Liverpool v Arsenal | Sat, 17:30 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Liverpool v Arsenal | Sat, 17:30

goon

Feels like yesterday that we went to Anfield and bossed this lot with 10 men: https://www.premierleague.com/video/single/692302

Things are obviously different now but I think we've accepted an inevitable defeat here for too long, it's time to change our mentality and come to places like this carrying a bit more confidence.

I doubt we'll see much change in the line up, I expect to see the same front four and the same midfield providing Partey is fit. Big question is Tierney vs Tavares. Tierney definitely comes back into the line up in the long run for me but I'm torn for this game and I feel like a 3rd game in 1 week after injury is likely to be a bit much for him.

I don't really mind how we approach the game, but however we do it I want to see some aggression and intensity. Would at least like to feel like we're trying to win the game and overtake these wankers.

Liverpool have a few injury concerns, Fiminio, Roberton, Gomez, Keita are all likely out but most of the guys that matter are likely fit.

I'm going for 1-2 to us.

Qwiss

I'm expecting a good performance here. We're in good form, we've not major injury issues as far as we know and Liverpool have been off their game the last couple of weeks. Obviously I don't expect a win or even a result but I don't want to see us looking completely clueless as we have against City and Liverpool recently.

Burnwinter

If we're hard to break down this time it'll become very interesting. We're only going to be putting out at most 3 or 4 players from the first XI that got dominated and beaten at Anfield last September.

Despite recent form no one really expects us to get anything out of this, pressure's on them.

goon

That team was horrid, not just in terms of personnel but how they were set up. Despite that we could have come have stolen something there if Laca could finish a 1 v 1.

Qwiss

Burnwinter wrote:
If we're hard to break down this time it'll become very interesting.

Thats the main thing as well as not giving them 65%+ possession. They are vulnerable on the break too, depending on the selection we have players to exploit that.

flobaba

Our usual game plan against better sides is to defend deep, and try to hit them on the counter. We haven’t actually figured a way to earn the right to play our own game against them. I’m concerned if we go into this with the same contain and hope mentality. I’m not saying we ought to go there and dominate, but we can’t be outplayed and out tacticked so easily every time either.

I want to see us hold our own. And I want to see us threaten them regularly enough that they start to respect us a little.

Without Auba it’s bound to be tough(er) sledding though. We don’t carry nearly enough goal threat if we have Lacazette leading the line alongside Martinelli or Folarin or Eddie.

Edit: Just seen the update on Auba in the injury thread. That’s good news.

goon

Progression comes from keeping the ball better when we do win it. Counter if you can but don't give the ball away either.

Qwiss

flobaba wrote:
Our usual game plan against better sides is to defend deep, and try to hit them on the counter. We haven’t actually figured a way to earn the right to play our own game against them. I’m concerned if we go into this with the same contain and hope mentality. I’m not saying we ought to go there and dominate, but we can’t be outplayed and out tacticked so easily every time either.

I want to see us hold our own. And I want to see us threaten them regularly enough that they start to respect us a little.

Without Auba it’s bound to be tough(er) sledding though. We don’t carry nearly enough goal threat if we have Lacazette leading the line alongside Martinelli or Folarin or Eddie.

Edit: Just seen the update on Auba in the injury thread. That’s good news.

We don't dominate games generally anyway, and this season domination and winning isn't something that links up for us that often. Spurs and Leicester both had more possession than we did. Our only big possession games were Brentford, which we lost, and Watford where we actually finally put together a good 90 minute display even if we didn't score as much as we should have.

We need to keep doing what we've been doing which is stay tight at the back, work harder than the opposition and make our moments count.

goon

Spurs and Leicester games were won during our periods of domination though - or at least we had plenty of the ball and didn't cede too much territory. The periods may be smaller against Liverpool but we need to be able to keep the ball a little and put some pressure on them. If you solely try to counter and it doesn't work you just end up giving the ball back repeatedly.

jones

Firmino injured is a negative, means Jota will play.

goon

Partey fit. 3 points in the bag.

