Liverpool will look to break their club record by extending their winning run in the Premier League to 12 successive victories if they can find a way to claim maximum points against Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday evening. The Reds have made a brilliant start to this campaign in terms of results on the field. However, as far as their performances are concerned, the Merseyside outfit have struggled to keep things tidy at the back.
Liverpool Need To Sort Out Their Defensive Problems
Jurgen Klopp’s men are yet to keep a clean sheet this season after conceding one goal in each of their last three matches in domestic competitions against Manchester City (Community Shield), Norwich City (Premier League) and Southampton (Premier League) respectively. Liverpool were also quite shaky at the back versus Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup last week when they ended up conceding two goals in 120 minutes of European football.
Hence, Klopp needs to figure out a way to nip his side’s defensive concerns in the bud so that the European champions can keep the likes of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette quiet this weekend.
Adrian Should Concentrate On Playing It Safe At The Back In Alisson’s Absence
The fact that Alisson Becker is missing in action has hurt Liverpool’s chances of playing the ball out from the back. Adrian has struggled to distribute the ball accurately as evidenced by his catastrophic error versus the Saints last weekend. Fortunately, the Reds managed to pick up all three points from the St. Mary’s Stadium despite the ex-West Ham United goalie’s mistake. Liverpool have now gone back to the top of the Premier League standings on goal difference.
Klopp needs to tell Adrian to be more cautious versus the Gunners as the home side cannot afford to make the same mistakes at Anfield later this week. The Arsenal frontline are expected to be far less forgiving than the Saints when it comes to finishing off chances in the final third.
The Reds Need To Be More Productive At The Centre Of The Park
Klopp’s midfield has also been at sixes and sevens at times during this campaign. Except for Fabinho, none of the other midfielders has managed to get a regular run of games under their belt due to their inconsistent performances so far.
Talented midfielders like Georginio Wijnaldum, Adam Lallana, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain need to step up and stake their claim for a regular starting berth in Klopp’s senior team. Thus, it would be interesting to see how the Reds midfield shapes up against Arsenal on Saturday.
How The UEFA Super Cup Winners Can Get A Win Against Unai Emery’s Men This Weekend
If Liverpool can defend well by avoiding any significant errors in their own half and can create chances from midfield, then they should have enough firepower up top to emerge victorious against the Gunners at Merseyside next weekend.
