Liverpool vs. Arsenal: Tactical Review of Premier League Game
Liverpool and Arsenal played to a crazy 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon as both sides failed to show consistency and tactical nous at times.
Let's take a look at how this one played out from a strategic perspective.
Formations and XIs
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Liverpool continued with the 3-4-3 that has served them well so far, mustering an unlucky loss to Manchester United and an impressive victory over Bournemouth midweek. Lucas Leiva, Mamadou Sakho, Lazar Markovic and Brad Jones all started.
Arsenal opted for a typical 4-3-3, with Olivier Giroud up front, Danny Welbeck off the left and Alexis Sanchez off the right. Intriguingly, Mathieu Debuchy continued at centre-back despite Calum Chambers slotting back into the XI.
Left-Side Overload
Of all the methods Liverpool used to push Arsenal's buttons, the left side became an obvious, potent area. It calls into question Alberto Moreno's status as a £15 million acquisition when the best the Reds have looked this season, in any stretch, has been with Markovic at left-wing-back.
His pace and willingness to play a forward pass have been a breath of fresh air, and his holding of the width gives Coutinho a lot of space to duck into. Markovic's short passing was also excellent early on, and he was far less profligate with his distribution than Lallana.
Long term, Moreno can grow into the left-wing-back role—despite his struggles, he has the basic skill set and athleticism to do what Markovic has been doing—and Markovic can push on a little higher, perhaps playing in the front three.
Promising.
Springing Coutinho
As against Bournemouth, Liverpool's key plan was to spring the attacking trio into space between the lines. The movement of Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling and Coutinho was very good, and Lazar Markovic again provided great width and searching passes.
As early as the second minute, the Reds' game plan was revealed clear as day: Shrinking back into a low block, they dispossessed Arsenal in midfield and played an early ball in behind the midfield to release the pace up front.
On paper, Sterling vs. Per Mertesacker and Coutinho vs. an unsure Debuchy is a whitewash, and while the Gunners didn't collapse, they came close to it.
The Reds found themselves gaining ground and dominating, setting the tone and subjecting Arsenal to their tempo. The Gunners looked shell-shocked for 30 minutes and were wholly unable to cope with the pace of their opposition; midfield turnovers were common, and Arsene Wenger looked bemused.
The only surprise was that it took so long for Coutinho to open the scoring—Lallana was a bit wasteful on the turn, and Markovic fired two chances either into Wojciech Szczesny's body or well over on the overlap.
Critically, Liverpool looked good in possession and on the counter. Brendan Rodgers will at least have been delighted with that.
Mismanagement
In the second half Arsenal grew into the game naturally, as Liverpool's pressure in midfield dropped. Debuchy's header before half-time levelled the scores. That buoyed the Gunners a little, and they finally got their foot on the ball following a long stoppage in play due to a Martin Skrtel injury.
Wenger's system became more fluent—largely a product of enjoying more of the ball—and at times Welbeck joined Giroud in attack. Alexis was a non-factor all afternoon, but Santi Cazorla woke up a little too.
The major talking point here, though, is Rodgers' utter mismanagement of his midfield. The tempo set in the first half was never sustainable using two central midfielders—particularly when one was Steven Gerrard!—and as the home side dropped physically, Rodgers stood by doing nothing.
That Gerrard and Lucas finished the game exhausted while Emre Can sat on the bench with a spare substitute is astounding; as the Gunners gained control of this match post-sending off, the Reds lost the battle for the middle.
Lucas ended up running onto balls outside the box and shooting when it should have been Gerrard. Rodgers should have acted here.
Giroud's late goal sparked a change in approach from Wenger, who brought on Nacho Monreal and Francis Coquelin to blockade and guard three points against 10 men. Skrtel had the last laugh, heading home from a corner, completing a fairly miserable afternoon for Arsenal.
