Match Thread: Liverpool v Arsenal

[toshin]

He is starting because we paid so much.

[Steveo]

No way Arsenal push forward and get that many corners with Diaz out there to keep them honest

[eggy81]

No way Arsenal push forward and get that many corners with Diaz out there to keep them honest

Get rodrygo and forget isak. I f we buy isak and no wide player we’re fucked this season.

[faridtoxteth]

Arsenal for all their possession in front of their own keeper have not created anything from open play. Their main tactic seems to be get a corner and one or two players throw themselves on to the ground in the box.
Dom has been very good, his natural athleticism means he can play right back ok, but he'll be more tested when Eze comes on. As will Timber when Rio comes on.

[jozza800]

Not about systems or effort in this one. First touch and passing throughout the side has been abysmal.

[Jenson78]

Bleeding terrible at home letting a Arshole team missing Saliba Saka Odegaard to dictate play. Keeping tight keeping Anfield like a library until Eze comes on to score the winner in his debut. It’s not helping having Witz & Salah gone missing.

[faridtoxteth]

Get rodrygo and forget isak. I f we buy isak and no wide player we’re fucked this season.

I would be ok with that, although Ekitike can play left side actually.

[jr81]

Arsenal for all their possession in front of their own keeper have not created anything from open play. Their main tactic seems to be get a corner and one or two players throw themselves on to the ground in the box.
Dom has been very good, his natural athleticism means he can play right back ok, but he'll be more tested when Eze comes on. As will Timber when Rio comes on.

They are getting a small bit of joy with the out ball to madueke. They should be doing that more often.

Our play is so slow and the passes in arsenals half are not accurate. That felt like a team happy with a 0-0.

[Insidious]

Our play is so slow and obvious.

Think there is a very deliberate emphasis on trying to keep the ball when we can, though Arsenal are keeping us honest in that regard.

Possession and keeping a decent shape should help to minimise counters, in turn minimising transitions, which should keep the number of free kicks we give away down.

Unfortunately we're sacrificing verticality and speed in our play for it today - but if it pays off and we play quicker and more vertically against the "bottom 13" if you like then I'll have no real complaints.

Not to mention lots of new relationships on the pitch out there due to positions and who is in them - Szoboszlai and Konaté, Van Dijk and Kerkez, Wirtz and Ekitike - and so on.

Hopefully Slot can point out where the press can be altered in the second half and alter some of the positional play in front of the centre-backs. A few times we have had Wirtz, Mac Allister and Gravenberch relatively deep simultaneously, so that central out-ball is absent outside of Ekitike's runs.

[Jenson78]

I still can’t work out why Virgil didn’t pass the ball into the net.

[justme]

I wonder if Kavanagh will keep giving free kicks to Arsenal.. and ignoring the exact incidents on our players?? happened at least 9 times.

[Insidious]

I would be ok with that, although Ekitike can play left side actually.

Ekitike likes the left half-space and does bias left, but he has played less than 10 matches as a left-winger in his entire career.

I could see him left of a narrow front three, or of a two with a no. 10 behind them (which could be the plan at times if Isak comes) but I'm not sure he'd automatically become a left-winger.

[miller0863]

Wirtz off Bradley on please

[Steveo]

Yep…

[Steveo]

Come on the reds. Let’s stop this endless concession of corners to the Arse and start to peg them back…. We are at home - make them feel it