Five key tactical questions for Klopp and Arteta

1) Will Arsenal’s high pressure unsettle Liverpool again?

In Victoria 2-1 July for Arsenal at the Emirates, the first of consecutive wins over Liverpool (if you count victory in the shots Community Shield) – The hosts reportedly received the points thanks to two defensive errors. Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker gave up possession in their own third, leading directly to Arsenal goals.

But it is unfair to characterize them as unforced errors. Liverpool wavered in possession and then missed a few passes as Arsenal’s high pressure shook them off successfully; Jurgen Klopp’s side has been so territorially dominant in the last two years that he has rarely had to defend himself from the high press and had forgotten how to do it. In the first goal, Arsenal had gone head-to-head with all the players surrounding Van Dijk, prompting a careless concession of the ball, and in the second, Alexandre Lacazette superbly intervened to steal Alisson’s pass.

Arteta i will do this again at Anfield, although perhaps choosing the moments more carefully, and that could give us another surprise result. The tactical sophistication of Arteta’s off-the-ball form probably protects against open play, but there will be periods when Arsenal will try to disrupt Liverpool’s pace. In these moments, the reassuring influence of Thiago Alcantara will be crucial.

2) Can Arteta’s vertical possession mimic Leeds United’s approach?

One thing that separates Arteta from his tutor Pep Guardiola is his belief in incisive football and vertical possession; He doesn’t like things to get stale, ensuring that there are numerous runners on the last defender’s shoulder to create space in the last third. Given that Arsenal fought back menacingly at the Community Shield, we can certainly anticipate more running backs willing to exploit Liverpool’s ultra-high defensive line.

Leeds United caused chaos at Anfield in their 4-3 defeat on opening day, when Marcelo Bielsa emptied central midfield to put four or five lengths into Liverpool’s defense line to stretch the field as the ball bounced off one side. to another. Once again Arteta is more pragmatic than Bielsa and will not let things get that complicated, but there is enough similarity in their approach to vertical possession to suggest that Liverpool fans should be concerned.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Willian will look to pin down Liverpool’s wingers or lead Van Dijk and Joe Gomez into dangerous open positions.

3) Will Saka and Tierney thrive on Liverpool’s right wing?

The most important battlefield from Arsenal’s perspective is to your left, where Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka (or Ainsley Maitland Niles) move in to create Arteta’s 3-4-3 / 4-3-3 hybrid formation. The way the Gunners’ formation interact and shape-shift, along with the role Aubameyang plays in running diagonal runs from the left flank, has already confused Fulham and West Ham this season.

When Arsenal is in possession, central left Tierney moves to the flank and begins to run forward, an early example of Chris Wilder influencing their Premier League teammates, while Saka or Maitland-Niles leave their left-back position for central midfield. It is a subtle but crucial change; with Aubameyang moving through the two, they form a malleable triangle that can overwhelm the opposition.

Liverpool could be especially vulnerable considering how often Trent Alexander-Arnold is caught before the play. Klopp’s narrow 4-3-3 leaves the right-back with a lot to do when Liverpool face opponents willing to counterattack predominantly on that side of the field, and it’s a problem that could be made worse by the relative lack of Jordan Henderson. mobility. Unless you turn off the trio at the beginning of a move, you won’t be able to go back and help.

4) Will Klopp fall back on the 4-2-3-1 that worked in Community Shield?

Liverpool returned to the game at Wembley when Klopp brought Takumi Minamino off the bench for Neco Williams in the 59th minute, moving to 4-2-3-1 with Mohamed Salah playing behind Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane and Minamino on the flanks. . The four forwards pushed Arsenal back, simultaneously limiting their high pressure and weakening their counterattack ability.

Minamino’s draw came as a result of Salah dancing diagonally across the number ten space, a move he had tried several times before the 72-minute goal. Both Minamino and Firmino had also found joy in this offensive central midfield position, as Klopp successfully pushed Arteta’s 3-4-3 to 5-4-1, leaving only two central midfielders to defend that fertile space.

It is highly unlikely that Klopp will start in that formation, but nonetheless a useful option for the Liverpool manager if the above points lead to some form of Arsenal dominance. monday night.

5) Is Mane versus Holding a worrying key battle for Arsenal?

Of course, there is always the possibility that a complex tactical battle will unravel with a simple head-to-head, and there is a clear mismatch on Liverpool’s left. Sadio Mane kicked off his season with a double against Chelsea last weekend, and he will no doubt be pleased with his chances of success when he stands up and then surpasses Arsenal right central Rob Holding.

Holding hasn’t been directly responsible for a goal yet this season, though he’s often looked nervous, whether he’s beaten in muscle by an attacker, bounced off the back post, or caught too direct. He doesn’t have the agility to bounce back from being dribbled, too carefree for an opponent as agile and skilled as Mane.

Given that Arteta and Klopp are such cunning tacticians, this is most likely a tense issue resolved at a key moment. Mane versus Holding is the most likely source of incidents in the penalty area.

Alex Keble Hosts Premier League Pre-Match Tactics Program on twitch.tv/EPLtactics