Rafael Benitez is often said to be one of the most wilful managers in world football who will only ever operate under his own methods and never give so much as a nod to anything which deviates from those routines.
On Wednesday evening he comes up against a man every inch as obdurate - Arsene Wenger.
Though in general it is difficult to argue with Wenger’s record. Except for the past few seasons or so it stands against any of his peers but some questions are more than justified. The Frenchman's principles and some of the football his teams have produced since he joined Arsenal cannot be faulted.
However, a problem certainly lies in his stubbornness and refusal to think about compromise - not to mention a player policy only slightly more compassionate than the Deep Sleep Operatives from Logan’s Run.
Despite having a large war chest available he prefers not to use it even though his side cries out for real depth. Over a couple of transfer windows he kept the bankers happy and left his funds in place rather than invest while his side.
There were huge implications in the 2007-08 campaign when he had a five point lead at the Premier League’s summit. Reliance on a very small core squad when a team is about to enter one of the demanding parts of any season is a huge gamble.
There may not be so many games crammed into Christmas and New Year as once was the case. With under soil heating present across the majority of grounds pitches are rarely hard but at a time when the weather is at its coldest and the demands of mid-season greatest injuries are inevitable - especially when a side is active on nearly all fronts - well over a decade's experience in English football should have taught that lesson.
A season which promised so much for the Gunners was in effect laid bare on one single afternoon when Eduardo suffered an horrific leg break and when leading 2-1 Gael Clichy conceded a last minute penalty which gifted Birmingham a point but deprived Arsenal of not only two but their momentum - no small measure of impetus went courtesy of William Gallas’ post-match histrionics and a sit in protest not seen since the heydays of Neville Southall.
Wenger's unjustified comments regarding the tackle on the Croatian international certainly suggested he knew what his team had probably lost.
If his transfer activity in the summer just gone is anything to go by it seems that he will either not heed or denies the errors of last winter.
Arsenal who have been defeated by both likely suspects and unlikely candidates so far this term and last when they threw some very commanding leads away. Their struggles in many respects courtesy of that absolute rejection to invest.
A goalkeeper better than Manuel Almunia should have been brought in some time ago Soo too players who can not only dictate the pace of a game but control it. That weakness has been laid particularly bare over the past two weekends.
So too a willingness to make tackles - something no Liverpool player was hesitant to do against Everton and a similar battling performance will most probably reap its own rewards at Ashburton Grove on Wednesday. As stopping Arsenal playing their football has yet to receive any answer other than the Gunners to attempt more of the same.
Once they are caught up the pitch a weakness can be exploited. Starving them of the ball as another key for as good as they are with it Arsenal can often be apalling without it at their feet failing to track runs, anticipate movement and close people down.
That’s not to say Wenger does not have any form of tactical nouse nor player recruitment and retention policy - but it is one which will only bear long term dividends and possibly sustained success depending on factors should all those youngsters stay or just as importantly realise their promise.
In the meantime the entire project is threatened by events in the present and short term.
The football may be pretty but it seems the dressing room is anything but. Not only that where players suffering from a dip in form or confidence look around the Liverpool squad and see Steven Gerrard as their leader Arsenal have until recent times had William Gallas - a tantrum waiting to happen contrasted with the Reds’ beating heart and thankfully a player who is beginning to find his form again in recent games.
Gerrard's opposite number Cesc Febregas should be appreciated for the world class talent he is while still in his early 20s.
Beyond their skipper any player at Anfield, fitness allowing, sees Jamie Carragher, Javier Mascherano, Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres amongst others around them.
Many of those players have won the Champions League plus some of the game’s other highest honours and with not just clubs but their countries.
More than a couple have also skippered their respective nations and can be relied upon for advice by anyone struggling - those under similar crisis at Ashburton Grove are surrounded by peers at a similar stage and predicament to themselves. Some had their issues not to mention the contents of their stomachs and hearts laid bare before a worldwide press when Gallas decided to discuss his teammates with journalists from his own country.
Another consequence felt particularly hard by the Gunners is the absence of grit in midfield. Mathieu Flamini was moulded into a player as comfortable at scrapping as silky movement but was not only allowed to leave but to do so for nothing with his deal down to zero even when the player had given considerable notice that he may well exploit the rules to walk away for nothing through passage of team or if necessary buying out his contract.
The player offered an interview to a French football magazine on the specific basis they would ensure syndication in Italy, Germany as well as Spain and barely made a secret of his ultimate intentions.
Rafa Benitez has made errors in the market but moved them on quickly. Many of those who have expressed a desire to depart - whatever their reason - even with little on their contracts have been moved on for profit.
In truth while Liverpool could do with some of Arsenal’s attacking zing by contrast the Gunners who have succumb to very similar goals against Manchester United and Chelsea would benefit from some of the Reds’ recent returned strength down the spine. Without it Arsenal will remain justifably unfancied to end a five season trophy drought.
While Wenger’s contemporaries - Benitez included - have proved they can adopt a more pragmatic approach than the Arsenal boss regardless of form going into a game he does seem to hold a tendency to get things right against the other top sides. Despite a modest build ups to hosting Manchester United, Everton and others Liverpool have come out of these encounters on top and not for the first time.
In contrast to last season when they led the 'Big Four mini-league' Arsenal and Liverpool are fairing less well with just three points apiece.
Three more for either will not suggest Liverpool or Arsenal are anything other than contenders for the minor Champions League placings. In the former case it would serve as something of a grab on the coattails but a first win at the Gunners’ new home would be a crucial boost for the Reds - no doubt Arsene knows that.
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