Liverpool vs Arsenal: Unai Emery must learn from Norwich’s mistakes

Norwich were applauded for their performance against Liverpool, however, Arsenal must avoid playing the same way…

The Premier League season got off to a bang when Liverpool hosted Norwich. The game finished at an astounding 4-1 to the Reds, as Jurgen Klopp’s men went four goals up by half-time. This is a testament to their attacking play but it was also down to Norwich’s vulnerabilities.

With all due credit to Daniel Farke, he had the confidence to approach this match like no other promoted side would. He set Norwich up in such a way that they would try to play on the front foot and they managed to carve plenty of chances through this system. However, it only ended up playing in Liverpool’s hands.

Pushing men forward and trying to do too much in the final third gave Liverpool more chances to create their own chances. The problem Norwich had, essentially, was that they did not show Liverpool enough respect for the attacking side they are.

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Should they have lined up more defensively and ready to perhaps play on the counter-attack, the score would have been much lower and Norwich would have stood a better chance.

Arsenal must learn from this. In fact, it’s probably more relevant than ever for Unai Emery’s men given their current run. It would be easy for the Gunners to head into this match oozing with confidence but they mustn’t become too cocky. If they do, we all know Liverpool are going to punish them.

In other seasons, you could easily call me mad saying that Arsenal should play defensively. However, they have a much better defence than they used to and it can easily be utilised to prevent any damage. For example, drilling Sokratis Papastathopoulos to be aware of any incoming crossed from Trent Alexander-Arnold and forcing Nacho Monreal to probe the space left behind.

Giving Liverpool the respect to attack doesn’t take anything away from Arsenal. The Reds are going to find a way to attack either way. This way, Arsenal will be prepared to fend off any attacks and start their own, unleashing the likes of Dani Ceballos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

It’s going to be an interesting affair between these two sides, as it always is. Liverpool are inevitable favourites but as the only two sides to head into this match on a 100% record, we shouldn’t brush aside Arsenal’s chances.

What is your score prediction for Liverpool vs Arsenal?