Arsenal vs Liverpool (16/17)

Team news:
Arsenal: Per Mertesacker, Gabriel, Welbeck and Carl Jenkinson are all injured. Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud are not match fit.

Liverpool: May be without Daniel Sturridge and James Milner because of respective hip and heel injuries.


THE MANAGER
Jurgen Klopp’s results with Liverpool were inconsistent in his debut season - they finished eighth and were defeated in two cup finals - but their tactical transformation was clear.
From Klopp’s first game in October, Liverpool’s ‘gegenpressing’ - regaining possession immediately after the ball has been lost - was the main feature of their approach, and their organisation without the ball should be even more effective after Klopp’s first pre-season with his squad.

FORMATION
Klopp is likely to deploy the 4-2-3-1 formation he favoured at Dortmund, and Adam Lallana seems set to play at the top of the midfield trio. Lallana has adjusted well to Klopp’s demands, with and without possession, and his neat, quick interplay helps Liverpool play one-twos and work the ball into goalscoring positions quickly.
Georginio Wijnaldum should start alongside Emre Can, a powerful, energetic and versatile footballer who boasts the physical attributes to play as a defensive midfielder, but still needs to prove himself in a positional sense.

STRENGTHS
Although friendly results should be taken with a pinch of salt, it was difficult to ignore Liverpool’s impressive 4-0 victory over Barcelona at Wembley last weekend, a match where the Reds’ intense pressing high up the pitch clearly hampered Barca’s build-up play.

DANGERMAN
Liverpool’s collective closing down against Barcelona was extremely impressive, with Roberto Firmino starting up front, a position he often played effectively last season, and starting the pressure too. He positioned himself intelligently, encouraging Barcelona’s centre-backs to play the ball out wide to the full-backs, where left-sided Philippe Coutinho and right-sided Sadio Mané would spring into life, with team-mates backing up closely, effectively boxing Barcelona in. Expect a similar gameplan at the Emirates, particularly in the opening stages.

AREAS TO TARGET
Liverpool’s defensive work high up the pitch must be effective, because their backline looks shaky. Alongside Alberto Moreno, Klopp may be forced into fielding an all-new centre-back partnership of Ragnar Klavan and Joel Matip, with Mamadou Sakho out injured and Dejan Lovren a doubt. Nathaniel Clyne should start at right-back, while Simon Mignolet appears to be Liverpool’s first choice despite the acquisitions of Loris Karius and a familiar face, Alex Manninger, who helped Arsenal to the Double in 1997/98.

Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160811/scouting-report-arsenal-v-liverpool#LpuZKBZG2ejtGCE7.99




Source: https://www.acast.com/arseblog/arsecast392-andsowereback

The start of the season is a time for optmism, but let's be real, it's going to take some effort to get a win here. Liverpool look very fit and ready and have just all their key players available, whereas we're ragged right now.

If we were a pragmatic team we'd set up cautiously so we don't expose our make-shift/inexperienced centre defence too much, but knowing us we'll be as gung-ho as always.

So yeah, not feeling very good about this one. The atmosphere in the stadium will be very tetchy, too. A poor performance and result and it'll be toxic like it was against Villa two years ago.

Team news is very wrong there. If not, It's very annoyingly written.

Karius, Matip, Milner, Sturridge, Sakho all out injured. 3-4 starters there and that's our defense, So no we don't have key players available as well.

Nishankly wrote:Team news is very wrong there. If not, It's very annoyingly written.

Karius, Matip, Milner, Sturridge, Sakho all out injured. 3-4 starters there and that's our defense, So no we don't have key players available as well.

Blame the BBC if you want: http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37001073

Urby Great start to the season


Got no optimism whatsoever. Team looks unprepared and defence looks like a big mess. Half the squad is not fit enough to last 60 minutes.

Chambers-Holding looks like a real certainty but i wouldn't put past Arsene to rush Koscielny. Not that Koscielny-Chambers is assuring.

Sanchez is gonna start upfront. Wonder if Theo will start at RW. Iwobi has to start.

Xhaka-ElNeny-Cazorla needs to be our midfield. No Coquelin please.

If we are lucky we might get a draw. Otherwise it might be embarrassing.

Sina wrote:

-------------Cech--------------
Bellerin-Holding-Chambers-Monreal
-------Xhaka------Elneny--------
Walcott-----Ramesy-----Iwobi---
------------Alexis---------------

Good enough to beat us, See major 2 weak points. Comparable to ours.

