Arsenal can stop Liverpool

Martin Keown thinks Arsenal have worked out a way to stop Liverpool by containing Firmino and Fabinho.

In facing a ‘top-six’ side in the Premier League, Arsenal are usually left to lick their wounds. Their record says it all, with the London side winless in their last 27 away games against the big guns by drawing 10 times and losing on 17 occasions.

On the bright side, though, the Gunners have fared better since Mikel Arteta replaced Unai Emery. The head coach boasts an impressive record in general, especially regarding back-to-back victories over Liverpool.

The trip to Anfield on Monday night will be Arteta’s biggest challenge to date in his short managerial career. Liverpool are out for revenge and haven’t lost a home game in the Premier League since April 2017.

But Keown believes the way Arteta masterminded Arsenal’s victories in the previous encounters proves he’s found a way to contain the Reds, notably in regards to Firmino and Fabinho.

“Part of Arsenal’s recent success against Liverpool has been their ability to limit Roberto Firmino and Fabinho’s input,” the ex-Arsenal defender wrote in a column for the Daily Mail.

“Jurgen Klopp’s side set out to dominate possession and they do this by creating a mezzanine floor-like system. If the defense is the ground floor, the midfield the first floor and the attack the second floor, then what Firmino and Fabinho do is build mezzanine floors in between.

“Fabinho operates between the backline and midfield, while Firmino operates between the midfield and attack. If you don’t go close them down, then you’re going to spend most of the game watching them with the ball.

“But Arsenal have found a way to upset Liverpool by mixing it up. In the Community Shield, they allowed David Luiz to leave the defense to take care of Firmino.

“In a typical back four, this might leave you feeling exposed. But by using a back three, Arsenal still had two central defenders behind Luiz ready to look after those tricky inside forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

“So the Brazilian wouldn’t mind breaking the line and going 30 yards further forward to deal with Firmino.

“Arsenal likewise allowed Mohamed Elneny to leave the midfield to stop Fabinho. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in the Community Shield after Mikel Arteta’s side beat Klopp’s high press and passed it out from the back.

“Arsenal weren’t in a hurry to play it out – they drew Liverpool in and waited for the opportune moment to break, before Aubameyang finished the move.

“Ainsley Maitland-Niles was excellent at Wembley Stadium – he was solid defensively and very good at making decoy under-lapping runs on Aubameyang – and we might see him at left wing-back again.

“Playing this Liverpool team is the ultimate test. They are a strong unit, and just look at what their secondary side did to Lincoln in the Carabao Cup in midweek. We could be in for a classic at Anfield.”