Arsenal can follow Graham Potter’s tactical lead vs Liverpool

Brighton’s Tactics Require Arsenal to Be Brave in and Out of Possession

The likelihood on Saturday is that Liverpool’s midfield will look very different.

Against Brighton it was a trio of Henderson in the No. 6, with Keita and Jones either side. When Arsenal visit it looks set to be Fabinho in the holding role, perhaps with Henderson and Thiago, or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, either side.

Should Klopp go with this midfield then it will be the Brazilian sitting deepest with additional solidity in Henderson to his side. In terms of going man for man, the risk is greater.

How Arsenal set up remains to be seen. Arteta will have his own tactical plan on how to hurt Liverpool, with the standout weakness in their team being the spaces in behind the ever-bombarding Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.

Potter’s ploy of going man for man and pressing the midfield to cut off service is a high risk, high rewards strategy. It requires solid defensive structure in transition to recover in case of the press being beaten, and can never succeed unless every individual in the group adheres to the plan.

It’s very clear that Arsenal have bought into Arteta’s philosophy. Even at times of peril when results and performances have been lacking, they’ve stuck to the manager’s guns and continued believing in (here it is) the process.

Should Arteta ask them to matchup numerically in central midfield and suffocate Liverpool’s main controllers in it will be a true sign that they are confident in their own abilities. Or, the approach could be more cautious with an eye on verticality on the break, which in many peoples’ minds might be more sensible.

If they start in this vein, which may only be achievable with a few personnel tweaks, it’ll demonstrate the confidence running through their veins. But Potter, like Guardiola, Moyes and Tuchel (albeit those three doing so differently) have shown ways to hurt this Liverpool team that Arteta will been analysing to death over the past two weeks.

How Arteta decides to approach this makes for highly interesting viewing.