Liverpool put in another scintillating attacking display as they beat Arsenal 4-0 in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon at Anfield.
There are plenty of lessons to be learned from this match, especially for Arsene Wenger’s side as they produced a woeful performance. As for Jurgen Klopp, he will be delighted with his side’s application of attacking football this week as they also qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League with a 4-2 win over 1899 Hoffenheim on Wednesday night.
Alexandre Lacazette might not start every game
One of the biggest shocks before the match was Wenger’s decision to leave big money signing Lacazette out of the starting lineup in favour of Danny Welbeck. It left many Arsenal supporters bewildered considering the club paid around £46.5 million to secure the striker’s services earlier this summer.
The former Lyon striker had also made an impressive start to the season by scoring against Leicester City in Arsenal’s 3-2 win on the opening day of the season. However, Wenger obviously felt that Welbeck was better-suited to this game but this decision quickly came back to haunt the experienced manager as Welbeck was left isolated for large periods of the match.
Liverpool are capable of the best attacking football in the league
One of the biggest stories around Liverpool in the early stages of the season has been the future of Philippe Coutinho. He has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona but on this showing, Klopp’s side will cope perfectly fine without him. The likes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino have formed a lethal attacking force.
Arsenal’s defence could not cope with Liverpool’s attacking threat on the counter-attack throughout. However, Klopp’s side were ruthless when their chances came along and look like they could be a real force this season. Rob Holding really struggled throughout and Arsenal supporters will now be even more desperate for their side to sign a new defender.
Arsenal need to make defensive additions
Wenger’s side put in an absolutely woeful performance at Anfield, especially defensively. They were left chasing shadows against Liverpool’s attack and made several mistakes throughout. Hector Bellerin, who has often been a consistent performer for the Gunners in the past, made a horrific mistake that allowed Salah to run through on goal early in the second-half to score the third that effectively killed the game.
The Gunners have been heavily linked with Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk this summer and it has now become even more vital that Arsenal bring in another defender before the deadline. Holding performed well for Arsenal at the end of last season but he is still a young player and has been found out on numerous occasions already this season. If Wenger does not secure a new defender before the deadline, it could be another very long season for Arsenal supporters.
Alexis Sanchez does not look happy to be at Arsenal
The 28-year-old is another player who has been linked with making a big money move away from Arsenal this summer and it came as somewhat of a shock that he was included in the starting line-up for today’s game. Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester City have been linked with making a move for the forward and it would be no surprise if he decided to move on before the looming transfer deadline.
He looked like he was trying to conjure up opportunities on his own at times and was left increasingly frustrated. This resulted in him being substituted by Wenger on the hour-mark and his body language when he found out about this decision was very poor. He currently does not look happy to be at Arsenal and his attitude will have to change if he does not secure a move away this week.
A good sign that Liverpool have the squad to cope with Champions League
Many sides in the past have struggled with having to compete in both the Premier League and the Champions League. However, despite the fact that Liverpool played their second-leg against Hoffenheim on Wednesday night, they showed no sign of tiredness in Sunday’s game and in fact looked far more alert and fresh than Arsenal who did not have a midweek game to recover from.
Liverpool supporters will have been delighted for Daniel Sturridge to have got himself on the scoresheet and if he can get back to his best this season, it would be a real boost. He can be one of the best strikers in the league when fit and would add another option for Klopp to choose from. With the World Cup coming up next summer, Sturridge will be more motivated than ever to have a successful season for the Reds.
