Arsenal can follow Graham Potter’s tactical lead vs Liverpool

How do Arsenal go to Anfield on Saturday and win? This is a question every side in Europe will ask themselves before making such a trip, although the more likely preparation will centre on somehow avoiding defeat.

As Mikel Arteta gets his side ready to make the daunting venture up to Merseyside it will be the former on his mind. Naturally, a draw would suit well, but it won’t be in his planning. Nor should it be.

This is a game where managing transitions, making breakaways count and trying to wrestle some form of control will be vital. That latter point is easier said than done.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have dropped points at home on three occasions this season, drawing 1-1 with Chelsea and 2-2 with Manchester City in key title race encounters.

Arsenal can follow Graham Potter’s tactical lead against Liverpool with a man to man marking system in midfield as Brighton did

However, it’s the third and most recent of those fixtures where Arsenal could look to emulate the approach implemented by one Graham Potter, who saw his Brighton side come from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw in a match where they doubled the hosts’ number for shots on target with six.

Amassing a considerable following of supporters not just heralding from the south coast city, Potter’s methods, approach and impressive rise through the divisions has not been achieved without merit.

And while Arteta is his own man, with his own plan, the tactical tweaks that the Seagulls made in their trip to Anfield paid dividends.

Going two goals down it appeared as if the game would slip away from the visitors early doors. Liverpool were controlling the pace and Jordan Henderson, sitting deepest in the midfield trio, was running the show.

Enock Mwepu got Brighton back into the game with a quite sublime Yaya Toure-esque strike which helped shift the momentum, but it was the tweaks at half-time that made the biggest change.

Being dominated by Henderson in the middle, Brighton showed great belief to get on the ball, maintain possession and frustrate Liverpool. That level of confidence is something Potter has instilled, yet the decision to change shape and go man-for-man on Henderson had the biggest impact.

Neutralizing the captain allowed Brighton to seize control centrally, cut passing lanes to Naby Keita and Curtis Jones, and play higher up the pitch with effective counter-pressing. In the end Brighton were unlucky not to win the game, let alone draw.

Could this work for Arsenal? It can, as it can for anyone in the Premier League, but it requires more than mere planning to execute.

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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.