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The 2019-20 season of the Premier League has gotten off to a blistering start with drama and entertainment galore. After two rounds of action, Arsenal and Liverpool find themselves perched at the top of the table having won both their encounters so far.
The Reds started off their campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Norwich on the opening day of the Premier League and they followed it up with a gritty 2-1 victory on the south coast against Southampton.
Arsenal, meanwhile, ground out a tough 1-0 win over Newcastle at St.James’ Park on the opening weekend before getting the better of Burnley at the Emirates Stadium on the 17th of August.
Thus, the aforementioned sides come into the encounter on Saturday with a proud 100% record to protect. And while Liverpool would want to assert that last term’s title charge wasn’t an anomaly, one reckons that the Gunners might just have a tad more to prove at the weekend, especially considering the transfer activity the club undertook in the summer.
Unai Emery oversaw a mini-revolution over the off-season and acquired a string of new faces. Dani Ceballos, David Luiz, Gabriel Martinelli, Kieran Tierney, Nicolas Pepe, and William Saliba came through the Emirates door and a few have already made their mark.
Consequently, Arsenal have plenty of options moving forward, both in terms of personnel and systems that they could deploy.
Thus, through the course of this article, we will look at three different formations the Gunners could adopt come their visit to Anfield on the 24th of August.
#3 Play a narrow 4-4-2 diamond
Through his stint as Arsenal manager, Emery has usually favored a 4-3-3 system or a 3-4-3 formation. However, there is enough reason for the Spaniard to flirt with the idea of employing a narrow 4-4-2 diamond for the game on Saturday.
The said tactic would allow the Gunners to function with four central midfielders and beef up the middle third. Granit Xhaka could operate at the base of the diamond with Ceballos at its tip. The duo could be flanked by Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira or the effervescent Joe Willock.
Though the onus would firmly fall on Arsenal’s full-backs to provide the width, the presence of defensive-minded midfielders could help foil the rampaging runs of Liverpool’s full-backs.
Whenever Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold bomb forward, the midfielders to occupying the sides of the diamond could be shunted out wide to nullify the threat.
Additionally, the presence of four central midfielders would ensure that the Gunners are not overrun in midfield and they could slow down the pace of the game.
There are only a handful of teams across Europe capable of matching Liverpool stride for stride in an open game and the extra control Arsenal might enjoy in midfield could help them avoid an end to end contest.
Moreover, the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have shown the ability to play up front on their own and their link-up play and pace could be a real asset on the counter-attack.
However, having said that, the 4-4-2 system does have its demerits. Firstly, the Gunners would be compressing the game quite a bit and that might make their offensive movements a little monotonous.
Secondly, Arsenal might not be able to press Liverpool as efficiently with only the strikers in the requisite position to apply the early pressure.
Also, a failure to track Liverpool’s full-backs could spell doom for Emery’s men, suggesting that the midfielders would have an enormous amount of responsibility on their shoulders.
Thus, one feels that the Spaniard might just look the other way when devising the ideal strategy to outwit Jurgen Klopp, especially considering he has rarely preferred that particular shape.
#2 Use a back three
For a major chunk of last season, Emery favored playing with three at the back. Hence, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Spaniard decides to fall back on that plan on Saturday.
The manager would have the option of using either a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2 system. The former would allow Arsenal to field the trio of Aubameyang, Lacazette, and Pepe whereas the latter would enable them to start an extra central midfielder, thereby guaranteeing a touch more stability.
In the said formation, the wing-backs would have the freedom to overlap and cause havoc on the flanks while the forwards would occupy the opposing defenders.
Moreover, the three central defenders at the back could add a little security to a defensive line that creaked far too often last season.
However, there are numerous caveats for deploying the formation against the Champions League holders.
To start off, the Reds’ full-backs play high up the pitch at home and that might create instances where Arsenal’s wing-backs are isolated in 1v1 battles. The above would then lead to the three central defenders having to mark Liverpool’s flamboyant front three.
If the Gunners are able to come up trumps in those scenarios, they might be able to create a numerical superiority on the break, thereby making that avenue more potent.
However, it certainly is a strategy that is filled with risk and Emery might not be too inclined to pull that rabbit out of the bag on Saturday.
#1 Play a 4-3-3
The opening couple of league games has seen Arsenal play a 4-3-3 formation with Aubameyang and Lacazette taking turns to lead the line. However, with both fit and firing on all cylinders, one can expect the pair to start in tandem against Liverpool.
Using a 4-3-3 would allow Emery to fight fire with fire as he would then have the opportunity of unleashing newly acquired Nicolas Pepe on the flanks. The Ivorian looked sharp on his home debut and seems cut out for the frenetic nature of the Premier League. Thus, he could prove to be the X-Factor as Arsenal look to improve their dubious recent record at Anfield.
In addition, the 4-3-3 would enable the Gunners to deploy a midfield triumvirate of Ceballos, Guendouzi, and Xhaka. The Frenchman and the Swiss would take care of defensive duties while the Spaniard would be tasked with unlocking the Liverpool defence.
Fortunately for Arsenal, Ceballos possesses an excellent work rate and the three-man midfield would be able to curtail the energetic brand of football the Reds’ midfielders partake.
With Aubameyang and Pepe on the wings, the menace of Alexander-Arnold and Robertson could be minimized, especially considering the Arsenal forwards’ propensity to roll up their defensive sleeves and trackback.
Offensively, a front three of Aubameyang, Lacazette, and Pepe would add variety as each of them are capable of playing across the front line and in the process, they would pose a different set of questions each time they attack.
Thus, on paper, the 4-3-3 formation seems the best option for Emery at this juncture. Yet, with the Spaniard and his reputation as a ‘tactical chameleon’, one would be extremely brave to predict what line-up he puts out on Saturday evening.
