#13 - Saka knocked off top spot as Ramsdale and Jesus excel
Arsenal have a new leader in the Power Rankings after the latest update following the 2-2 draw at Anfield
Hello all - just another quick update this week. Some personal issues sadly mean we don’t have a podcast again this week but I’m really hoping we are all back to normal next week. I didn’t want to miss a Power Ranking update though, particularly after that crazy game at Anfield. There’s been plenty of change which you can read about below.
Arsenal Power Rankings update
Risers: We have a new king of the rankings. Either Saka or Odegaard had held top spot for the whole of 2023 until now. Gabriel Martinelli has been brilliant in recent weeks and after a goal and assist at Anfield he has taken top spot - how long can he now hold it?
Gabriel has had plenty of top five appearances this season and he’s back again after another solid performance at Anfield. He has to be in contention for the best centre back in the league this season.
After his brace against Leeds, Gabriel Jesus has continued to rise after being great at Anfield and scoring Arsenal’s second. He’s up three places and will be a serious threat to top spot if he can keep this up.
It was a huge day for Aaron Ramsdale who single-handedly ensured Arsenal didn’t fully collapse at Anfield. The English stopper was sensational in the second half and particularly in the last 10 minutes where he made two saves most wouldn’t. Let’s hope this point is the deciding factor in helping Arsenal to the title come the end of the season.
Fallers: Martin Odegaard disappointingly fell short of expectations at Anfield and drops to 5th for the first time. When other tough away games roll around, particularly against Newcastle and Manchester City, Arsenal will need the Odegaard from the Tottenham game rather than this Liverpool one, or they will ultimately fall short of the title.
3rd-11th is particularly tight in the rankings and Granit Xhaka is a victim of that. He fell below par at Anfield and has tumbled down to 10th.
Zinchenko continues to slip after performances have fallen off in recent weeks. His mistake for the equaliser highlighted his defensive weaknesses and some may be calling to see Kieran Tierney given more game time as a result, particularly when defending a lead.