Liverpool smashed Arsenal 5-1 in their last game of the 2018 and made the world believe that they could win the Premier League title. The team is still unbeaten in the league and sits on top of the table with 54 points, seven more than Manchester City. On the other side, the Arsenal looked desperate at the back and couldnt react to the perfectly structured 4-2-3-1 Liverpool formation.
The team should be in a rush to strengthen their defensive line with a new addition during the winter transfer window. No improvement could be seen in their defensive actions since the start of the season and that raised a lot of questions whether Unai Emery has a real plan on how to do it. The manager went out with a 3-4-2-1 formation, and bearing in mind Arsenals usual problems during defensive transitions it is not of a surprise they allowed a comeback.
Another thing on the agenda is that Aaron Ramsey, one of the few players that tried to find any gap in Liverpools structure, might be leaving in January. This would definitely have its say on their performance till the end of the season.
Was going out with a back-three against Liverpools frightening attack a mistake or were they were just too good to handle?
Formation issues
Unai Emery had the courage to start with a three-man defence in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Anyone who has seen Liverpools attacking trio or this time quartet and Arsenals transition issues, would see the trouble since the beginning. Having Lichtsteiner, Sokratis and Mustafi in your back three against players with such pace as Salah, Mane, Firmino and Shaqiri could not be the best approach to this game.
The central midfielders Torreira and Xhaka couldnt react properly to Mane, Firmino and Shaqiri dropping back, closing spaces and helping with the build-up. The wing-backs, in this case Maitland-Niles, didnt bring the needed support in more central areas. Most of the times that resulted in considerable gaps which Sadio Mane could exploit using his speed and the fact that Arsenals defence was positioned a bit high in these situations.
From there, the lack of perfect timing in the Gunners back-li
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