ARSENAL RETURN TO the scene of one of the most miserable low points of last season’s campaign on Sunday as they travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool.
In February, the Gunners were humbled 5-1 and had shipped four goals after just 20 minutes as a ruthless, title-chasing home side, led by Luis Suarez, steamrollered their befuddled opponents in an incredible opening salvo.
The two sides are much changed this season, with Arsenal now leaning on the exploits of their own explosive South American showman, while the Merseysiders are struggling to adapt to life after their so-called ‘SAS’ attack was disbanded; Suarez has now taken on the role of Lionel Messi’s wingman at Barcelona while Daniel Sturridge has been sidelined indefinitely.
When Liverpool and Arsenal last met, there was a noticeable difference in the pace and urgency of the two sides’ midfields and attacks. The Merseysiders pressed relentlessly, forcing errors, while the Gunners played at a much slower, more methodical tempo. It resulted in one of Arsenal’s biggest defeats of the season, and that midfield core has not been reinforced at all in the intervening time.
Having opted against signing the mobile, aggressive destroyer his side so obviously needed, Arsene Wenger goes to Anfield with few options to choose from. A raft of injuries means the likes of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey are unavailable, but the biggest absence could be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“We cannot afford to lose him at the moment,” noted Wenger after the 21-year-old was withdrawn against Newcastle at the weekend. The youngster, who could yet be fit courtesy of a pain-killing injection, has transitioned from speedy winger to midfield dynamo, and has brought an energy and directness to the centre of Arsenal’s spine.
The Gunners were torn apart on their last visit to Anfield PA Archive / Press Association Images
PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
“He’s got the pace to go past a player, is very strong on the ball and has really impressed over the past few weeks,” Arsenal legend Ray Parlour said. “His form will be key to Arsenal’s top-four ambitions this season, that’s for sure, especially with injuries to the likes of Wilshere and Ramsey… which could see Oxlade-Chamberlain moved further back alongside Flamini to increase the pace in central midfield.”
In February’s meeting, Liverpool’s midfield completed 100 per cent more tackles and interceptions than Arsenal’s – Steven Gerrard, on his own, completed as many challenged as the Gunners’ entire midfield – and Mesut Ozil was particularly unable to cope with the hosts’ tough-tackling pressing game, committing two errors that led to goals. No Arsenal player was culpable of more in a single game last season.
Brendan Rodgers’s current setup – a 3-4-3 formation with Jordan Henderson and Lazar Markovic in the wing-back roles against Bournemouth – risks overwhelming Wenger’s usual two-man holding pivot, especially if they press as they did at Dean Court, which is why the acceleration, mobility and tenacity of Oxlade-Chamberlain will be so important.
Quite why Rodgers finally decided to axe Simon Mignolet against Manchester United is something of a mystery. The Belgian has undoubtedly made a number of high-profile errors this season – his most recent coming at the end of November against Ludogorets – though appeared to have been backed by his manager and had been solid, if unspectacular, as Liverpool collected seven points from a possible nine in the Premier League prior to Sunday’s defeat.
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He has been helped little by a backline that has committed six errors leading to goals – only Everton have managed more – though none of his own mistakes have directly resulted in goals for the opposition. Meanwhile, over the last three seasons, no goalkeeper has made more saves than Mignolet’s 294.
Perhaps, then, his dropping was more to do with style than performance. A good shot-stopper from range, Mignolet has saved 90% of efforts from outside the box, but that drops to a rather more miserable 52% for shots taken inside the box, which could be problematic against Arsenal, who have scored the third most goals from inside the area (27) in the division.
Rodgers has placed a great deal of faith in Brad Jones Andrew Matthews
Andrew Matthews
Bruce Grobbelaar, meanwhile, accused the keeper of being “worse than Dracula because at least Dracula comes out of his coffin now and then” and the fact that 19 keepers have caught the ball more often than Mignolet is testament to his lack of command over his penalty area.
But is Brad Jones really a better option? One of the key themes of United’s win was how dominant David de Gea was, and how ruthless his team-mates were at the other end, but the opposite was true of Liverpool.
The Australian looked every bit the back-up keeper, was easily beaten on three occasions (his 50% save percentage is some way down on Mignolet’s season average, while he let Dan Gosling’s effort squirm through his fingers against Bournemouth) and he showed little to suggest he can command his area any better than the Belgian. Arsenal will fancy their chances against both keepers.
