Arsenal vs Liverpool tactical preview: Where will the Premier League clash at the Emirates be won and lost?

  • Arsenal take on Liverpool in a Friday night cracker at the Emirates Stadium
  • Jurgen Klopp has his 'Fab Four' front line fit and firing ahead of big match
  • The Reds have also shown signs of greater defensive competence of late
  • Arsenal's recent conversion has been dreadful, with three goals from 89 shots
  • Their chances of victory on Friday could revolve around Granit Xhaka 

The Premier League serves up a pre-Christmas cracker on Friday evening as Arsenal take on Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.

With Liverpool entering the game in fourth place and Arsenal a point behind in fifth, the match will shape the race for the Champions League spots.

We take a look at where Friday night's big match could be won or lost.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger makes a gesture on the sidelines
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp pictured on the touchline during a recent match

Arsene Wenger (left) and Jurgen Klopp (right) go head-to-head as Arsenal take on Liverpool

How the top six in the Premier League looks ahead of Friday night's clash at the Emirates

How the top six in the Premier League looks ahead of Friday night's clash at the Emirates

 

Can Arsenal contain the 'Fab Four'?

Jurgen Klopp isn't particularly keen on the 'Fab Four' nickname that has been applied to Liverpool's dynamic forward quartet, but there's no question they have been absolutely fabulous this season.


Their turbo-charged combination of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah are all set to be unleashed on the Arsenal backline on Friday evening and things could well get messy.

Liverpool are the first team in the long history of the English top-flight to have won four consecutive away games by a margin of at least three goals, following their wins at West Ham, Stoke, Brighton and Bournemouth.

For whatever reason, the 'Fab Four' seem to prosper on the road, perhaps because the hosts feel more obliged to come out in pursuit of goals, leaving more space to exploit.

Liverpool's 'Fab Four', featuring Sadio Mane (left), Philippe Coutinho (middle) and Roberto Firmino (right), plus Mohamed Salah, are firing on all cylinders at the moment

Liverpool's 'Fab Four', featuring Sadio Mane (left), Philippe Coutinho (middle) and Roberto Firmino (right), plus Mohamed Salah, are firing on all cylinders at the moment

Of course, Arsenal are a much better side than any of those aforementioned four but if Liverpool's front line play at full speed they are almost impossible for anyone to stop.

Mane will be well-rested having not featured in last weekend's 4-0 win at Bournemouth and he loves playing against the Gunners, having scored in each of his last three encounters with them.

The Senegal forward's blistering pace on the left flank will potentially put Hector Bellerin in a spin. A wing-back who enjoys pushing forward as often as possible, Bellerin simply cannot neglect his defensive responsibilities here.

Nacho Monreal, meanwhile, can't find himself out of position when confronting Salah who, after scoring 20 goals already this season, most certainly has his eye in.

Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi are generally watertight when playing together and their discipline in marshalling the entire back line will be crucial.

Back in August, when Firmino, Mane and Salah all scored in Liverpool's 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal at Anfield, Arsene Wenger went with a back three of Koscielny, Monreal and Rob Holding in what proved an utter disaster.

He'll hope a back four will offer greater stability against one of the most frightening forward lines in the Premier League.

Salah has been in devastating form for Liverpool this season, scoring 20 goals

Salah has been in devastating form for Liverpool this season, scoring 20 goals

 

Have Liverpool finally sorted out their defence?

Liverpool often bring to mind Isaac Newton's third law of motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The team scores a goal because of their brilliant attack, then concedes one because of their shaky defence.

But back-to-back clean sheets in the matches against West Brom and Bournemouth perhaps hint at a greater defensive stability at long last.

Klopp has long spoken about the problem but not taken any steps to sort it out, though there are signs that pairing Dejan Lovren with Ragnar Klavan at the back has at least eased the situation.

Joel Matip is about to return from injury following a muscle strain but may well find it hard to regain his place if Lovren and Klavan continue to show much-needed assurance at the back.

Dejan Lovren looks more resolute at the back as Liverpool start to keep clean sheets 

Dejan Lovren looks more resolute at the back as Liverpool start to keep clean sheets 

This season, the wheels have come off for Liverpool away from home in the bigger games - they lost 5-0 at Manchester City and 4-1 at Tottenham. In Europe, they surrendered a three-goal lead to draw at Sevilla.

But just four goals conceded in nine league matches since that Wembley debacle - as opposed to 16 in their first nine league outings - represents a marked improvement.

Along the same split, Liverpool faced 38 shots on target in those first nine games and made seven errors that led to goals. But in the nine games since Spurs, the shots on target has dropped to just 12 and just one error has been made.

Another important factor has been the role of the wing-backs, whether Alberto Moreno, Andrew Robertson, Joe Gomez or Trent Alexander-Arnold. Crucially, they are sitting deeper and offering greater assistance to the centre-backs.

Moreno was the best example of this prior to his injury - he has been instructed not to push forward all the time and matters have improved. 

Taking the pressure off Lovren and Klavan in this way seems to have stamped out the mistakes and made Liverpool far more watertight at the back.

Ragnar Klavan and Lovren have looked watertight in recent matches at the back

Ragnar Klavan and Lovren have looked watertight in recent matches at the back

 

Is Arsenal's recent shot conversion a confidence issue?

In their three Premier League matches since the 3-1 home defeat by Manchester United on December 2, Arsenal have fired in 56 shots at goal. A mere 12 of these have been on target and they have scored just twice.

If you include the United game, Arsenal have scored just three times from their last 89 shots in league competition. That's not the form of any Premier League side, let alone one pushing for the top places.

It's almost as though every time an Arsenal forward lines up a shot, they have the image of David de Gea flash across their mind. The United keeper's series of saves that night at the Emirates has clearly knocked Arsenal's confidence.

David de Gea makes one of his many saves during Manchester United's 3-1 win over Arsenal

David de Gea makes one of his many saves during Manchester United's 3-1 win over Arsenal

The result has been that the Gunners seem to have exhausted all their attacking ideas in recent games. This was certainly the case in their goalless draw at West Ham and they struggled to break down Newcastle last weekend.

On Tuesday night in the EFL Cup quarter-final, also against West Ham, they won from what was their only shot on target in the entire contest.

They need to get over that psychological barrier against Liverpool and rediscover the feeling of scoring goals.

The injury Olivier Giroud suffered on Tuesday doesn't help Wenger in this regard, though he was only likely to start on the bench against Liverpool had be been fit.

Alexandre Lacazette rues a missed opportunity in Arsenal's match with Newcastle last week

Alexandre Lacazette rues a missed opportunity in Arsenal's match with Newcastle last week

Alexandre Lacazette, set to lead the line on Friday night, scored against United but has struggled since, while Danny Welbeck hasn't scored in the league since the start of September.

The Gunners seem more reliant than ever on flashes of inspiration from Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to drag them through matches and, at the moment, the contrast between their shot-shy attack and Liverpool's free-scoring machine couldn't be more pronounced.

 

Arsenal's hopes revolve around Xhaka

Granit Xhaka has been singled out when Arsenal have performed poorly this season but the midfielder is going to be more important than ever against Liverpool.

In the absence of Aaron Ramsey with a hamstring injury, the spotlight falls on Xhaka to get a grip on the midfield battle, where he'll be partnered with either Jack Wilshere or Mohamed Elneny.

Ramsey's combination of industry and incisive passing is difficult to replace but Xhaka will be the man tasked with ensuring Arsenal's defence are not overrun by Liverpool's rapid front players.

He may spend a lot of his evening sat in alongside Koscielny and Mustafi, allowing the wing-backs to break out and express themselves.

Granit Xhaka needs to ensure his head isn't in a spin to cope with Liverpool's front line

Granit Xhaka needs to ensure his head isn't in a spin to cope with Liverpool's front line

Liverpool have a devastating ability to break in a matter of seconds, even from defending a corner or free-kick in their own penalty area, and the speed of Mane, Salah and Firmino means they can be three or four-on-two in a flash.

Xhaka can't be the hero for Arsenal and go forward - he needs to leave that to the more able Wilshere - but needs to remain vigilent and disciplined inside his own half.

If Xhaka is too far forward when Liverpool pick up possession 10 yards inside their own half, the results could be disastrous.

There is evidence that Xhaka can do this job effectively. Arsenal's midfield was supposed to be overrun against Tottenham last month but he performed admirably in midfield alongside Ramsey and they won 2-0.

Get it wrong, however, and Xhaka may well earn himself a full-time position as Arsenal's go-to scapegoat.

Jack Wilshere is in contention for one of the central midfield positions on Friday night

Jack Wilshere is in contention for one of the central midfield positions on Friday night

 

Whatever you do... don't switch off early

This distinctly fan-unfriendly piece of fixture planning means the earliest Liverpool fans on the train can get home is 5.40 in the morning, so there's no danger of them leaving early.

But Arsenal fans tempted to beat the queues for the Tube home should be aware that there have been 17 goals in this fixture after the 90 minute mark during the Premier League era. That is more than any other fixture in the competition's 25-year history.

The Arsenal fans who sit around the press box at the Emirates have a charming habit of shouting 'rewrite, rewrite' at journalists when late goals fly in. Friday night could be no different.