ALISTAIR TWEEDALE

November is traditionally the toughest month of Arsenal’s season. In their entire Premier League history, they average fewer points per game in the year’s 11th month than they do in any other.

So, on the back of a stunning 13-match run that included 12 wins, they go into the first November of the Unai Emery era flying high. But today’s 5.30pm kick-off provides a match that threatens to bring Arsenal crashing back down to earth.

Liverpool, one of three teams above them in the

table, are the next visitors to the Emirates. What is more, not only are they undefeated this season, they also had a brilliant recent record against Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.

Jurgen Klopp has never lost a Premier League game to Arsenal, while Liverpool have scored at least three goals in every one of those five games.

That will be a concern to Emery, who has overseen a positive start in London but has yet to see much improvement in defence. In 10 Premier League games so far, his Arsenal side have kept only two clean sheets, against Watford and Everton.

In both those games, Arsenal were fortunate not to concede at least once and could easily have ended up losing.

Liverpool’s lightning counter-attacks and fluid front three have enough to cause any defence issues, and there will be legitimate worries about Arsenal making it six games in a row in which they have conceded at least three goals to Liverpool. It would be the first time ever that they had done so against a single opponent.

Arsenal have scored 10 goals in their past five games against Liverpool, but have earned only two points. With a top-heavy team and a shaky defence, imbalance was a persistent issue under Wenger.

Results this season suggest that may still be an issue. This is a big game for Arsenal ahead of a huge month for their manager to show how much he has changed them already.