Honestly I could see this one going either way. Nothing really surprises me anymore in a match against Liverpool. Our young CB pairing is shaky but midfield might (should?) provide some solid coverage plus Monreal and Cech have a lot of experience to help keep things organized. Plus, you never know, the Holding Chambers could beast it and emerge as defensive giants in the making.

That wouldn't be a very Arsenal thing to happen, admittedly, but ... weirder things have come to pass.

I'm sad I won't be able to watch this as it happens. Will have to catch up with highlights or something later on ...

Guys, AW will play Monreal as a LCB and Gibbs on left. Toss up between Chambers and Holding for RCB, with Chambers having a tad more experience to his advantage,

Xhaka/Elneny does seem our best CM combination so far.

Attacking third will be interesting. Theo seems to have his finishing mojo back, but expect Alexis up front. Would have liked Ox and Iwobi on either side of Ramsey, though I think playing Ox and Santi is also a fairly good option. Iwobi on bench.

Just remembered last season's home game against Pool

Chambers played that game in defence and if not for Cech's brilliance we would have been 2 down at HT. Our defense as a whole needs to man up and take responsibility.

Would take a smash and grab 1-0 to build some confidence at the back for the games to come.

I have a feeling Arsene will go with a centre half partnership of chambers and holding, if he goes with that then i hope El nenny and Coquelin start as well. Our makeshift back four will need as much protection as possible. I hope we don't leave them too exposed, we have enough threat going forward to score goals so it's all about defending well first and foremost.

Someone suggested that Monreal-Chambers is a good shout as well with Gibbs at LB.

But i think he will go with Chambers-Holding. Rushing Koscielny another option but a bit too risky

nvm wenger says kos is definitely out

RIP

Arsenal always play fantastic when they're not supposed to (and vice versa).
So while everyone is convincing themselves and everyone else that this is a sure Liverpool win, that's exactly the kind of situation that usually ends with an Arsenal win.

Hapless_Hans wrote:Arsenal always play fantastic when they're not supposed to (and vice versa).
So while everyone is convincing themselves and everyone else that this is a sure Liverpool win, that's exactly the kind of situation that usually ends with an Arsenal win.

Not all of us are sure of a Liverpool win, I am quietly confident but wouldn't be trying to convince anyone else that it's going to an easy win or even a Liverpool win for that matter. Just hope it goes better than the opening day Roy Hodgson had at the Emirates.

LoveSlug wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:Arsenal always play fantastic when they're not supposed to (and vice versa).
So while everyone is convincing themselves and everyone else that this is a sure Liverpool win, that's exactly the kind of situation that usually ends with an Arsenal win.

Not all of us are sure of a Liverpool win, I am quietly confident but wouldn't be trying to convince anyone else that it's going to an easy win or even a Liverpool win for that matter. Just hope it goes better than the opening day Roy Hodgson had at the Emirates.

Well I do think it will be a clear Liverpool win tbh
I just reminded myself that Arsenal often pull improbable results out of the hat

A draw, instead of yet another opening day humbling resulting in a meltdown before a deadline day trolley dash, would be an improbable result.

Does it even matter. Not like we can aspire to anything higher than 4th.

We won't play 4-2-3-1.

It's going to be 4-1-4-1.

If Can is injured, then Kevin Stewart will hopefully play the DM role and not Hendo.

Expecting this:


Origi coming on in the second half.

Hapless_Hans wrote:

LoveSlug wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:Arsenal always play fantastic when they're not supposed to (and vice versa).
So while everyone is convincing themselves and everyone else that this is a sure Liverpool win, that's exactly the kind of situation that usually ends with an Arsenal win.

Not all of us are sure of a Liverpool win, I am quietly confident but wouldn't be trying to convince anyone else that it's going to an easy win or even a Liverpool win for that matter. Just hope it goes better than the opening day Roy Hodgson had at the Emirates.

Well I do think it will be a clear Liverpool win tbh
I just reminded myself that Arsenal often pull improbable results out of the hat

I would love you to be right but you can never rule Arsenal out of a game, even more so when they are in their own back yard.

Don't call me James wrote:

Expecting this:

Mignolet
Clyne - Lovren - Klavan - Moreno
Lucas
Mane - Lallana - Coutinho - Giorginio
Firmino

I would prefer to see this team.

RealGunner wrote:Does it even matter. Not like we can aspire to anything higher than 4th.

Not like you finished 2nd just this last season

Not like everyone will continue dicking around this season and allowing us to finish 2nd.

Our team today?