Liverpool’s frontline is an infinitely paler shade of what it used to be, with Daniel Sturridge injured, Mario Balotelli misfiring and Rickie Lambert struggling to adapt to an attack that was once a fusion of pace, movement and trickery. The former Southampton frontman, at his best, is a bullish battering ram, but his one-paced immobility has seen Rodgers look for alternatives.
After firing blanks at Old Trafford, Raheem Sterling returned to the score sheet during the week Adam Davy
Adam Davy
Against Manchester United, and in the League Cup quarter-final against Bournemouth, he opted to have Raheem Sterling lead the line. The 20-year-old’s speed and intelligent running was a constant worry in both games, but at Old Trafford he appeared bereft of the natural, predatory instincts that a leading man requires.
Admittedly it did not help that David De Gea was in such formidable form, but he failed to score with any of his four shots on target (the second-most a player has managed in a league match at Old Trafford in over a decade). No Premier League player has had more on-target efforts without scoring this season.
The possibility of a makeshift Arsenal back four could, therefore, see Lambert return to Rodgers’ thoughts. Peter Crouch was such a thorn in the side of the Gunners (no player has won more headers against them this season) and Liverpool’s own towering frontman would likely fancy his chances against Mathieu Debuchy should the Frenchman be picked at centre-back again.
Debuchy, though, is deceptively good in the air (winning 5.8 headers per game this term, comfortably Arsenal’s best), while Lambert has never scored against the north Londoners.
Rodgers is likely to keep faith in Sterling and his new striker-less formation, then, and the fact that De Gea was United’s man of the match says much about how well Liverpool attacked against United – even if they lacked the necessary end product.
That requisite killer touch was more in evidence against Bournemouth, though, with Sterling ending his barren run with a brace. The formula that was so successful against the Championship outfit could pay particular dividends if Arsenal’s defensive line is as high as it was in the same fixture last term, where Sterling scored twice, and the England starlet’s startling speed and fancy footwork will cause Per Mertesacker major problems.
Alexis Sanchez has held Arsenal together at times this year PA Wire / Press Association Images
PA Wire / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
It is quite incredible how rapidly Alexis Sanchez has developed into a talisman for Arsenal. “It’s difficult to find examples of people who have settled in so quickly. My memory is not perfect, but I can’t think of a quicker one,” noted Wenger. In fact, the Chilean ranks joint third for combined goals and assists (14) in his first 15 Premier League matches. Only Sergio Aguero and former Derby County man Francesco Baiano (both 15) have managed more.
He is, unquestionably, Arsenal’s danger man, and has more than twice as many goals as his next most prolific team-mate (Olivier Giroud, with four goals) and more than twice as many assists as his next most creative team-mate (Santi Cazorla, with two assists). How Liverpool must wish they had been able to lure the former Barcelona man to Anfield during the summer.
Instead, Alexis will line up on the right wing against a Liverpool left side that has been incredibly vulnerable this season. Dejan Lovren, the left-sided centre-back, and Alberto Moreno, who has struggled to live up to his price-tag save for a brilliant goal at Tottenham, have committed two errors leading to goals apiece this season.
Lovren and Moreno have shown little understanding together, with massive gaps appearing between the two, and Antonio Valencia exposed the Spaniard’s attacking nature to create United’s opening goal at the weekend.
Alexis has been rampant this season, and it was a trademark dash down the left, followed by a pin-point cross, that produced Arsenal’s opener against Newcastle. The 25-year-old is always looking to exploit the space behind and in between the full-back and the centre-back, and few back-lines feel more vulnerable to that than Liverpool’s.
Mathieu Debuchy has been forced to cover at centre back in recent games AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
He is also a fabulously hard-working player too. He presses relentlessly, forcing errors and winning the ball (something Liverpool’s error-prone left flank could buckle against), while only Mathieu Flamini (38) and Calum Chambers (32) have completed more tackles than Alexis’s 29. His pace (he clocked the fifth fastest speed at the weekend, 34.6km/h) will worry an often ponderous centre-back pairing.
Rodgers may look to force Alexis back into his own half on Sunday, and he trialled Markovic at left wing-back against Bournemouth in midweek – he would offer even more attacking threat than Moreno. Equally, wing-backs are most vulnerable against wingers who stay high up the pitch and sticking with a back three could backfire spectacularly.
