make Liverpool sweat a little longer.