Arsenal vs Liverpool: 4 key tactical requirements vs Klopp’s side

Arsenal take on Liverpool in their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday and the small matter of a place at Wembley is at stake on February 24.

Amid all the chaos that has taken place since the first leg, the fact that a trophy could be just 180 minutes away from being held aloft by Alexandre Lacazette has felt somewhat lost.

This is the only piece of silverware Arsenal have left to gun for this season after their embarrassing FA Cup third round exit. Unless, of course, we’re back to seeing a top four spot in the league as a trophy.

For this particular campaign, a return to the Champions League via the Premier League might be seen as such. It would solidify the framework to the ‘process’ being undertaken.

Arsenal vs Liverpool: 4 key tactical requirements vs Jurgen Klopp’s side in Carabao Cup semi-final second leg

Going a man down at Anfield and holding on for a battling 0-0 draw sets this one up as one-game shot at the final. There are no away goals with extra-time and penalties on the cards depending on the outcome after 90 minutes, and as much as Jurgen Klopp’s side might be the superior side overall, it’s anyone’s game in a one-off tie.

As desperately poor as Arsenal have been for large stretches of Mikel Arteta’s tenure, this is the third semi-final he’s led the club to during his tenure. There is real belief that this can lead to another final. Especially at what will be a raucous Emirates Stadium.

With players returning from injuries and Covid absences he finds his squad in better shape than it was at Anfield, although the lack of central midfielders could prove to be the Gunners’ downfall. It’s set to be Albert Sambi Lokonga and a makeshift option for this one.

Can Arsenal do it? Absolutely they can. Liverpool are to be feared, as always, but if they nail a few components of this match then Arsenal can pencil in Wembley next month.

1. Frustrate Liverpool in Possession

As with all tactical pointers ahead of facing Liverpool, they’re easier said than done.

Klopp’s side can be guilty of losing their bearings when they’re starved of possession, with their usual dominance in any fixture part and parcel of their play. Even on the occasions where the ball is not in their control, the devastating fury with which they press seeks to quickly rectify that.

Patience is an essential tool against this opposition. Liverpool seek to force their opponents into rash decisions, or shift the play towards those who they deem less progressive and technically secure on the ball.

While there is a fine balance to Liverpool’s play, it is also somewhat chaotic. If the tempo of the match is slowed down in the right areas it can frustrate them and catch them napping. Arsenal have to play with their usual pace and energy but when the ball is at the back they have to lure the Reds into a false sense of security.

Such an approach is risky. These traps invite turnovers in dangerous areas. But it’s risk with huge reward; Liverpool demand speed at all points, thus maintaining possession and frustrating them before springing into action is one way to catch them off guard.

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2. Force Liverpool to Go Wide

Those who remember the 3-1 defeat at Anfield in 2019 will also be reminded of Unai Emery’s tactical approach on the day. He had his four central midfielders tucked inside to congest that area and the hand the freedom of Merseyside to Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold to dominate the wide spaces.

It was very much a ‘cross as much as you want, it won’t work’ type of approach. With such exceptional delivery from either full-back area it was a risk. He was fond of those.

Forcing teams to go wide is nothing new. It is easier to have men in the box to defend those areas. What Emery did wrong was allowing the crosses to come in early, which caused havoc on the Arsenal defence all afternoon.

Yet again Arsenal need to remain compact centrally and force the issue wide. The difference, however, is where. Liverpool flung in heaps of crosses in the first leg to no avail, partly because the trio of Benjamin White, Gabriel and Rob Holding are resolute from such deliveries, and partly due to the majority of them being hopeful efforts from near the byline.

Kieran Tierney and Calum Chambers showed their man wide and down the line expertly, and the same approach, albeit with less desperation, is another way to nullify the Reds’ clever interchangeable threat.

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3. Finding the Right Pressing Trigger

Until it all came tumbling down in the first leg following Xhaka’s red card, Arsenal were mostly under the cosh.

But there was a brief spell just before the sending off where the team began to find their bearings. Some of the pressing found fluency and the right triggers prompted the desired responses. The most standout one of all was forcing the ball on Virgil van Dijk’s left foot.

The Dutchman is the best central defender in the world. He has been for a few years now. Capable of doing everything you’d want from a centre-back as well as other elements far beyond his remit, one of his stronger suits is the strength of his distribution.

Known for their swashbuckling and unrelenting pressing system, Liverpool do attempt a substantial amount of long balls as they seek vary their build-up and go back to front with speed. Alexander-Arnold has attempted more than any other player in the league this season (goalkeepers included) while Van Dijk sits fourth in the list of outfield players. Those numbers are obviously impacted by how much possession Liverpool have.

If there is any way to reduce van Dijk’s threat slightly it is by forcing him onto his left, even if he still boasts exceptional ability with both feet. It’s the same with Alexander-Arnold, with the pair sitting on 87% and 88% usage on their preferred foot. Takehiro Tomiyasu is at 68%, for contrast.

Arsenal adopted the approach of pressing on certain triggers that would move Liverpool’s best passers onto their ‘weaker’ feet, and meticulous planning of the same sort would force long balls on to the heads of an aerially less dominant forward line of Jota, Firmino and Minamino.

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4. Get Close to Alexandre Lacazette

Alexandre Lacazette is not in the elite bracket of holding up the ball, but he’s nonetheless very strong in this field. What separates him from the very best in the business is his inability to turn on the ball and burst beyond his man.

One of the noticeable aspects of his performance against West Ham was how effectively, and frequently, he did this, yet it remains a skill a touch beyond his boundaries.

That aside, when the ball is played up to him it usually sticks. Smart at winning fouls in this position, if Arsenal want to keep building up and breaking out of the inevitable pressure the visitors will place on them, they need to get bodies around him.

Managing to do so with two exceptional counter-attacking players in Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli was testament to everyone’s heroic performances in the first leg. These were more fast transitions with three players advanced at the most, though, and not the beginning of progressive building up the pitch.

It’s not known who will partner Sambi Lokonga in midfield. Martin Odegaard is a possibility to drop deeper alongside him, and if so it’s then on Emile Smith Rowe to play the No. 10 position. Whoever it may be, getting those distances right will not only allow Arsenal to retain possession in key moments, it also helps preserve Lacazette’s energy as so much can be expended chasing balls he might lose due to a lack of passing options.

So key to how Arsenal construct patterns centrally, he has to be supported accordingly.