WHEN THE REDS COME CALLING: ARSENAL vs LIVERPOOL

“It is one of those games you always look for when the fixtures come out. You look for the bigger games and this is where you want to test yourself against the better players and this is a fixture that will have that...if we play the way we know we can I’m sure we will come out on top."

After getting our season back on track with a nervy yet deserved win at Crystal Palace, we face another testing tie tonight against Top 4 hopefuls Liverpool. The Anfield outfit have made a steady start to the season with back-to-back 1-0 wins over Stoke and Bournemouth, but will probably approach tonight's fixture with trepidation... they have only won once in 12 games at the Emirates after all. Arsenal have won five of the last six games against Liverpool in all competitions, and I feel it safe to mention that while the one defeat was a humbling 5-1 loss at Anfield two seasons ago, we got our own back with a 4-1 win barely four months ago on our own patch. In total, Liverpool have failed to beat Arsenal in 18 of the last 19 away games in all competitions.

 

Arsenal's injury situation remains unchanged, with Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky still unavailable for selection.

 

"From the Palace game we have no injuries and we have still Wilshere, Welbeck and Rosicky to come back. And we have no suspensions. So we should have a similar squad for the Liverpool game... Rosicky is progressing nicely but he is far away. Wilshere should be the first back from those players, he is making good progress."

 

The news coming from the Liverpool camp has been intriguing, not so much on the injuries front but gaining tactical insight into how Liverpool will set up for today's match:

"If you assess the games we've had against Arsenal, especially at home, we've had dominance of the ball. If you assess the last 10 games they've lost at home, the teams that have won have had dangerous possession. The winners have averaged four shots on target with 43 per cent possession. You can't dominate the ball, but you can dominate space. Tactically, we arrive with a good mind of how to win it."

 

Quite clearly then, emphasis tonight will be on ball retention for the away side, and justifiably so. Their best player so far has been Philippe Coutinho, and seeing as most of their attacking play goes through their diminutive no. 10, they'll need to get him on the ball as often as possible. Liverpool dominated possession in both league fixtures last campaign, more so at Anfield where they had 58% of it but we drew 2-2, and at the Emirates though this time it was nearly even (51%-49%). I think, though, this is an admission of the changes that Brendan Rodgers has had to make after losing Raheem Sterling, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge (the latler through injury). In 2013/2014 when the three players formed such a formidable attacking trio, the football at Anfield was much more direct and was largely dependent on how quickly one could get the ball to Sterling/Suarez/Sturridge. In the 1-5 reverse that season, Liverpool had 46% possession and a pass completion rate of just 78%, but still managed a whopping 21 attempts on goal. This time round, however, we can expect build-up to be a little more measured and deliberate, with Coutinho buzing about in the final third much like we expect our own Mesut Ozil to play. Most previews are billing this as the clash of the no. 10's by the way, you can check out samples from Squawka for more on that. It's also interesting that Rodgers mentioned having at least four shots on target, and chance conversion for them will be key in this regard. Arsenal do have an unfortunate knack of conceding goals from the first shots on target, and Petr Cech has conceded thrice from five shots on target by the time Joel Ward was scoring last weekend.

For the home side, manager Arsene Wenger has again been speaking about his midfield selection dilemma, saying:

“It is tricky, because he (Santi Cazorla) is an important player in the build-up of our game. He is naturally a guy who brings fluidity, and gets you out of tight situations. My thinking [putting him out wide] was more about physical power in the centre of the park, to win the ball back and be capable of winning challenges. Santi is a more technical player. And also to get him higher up, next to Ozil, to play through the lines, find those two, and combine in the final third. It worked sometimes, and sometimes not. The first goal in these games is vital. But anyway, against West Ham, I changed in the second half and brought Cazorla back to central midfield.”

And my thought process is he will stick with Francis Coquelin and Cazorla in the middle, with both players performing very specific roles: Coquelin to win the ball back, and Santi to "get us out of tight situations" especially with the high press Liverpool are likely to use to stifle our game from deep. I fear Aaron Ramsey will start on the right, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain making do with a place on the bench once again.In a game where possession appears more and more likely to be key, Ramsey's inclusion may not be such a bad proposition, and the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott are potent impact subs if need arises.

All in all this is one we can look forward to with cautious optimism, and even though the result will not define our title challenge, it will certainly be an indication of our credentials.

Enjoy the game!

*Additional quotes from Arsenal Media*