Arsenal: 4 things we’d like to see vs Liverpool

4. Aubameyang Attacking the Space Behind Trent Alexander-Arnold

Arsenal probably won’t have much of the ball on Saturday. Well, in fact, it’s actually very likely that they won’t have much of the ball.

While keeping possession and frustrating Liverpool is the preferred method of choice, the difference in quality between both sides means there can be no high expectations of how this game will pan out. Arsenal will have to suffer for large spells.

One of the players to watch out for is Trent Alexander-Arnold, the man leading the season for xA/90, who is given a slightly different role in the team when Jota is at centre-forward. Much less of a Firmino type to drop off and act as the glue between midfield and attack, his penchant for playing on the shoulder means that Salah and Mane either side can play wider than usual and make fewer diagonal runs into the box.

They still do a bit of everything of course, just not to the same degree.

When Salah does play closer to the full-back, Alexander-Arnold makes the underlapping runs infield where he operates effectively as a No. 8. What happens then? Space opens up.

It’s those zones that Aubameyang will have to capitalise on. Whether his starting position in transition is a touch wider than usual so he can bend his runs diagonally or not, it’s this ploy that West Ham used to great effect in their 3-2 win over Klopp’s side.

That ball will be on and it’s all about quick instincts when possession is turned over to maximise the grass Aubameyang has to run into. It’s not the only route to goal, but it’s arguably the most frequent opening that Liverpool present.