Arsenal could be blindsided by Liverpool's uncharacteristic weakness at Anfield

Arsenal have grown accustomed to being blown away by Liverpool's intensity at Anfield over the last ten years.

So often, the Gunners have rocked up on Merseyside and been beaten by the Reds' sheer running power. Jurgen Klopp's high-octance, energetic pressing style blew the North Londoners out of the water for so many years - they simply had no answer to it.

While the playing field has levelled out over the last few years, Mikel Arteta is still yet to win at the storied old ground. 16 winless trips to Anfield, seven of which have come under the Spaniard, have occurred over the last 14 years, and this simply must end on Sunday.

That said, Arsenal need to be prepared for a very different Liverpool when they take to the pitch this weekend.

Liverpool cover less ground than anyone else in the Premier League

Klopp's heavy metal football at Liverpool is a thing of the past. After a year of merely making small tweaks to the German's system, Arne Slot fully implemented his own style by the end of his second season, turning the Reds into a defensive possession team - a side that controls matches by conservatively retaining the ball, and rarely pressing high.

Andoni Iraola appears to be looking to reinvent Liverpool as a pressing side once again, but he's yet to elicit the hard work and ground coverage from his players that are required for this system to be successful.

Interestingly, the Spaniard's side boast some of the more aggressive pressing numbers in the Premier League so far this season (via Opta Analyst). However, this pressing coincides with Liverpool covering less distance than every other team in the division. Coincidentally, Arsenal top the table for this metric.

Data via FotMob - correct as of 29/08/2026

Thus, Sunday's meeting will be between the league's hardest running team and the league's most relaxed team.

Arsenal would be forgiven by being fooled by Liverpool's reputation. They run and they run hard, and they ultimately use this freakish athleticism to overpower teams.

This is no longer the case. The Reds conserve energy by pressing from the front, but they don't then recover into their shape quickly when they need to.

Arsenal cannot afford to expect the Liverpool of old. They have to be prepared for a team that doesn't put the hard yards in yet under Iraola, and they must be prepared to exploit this.

Centrally in particular, the Merseysiders have a soft underbelly. They lack a tenacious defensive midfielder who can break up play. Both Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch are better in possession than out of it, and both can get run through easily, while neither sprint aggressively backwards after being bypassed.

If Arsenal can deploy their most combative ball-carrying midfielders on the day, perhaps Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly, then they could get a lot of joy against Liverpool's fragile midfield.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow