Arsenal Vs Liverpool: Attack the best form of defence

Unai Emery should not be afraid to select an attacking Arsenal lineup for the trip to Liverpool this weekend. Attack, as they say, is the best form of defence.

Many of Arsenal’s worst performances in recent seasons have come at Anfield. There was the 5-1 defeat back in 2014 to a Luis Suarez-inspired Liverpool, in which Arsenal were down 4-0 after just 20 minutes; in Arsene Wenger’s final season, the Gunners were again embarrassed 4-0 with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino all on the scoresheet.

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And then last season, things looked all too familiar even with Unai Emery now in charge; an early goal by Ainsley Maitland Niles was instantly cancelled out by Firmino, who went on to score a hat-trick in another 5-1 win for Liverpool.

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In the latter two examples, both managers took a more cautious approach to their team selection. Wenger left the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Olivier Giroud, and Theo Walcott on the bench, while Lacazette missed out again last season as Emery tried a more balanced approach with only one striker.

However, the results were the same; even with seemingly more defensive players on the pitch, Arsenal crumbled. Leaving several of the best attackers on the bench invited even more pressure onto the already fragile defence. Meanwhile, the Liverpool defence could sit comfortably with hardly any threat coming from a lacking strikeforce, allowing their dangerous full-backs to push further forward and join the attack.

But this time around, Emery has the attacking options at his disposal to make Liverpool think twice about bombing forwards. If Emery starts all three of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, and Nicolas Pepe, as I believe he should, Arsenal could cause their hosts some serious problems, especially if they can find space on the counter-attack.

The reality is that the team is strong in attack and shaky at the back. And so, it is advisable that they play to their strengths. An overly defensive approach is asking for trouble. In particular, leaving Lacazette out again would be a grave mistake, as he has been the Gunners’ best big-game player over the past two seasons, having scored against Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham.

The return to a back four has worked well so far this season. It enables the team to complement the front line with a strong midfield three that can control the tempo. It is unclear exactly what the best midfield is at this point, but Dani Ceballos is a lock to start, and he will likely be accompanied by two of Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi, and Joe Willock. Just like with his attacking options, when it comes to the central midfield, Emery should stick to his guns rather than playing overly conservatively, which Liverpool would love to exploit.

Last week in the UEFA Super Cup, Chelsea were able to dominate large stretches of the match in their 4-3-3, with Pedro and young Christian Pulisic running at the Liverpool defence and looking a constant threat. Granted, the match was played in Istanbul rather than at Anfield, but it did highlight some of Liverpool’s vulnerabilities: if you press them high and do not invite pressure deep in your own territory, you can cause problems and create chances.

Emery should look to capitalize on this on Saturday. And for that, he will need all of his firepower on the pitch. Attack, as they say, is the best form of defence.