If Liverpool keep Alexis quiet, though, they will have snuffed out an often solitary spark of imagination in the Arsenal ranks and could come away with three points.
Where will Liverpool vs Arsenal be won and lost?
Updated at 00.15
ARSENAL RETURN TO the scene of one of the most miserable low points of last season’s campaign on Sunday as they travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool.
In February, the Gunners were humbled 5-1 and had shipped four goals after just 20 minutes as a ruthless, title-chasing home side, led by Luis Suarez, steamrollered their befuddled opponents in an incredible opening salvo.
The two sides are much changed this season, with Arsenal now leaning on the exploits of their own explosive South American showman, while the Merseysiders are struggling to adapt to life after their so-called ‘SAS’ attack was disbanded; Suarez has now taken on the role of Lionel Messi’s wingman at Barcelona while Daniel Sturridge has been sidelined indefinitely.
When Liverpool and Arsenal last met, there was a noticeable difference in the pace and urgency of the two sides’ midfields and attacks. The Merseysiders pressed relentlessly, forcing errors, while the Gunners played at a much slower, more methodical tempo. It resulted in one of Arsenal’s biggest defeats of the season, and that midfield core has not been reinforced at all in the intervening time.
Having opted against signing the mobile, aggressive destroyer his side so obviously needed, Arsene Wenger goes to Anfield with few options to choose from. A raft of injuries means the likes of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey are unavailable, but the biggest absence could be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“We cannot afford to lose him at the moment,” noted Wenger after the 21-year-old was withdrawn against Newcastle at the weekend. The youngster, who could yet be fit courtesy of a pain-killing injection, has transitioned from speedy winger to midfield dynamo, and has brought an energy and directness to the centre of Arsenal’s spine.
“He’s got the pace to go past a player, is very strong on the ball and has really impressed over the past few weeks,” Arsenal legend Ray Parlour said. “His form will be key to Arsenal’s top-four ambitions this season, that’s for sure, especially with injuries to the likes of Wilshere and Ramsey… which could see Oxlade-Chamberlain moved further back alongside Flamini to increase the pace in central midfield.”
In February’s meeting, Liverpool’s midfield completed 100 per cent more tackles and interceptions than Arsenal’s – Steven Gerrard, on his own, completed as many challenged as the Gunners’ entire midfield – and Mesut Ozil was particularly unable to cope with the hosts’ tough-tackling pressing game, committing two errors that led to goals. No Arsenal player was culpable of more in a single game last season.
Brendan Rodgers’s current setup – a 3-4-3 formation with Jordan Henderson and Lazar Markovic in the wing-back roles against Bournemouth – risks overwhelming Wenger’s usual two-man holding pivot, especially if they press as they did at Dean Court, which is why the acceleration, mobility and tenacity of Oxlade-Chamberlain will be so important.
Quite why Rodgers finally decided to axe Simon Mignolet against Manchester United is something of a mystery. The Belgian has undoubtedly made a number of high-profile errors this season – his most recent coming at the end of November against Ludogorets – though appeared to have been backed by his manager and had been solid, if unspectacular, as Liverpool collected seven points from a possible nine in the Premier League prior to Sunday’s defeat.
He has been helped little by a backline that has committed six errors leading to goals – only Everton have managed more – though none of his own mistakes have directly resulted in goals for the opposition. Meanwhile, over the last three seasons, no goalkeeper has made more saves than Mignolet’s 294.
Perhaps, then, his dropping was more to do with style than performance. A good shot-stopper from range, Mignolet has saved 90% of efforts from outside the box, but that drops to a rather more miserable 52% for shots taken inside the box, which could be problematic against Arsenal, who have scored the third most goals from inside the area (27) in the division.
Bruce Grobbelaar, meanwhile, accused the keeper of being “worse than Dracula because at least Dracula comes out of his coffin now and then” and the fact that 19 keepers have caught the ball more often than Mignolet is testament to his lack of command over his penalty area.
But is Brad Jones really a better option? One of the key themes of United’s win was how dominant David de Gea was, and how ruthless his team-mates were at the other end, but the opposite was true of Liverpool.
The Australian looked every bit the back-up keeper, was easily beaten on three occasions (his 50% save percentage is some way down on Mignolet’s season average, while he let Dan Gosling’s effort squirm through his fingers against Bournemouth) and he showed little to suggest he can command his area any better than the Belgian. Arsenal will fancy their chances against both keepers.
