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Arsenal came back from 2-0 down last night at the Emirates Stadium in London to secure a 2-2 draw against Champions League rivals Liverpool. The Reds took the lead, courtesy a scrappy goal from Luis Suarez, in the fifth minute. Comfortably better in the opening half, they were pegged back by a resilient Gunners side, who would go 2-0 down, after Jordan Henderson ghosted past the defence to increase the away side’s lead. That only served to inspire Arsenal, who levelled with goals from Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott. Both sides are well behind fourth placed Tottenham Hotspur, who lead Arsenal by four points, and the Reds by seven points.
Five talking points from the game were:
Arsenal’s defence is a never ending problem
I feel like a broken record saying this, but just for how long has defence been Arsenal’s biggest concern? In the opening exchanges, the likes of Suarez, Sturridge and Downing just waltzed past the shaky Gunners rearguard with utmost ease, and the Reds’ first goal was due to a terrible slip up from Bacary Sagna, who should have easily dealt with Suarez’s mistimed pass to Glen Johnson. Also, Henderson should have been beaten off the ball far earlier, before allowing the former Sunderland player to battle his way past FIVE defenders to score a goal (that Brazilian chap being the main culprit).
There’s a reason Liverpool never felt the need to attack, attack and attack like they usually do, as they were merely content to sit and let the home defence make mistakes after mistakes. Which they did. They were extremely fortunate to not go into the break 2-0 or 3-0 down, as that would have probably sapped the morale out of Wenger’s boys. Sagna has gone from being one the best right-backs in the division, to a liability, at least on current form. Andre Santos should never wear an Arsenal jersey again. Period.
The defence cracked under the slightest of pressure. Bayern Munich won’t be as kind as Liverpool.
Substitutions?
Viewers everywhere were surprised when Rodgers’ Liverpool, known for their possession football, employed a counter-attacking strategy last night. It initially worked wonders, as the Reds cut Arsenal open at will or were gifted golden chances. Going in at half-time, the smart money was on the visitors. As Arsenal came out all guns blazing in the second half, the Merseysiders seemed to crumble, and it was their turn to be carved open at will.
It is understandable that Johnson could not cope with Walcott’s pace, and Wisdom did his level best to shackle Podolski. Sturridge became a glorified spectator, and Downing could barely get a whiff of the ball, while Suarez was beset with fatigue. Lucas also seemed out of sorts, no match for the energy and vision of Jack Wilshere, who was Arsenal’s heartbeat. Rodgers’ should have really done something to change the entire complexion of the Red attack, but ultimately introduced only Jose Enrique.
A pacy Raheem Sterling would’ve put Arsenal’s tiring defence to test, and Downing was really not used to the counter-attacking pace. It was baffling when the manager didn’t make changes, when his team was struggling to cope with Arsenal’s increasing intensity.
Walcott, Giroud, and Podolski – A holy trinity?
While Wilshere was pulling the strings in midfield, Walcott was engaging himself in a fascinating contest with Johnson. Johnson, Liverpool’s best defender of the night, made a grand total of nine tackles and three interceptions at the Emirates, and is rightly considered one of the league’s best right-backs. Walcott was able to get the better of him on numerous occasions, and brought life into the Arsenal attack, where Giroud could always be found in the centre, looking to make a nuisance of himself.
Giroud’s header brought Arsenal back into the game, and set up Walcott’s equalizer. He worked tirelessly against Agger and Carragher on a night when the duo were making life incredibly arduous for the French import. Podolski constantly tore down the left flank, and was able to stretch the away defence. He won his battle against Wisdom, and linked up well with the other frontmen. With the likes of Cazorla, Wilshere and Arteta in midfield, it is no wonder that the midfield seamlessly links up with the forward trio.
Suarez is the Premier League’s best?
Luis Suarez would take one look at his performance last night, and instantly felt that he could have done more, if Sterling and Fabio Borini had been introduced in the second half to help him counter-attack. In the first half, the enigmatic Uruguayan ripped the home defence to shred at the slightest chance. His exemplary half-field pass to Strurridge was arguably the best pass we have seen all season long, and if only Sturridge had finished better, the Reds would have wrapped up the game by half-time. Suarez’s first-half performance was the definition of ‘world-class’ and piled the pressure on Robin Van Persie for the Golden Boot, with his 17th league goal of the season.
As the Reds opted to sit back, Suarez worked efficiently to stifle the Arsenal forays, and marked him out of the game. Even when he was visibly tired in the second half, he was still a willing runner, and nearly won the game for Liverpool at the death. An excellent all around game for the star striker, and once again he proved why exactly he’s at the epicentre of everything good about Liverpool.
A classic game of two halves
In the first period, Liverpool didn’t have much of the ball, but it was clear that they were in the driving seat. In the second half, Arsenal set camp in the Red half, and bossed around their famous rivals. It was a Jekyll and Hyde like performance from the sides in each half, and therein lies the problem. Rodgers is still a young manager, and while his style is excellent, he isn’t tactically astute as yet, evident by the non-substitutions in the second period.
Wenger’s been around the block, and fails to see his defence crumbling repeatedly. Instead of trying to sign David Villa, Arsenal should be looking for a better back-up to Gibbs, and an extra central defender. And start Carl Jenkinson. Which is something nobody would have been caught dead saying last year.