Gazza M

partey being fit is great. we have a decent chance to nick 3 points given liverpools personnel issues. salah could still wreck us on his own ofcourse. prayers up for tomi

Clrnc

Salah is playing on the right so prayers for Tavares or Tierney.

Arteta might even fill both

Ricky1985

Whilst I love that for the first time in years heading to Anfield, the mood of the fanbase seems to be one of cautious optimism, I'm worried about us getting caught in that Anfield vortex.

There's just no way they're going to be anything but hugely up for this, and as much progress as we've made, with the crowd going crazy and Liverpool summoning their big game gegen-press, we could still get totally dicked on.

It's going to be fascinating to see how our back 5 stand up to the energy, pressure and quality Liverpool will come at us with, and to see what we're able to do about their attempt to pin us in our defensive third in terms of the structure of the team to give us a chance of not ending up with 30% possession and a passing accuracy that would make Burnley blush.

The 20-minute onslaught we had to suffer through at the start of the second half up at Leicester both gives me hope and makes me nervous. Our back 5 was outstanding, but the way in which we dropped deep and relied on brilliant defending/goalkeeping because we couldn't push back the tide and regain even a little control, does not bode well for Liverpool and what they're about to hit us with. They're not Leicester, Mané and Salah don't fuck around. On the other hand, the performance in the first 30 minutes at the King Power shows that we can really hurt Liverpool if we can get a foothold in the game - and that adds another layer of intrigue because that hasn't been the case for a long time.

It's a massive test. I'm not sure we're ready, but it will be fascinating to see who and what about the team holds up.

Burnwinter

Your post says a lot about the vibe Ricky. Even though it's a steep uphill task and we've just about already internalised a defeat, there's also this uncanny feeling of a very tiny chance something could happen or that at least, we'll learn something about the limits and hardiness of this new line-up.

Definitely feeling excited about probably getting a thrashing. Nothing much to lose. :egg:

QuincyAbeyie

I kind of get what you're saying Ricky, but also looking at it from another perspective I think it's a weird stance - because we're a good team Liverpool will be more up for it and therefore we could likely get dicked on more than what teams inferior to us have been at Anfield?

goon

It sounds weird but it is logical when you think about it. Bigger sides won't be as cautious as significantly inferior sides, especially if they go behind, which will suit Liverpool's intense pressing game. At the same time, Liverpool will turn up the heat on their intensity x3 because they're facing a big side that's also giving them the opportunity to press and attack spaces.

It's why it's difficult to know how to approach games like this, because by playing to your strengths you're also playing into the hands of the opposition. But if you don't at least try then imo you'll just end up suffering a slow death like most of those inferior sides.

Ricky1985

Quincy Abeyie wrote:
I kind of get what you're saying Ricky, but also looking at it from another perspective I think it's a weird stance - because we're a good team Liverpool will be more up for it and therefore we could likely get dicked on more than what teams inferior to us have been at Anfield?

The difference between our recent home games with Tottenham and Watford, are an example of the difference.

The Tottenham game is a day when fans and players know it's hugely important and you can sense that anxiety and excitement in the ground beforehand, and you can see it in the players' body language before kick-off. The level goes up everywhere, the intensity and application is just different.

If we could manufacture that same energy in the players and the fans against Watford, we'd win by a huge margin. And it's the same for Liverpool at home against Brighton.

Jed

Our biggest issue is that we have no outlet upfront who would take some pressure off our defence and midfield.

KingslandBarge

I do see what you mean. I think that first initial feature of an outlet is there on an average enough level, which is distribution and collection. But available options after collection, such as smart runners already in motion and near enough, lay-offs, cohesive and clinical understanding across the front line - theres tons of space for improvement there but some green shoots. A couple of red cards (or should-have-been red cards) in last year came about from direct outlet. Anything good on that front I've seen of recent times comes from Smith-Rowe (in tandems with Saka, Laca or Auba). So see it more like an issue of collective outlet offering and effectiveness. It has been demonstrated in abundance among the Liverpool forwards for multiple seasons now.