Liverpool’s frontline is an infinitely paler shade of what it used to be, with Daniel Sturridge injured, Mario Balotelli misfiring and Rickie Lambert struggling to adapt to an attack that was once a fusion of pace, movement and trickery. The former Southampton frontman, at his best, is a bullish battering ram, but his one-paced immobility has seen Rodgers look for alternatives.
Against Manchester United, and in the League Cup quarter-final against Bournemouth, he opted to have Raheem Sterling lead the line. The 20-year-old’s speed and intelligent running was a constant worry in both games, but at Old Trafford he appeared bereft of the natural, predatory instincts that a leading man requires.
Admittedly it did not help that David De Gea was in such formidable form, but he failed to score with any of his four shots on target (the second-most a player has managed in a league match at Old Trafford in over a decade). No Premier League player has had more on-target efforts without scoring this season.
The possibility of a makeshift Arsenal back four could, therefore, see Lambert return to Rodgers’ thoughts. Peter Crouch was such a thorn in the side of the Gunners (no player has won more headers against them this season) and Liverpool’s own towering frontman would likely fancy his chances against Mathieu Debuchy should the Frenchman be picked at centre-back again.
Debuchy, though, is deceptively good in the air (winning 5.8 headers per game this term, comfortably Arsenal’s best), while Lambert has never scored against the north Londoners.
Rodgers is likely to keep faith in Sterling and his new striker-less formation, then, and the fact that De Gea was United’s man of the match says much about how well Liverpool attacked against United – even if they lacked the necessary end product.
That requisite killer touch was more in evidence against Bournemouth, though, with Sterling ending his barren run with a brace. The formula that was so successful against the Championship outfit could pay particular dividends if Arsenal’s defensive line is as high as it was in the same fixture last term, where Sterling scored twice, and the England starlet’s startling speed and fancy footwork will cause Per Mertesacker major problems.
It is quite incredible how rapidly Alexis Sanchez has developed into a talisman for Arsenal. “It’s difficult to find examples of people who have settled in so quickly. My memory is not perfect, but I can’t think of a quicker one,” noted Wenger. In fact, the Chilean ranks joint third for combined goals and assists (14) in his first 15 Premier League matches. Only Sergio Aguero and former Derby County man Francesco Baiano (both 15) have managed more.
He is, unquestionably, Arsenal’s danger man, and has more than twice as many goals as his next most prolific team-mate (Olivier Giroud, with four goals) and more than twice as many assists as his next most creative team-mate (Santi Cazorla, with two assists). How Liverpool must wish they had been able to lure the former Barcelona man to Anfield during the summer.
Instead, Alexis will line up on the right wing against a Liverpool left side that has been incredibly vulnerable this season. Dejan Lovren, the left-sided centre-back, and Alberto Moreno, who has struggled to live up to his price-tag save for a brilliant goal at Tottenham, have committed two errors leading to goals apiece this season.
Lovren and Moreno have shown little understanding together, with massive gaps appearing between the two, and Antonio Valencia exposed the Spaniard’s attacking nature to create United’s opening goal at the weekend.
Alexis has been rampant this season, and it was a trademark dash down the left, followed by a pin-point cross, that produced Arsenal’s opener against Newcastle. The 25-year-old is always looking to exploit the space behind and in between the full-back and the centre-back, and few back-lines feel more vulnerable to that than Liverpool’s.
He is also a fabulously hard-working player too. He presses relentlessly, forcing errors and winning the ball (something Liverpool’s error-prone left flank could buckle against), while only Mathieu Flamini (38) and Calum Chambers (32) have completed more tackles than Alexis’s 29. His pace (he clocked the fifth fastest speed at the weekend, 34.6km/h) will worry an often ponderous centre-back pairing.
Rodgers may look to force Alexis back into his own half on Sunday, and he trialled Markovic at left wing-back against Bournemouth in midweek – he would offer even more attacking threat than Moreno. Equally, wing-backs are most vulnerable against wingers who stay high up the pitch and sticking with a back three could backfire spectacularly.
If Liverpool keep Alexis quiet, though, they will have snuffed out an often solitary spark of imagination in the Arsenal ranks and could come away with three points.
By Ewan Roberts, Goal.com
Originally published at 09.00 on 20 December
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