Arsenal vs Liverpool: Tactical Analysis

Luis Suarez and Raul Meireles turned the game around as Liverpool eased home with 3 points

Aaron Ramsey’s own goal along with Suarez’s goal earns 3 points for Liverpool FC at the Emirates, piling on the pressure on Arsene Wenger. So, what won Liverpool FC the game at the Emirates yesterday? Here is a tactical analysis of the game.

The Start of the Game

Liverpool FC decided to field a formation reminiscent of a 4-5-1 although Downing and Kuyt indeed played high up the pitch. Arsenal also started with a very similar formation to that of Liverpool’s, them opting for a 4-3-3, with Samir Nasri being called upon because of the midfield issues that Arsenal have been forced on thanks to missing players in Jack Wilshere (injury), Alex Song (suspension), along with the loss of talismatic skipper Cesc Fabregas on a transfer to the Camp Nou, along with Denilson being loaned out.

Along with the midfield frailties, Arsenal’s defensive worries were realized when French defender Koscielny was hauled off after a short period of time at the Emirates. Gervinho’s absence was also noticeable, as his pace could have really been a menace to Martin Kelly on the right, with Arshavin not too effective despite his previous exploits against Liverpool.

On Liverpool’s side, only Glen Johnson, Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez carried injuries coming into this game, (I’ll consider Suarez’s fitness problems an injury heading into the game) and Suarez was chosen to be utilized as an impact substitute later on as the game wore on the Arsenal defence got a bit more weary.

Frimpong was Key

This match was poor in terms of any real quality and it seemed as though it only required a mistake before the match started to flow with goals, and it found just that in Frimpong’s sending off. Prior to the youngster’s sending off, Liverpool FC struggled to find time in the middle of the park, with Frimprong proving to be a nuisance all over the pitch, both offensively and defensively.

Although Frimpong was a bit overly enthusiastic, as his clash with Lucas that led to his sending off was horrendous and it warranted at least the yellow card that it got. But the fact that he got an early caution affected his game… a lot. It meant that he had to pull out of more tackles than he would have had he not been carded. It meant that Liverpool could play with a bit more freedom in the middle of the park, without the youngster coming in and disrupting their play as much.

What’s especially key about the fact that he got carded early on is that he operates as a central defensive midfielder, breaking down play and intercepting passes. Him getting carded meant that he could go out there and do the thing that he does best: tackle. A wonderful performance by the youngster before his departure.

The Other Tactics

Liverpool FC resorted to man-marking for this game, with Jordan Henderson’s key target being Arsenal’s Welsh youngster Aaron Ramsey, whilst Lucas’ job was to try and keep Arsenal’s wantaway Frenchman Samir Nasri quiet for the game and trying to limit his contribution to the game.

Kenny Dalglish opted to go for a pressing tactic that Liverpool FC have been fond of playing in recent weeks instead of to contain the Arsenal midfield. That was to be a deciding factor in the game as it hardly allowed Arsenal to get the ball forward to their front 3 with their build-up play being relatively slow.

Arsenal, same as against Newcastle United last week, played their usual game of trying to keep ball when they had it, but the Liverpool side prevented the Arsenal side from creating anything in the final 3rd.

Arsenal’s strength in dept was heavily tested with Koscielny was taken off and Miquel and Jenkinson had to slot in at the middle of the defence for the Gunners. Jenkinson provided a lot of dangerous crosses for the Gunners but Arsenal failed to use them to devastating effect, with Arsenal’s strikers nowhere to be found upon delivery.

Liverpool on the other hand failed to conjure up any quality on the wings. Stewart Downing only managed to find one successful cross from the wings, that not even to Andy Carroll, but instead it was miscontrolled by Dirk Kuyt. Since the start of the Premier League term, the Englishman hasn’t found his compatriot from the wings yet, something that will definitely have to be looked into.

70 minutes of Danger, But only 20 minutes of Quality from Liverpool

Liverpool FC only managed to turn on the style upon the arrival of their Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez and Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles coming on for the Reds. The double change prompted better quality of play, with Suarez offering a better attacking route compared to Andy Carroll.

Not only that, but Frimpong had only been sent off just before the exchanges. It caused a lot of drastic changes in the Arsenal FC camp. First of all, the sending off prompted a change in formation from the Arsenal team to a 4-3-1-1. Secondly, the lost of an extra man meant that they couldn’t see the ball and/or stop play as much as they wanted to.

And hence the two goals.

Areas of Weakness from Both Sides

This match showed weaknesses from both Arsenal and Liverpool. For Arsenal, it is that lack of strength in dept in the team. With Frimpong and Song both out now on suspension, Wenger has a real problem if he eventually sells Samir Nasri in the next few days.

With Liverpool, it is definitely in delivering the final ball along with finishing off. I’ve already talked about Downing’s lack of successful crosses, and specifically to Andy Carroll. Along with that weakness, Liverpool are already looking a bit like the former side (but a bit stronger), the same side that struggled when Fernando Torres had fitness problems.

One solution is to let Aquilani play instead for the time being. Henderson has had his opportunities and Aquilani hasn’t been given his. The Italian was decent in pre-season and could just prove to be an X-Factor for the Liverpool team. Remember: Aquilani was Juventus’ player of the year last year.