Carroll Could Prove the Undoing of Arsenal in Emirates Showdown
Liverpool travel to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday lunchtime in what is undoubtedly the highest profile Premier League showdown of the weekend. Both sides come into the game seeking their first win of the season but while Liverpool have bolstered their ranks over the summer, Arsenal’s main business has centred around the loss of their captain to Barcelona.
Likely Line-Ups
Kenny Dalglish gave debuts to four players at Anfield in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland- Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson all took their place in midfield, while Jose Enrique started at left-back in Liverpool’s 4-4-2.
Saturday may see Henderson drop out to accommodate Dirk Kuyt on the right, with young John Flanagan or Martin Kelly ready to fill in at right-back for the injured Glen Johnson. Luis Suarez, still building up match fitness after his Copa America exploits, will surely start alongside Andy Carroll up top.
Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, doesn’t have his troubles to seek. Alex Song and Gervinho both miss the next three games through suspension, and with Jack Wilshere, Kireron Gibbs and Johan Djourou all injured, Emmanuel Frimpong and Carl Jenkinson are set to start at the Emirates.
Theo Walcott also returns to the side, having scored the winner in the Champions League first-leg qualifier against Udinese in midweek, while Samir Nasri’s deal to Man City is imminent and the Frenchman is unlikely to feature for Arsenal again.
Liverpool Left
Kenny Dalglish’s side had the majority of their play down the wings against Sunderland; 39% from the left, 35% down the right and just 26% through the middle.
New boys Stewart Downing and Jose Enrique both had major roles in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland. Enrique had 82 touches, second of any Liverpool player and also made more passes than any teammate, with a total of 57. He made 1 key pass and played 2 crosses from wide, and was solid defensively- 3 tackles and 3 interceptions saw him pick up a WhoScored.com rating of 7.03.
Downing made 6 crosses against the Black Cats -second only to playmaker and set-piece taker Charlie Adam- as he looked to find Andy Carroll time and again. He was strong creatively, too; only Luis Suarez bettered his 2 key passes and he had 1 shot, which hit the bar. Downing also made 2 tackles and 2 interceptions and picked up a WhoScored.com rating of 7.07.
Tuesday’s match against Udinese saw Bacary Sagna moved to left-back after Kieran Gibbs was withdrawn with a hamstring problem, allowing Carl Jenkinson to take over at right-back. The nineteen year-old can expect a torrid time in his league debut- with Downing likely to test him at every opportunity; his Saturday afternoon will be a busy one.
Key Battles
While there’s no doubting the world-class skills of Luis Suarez, it’s his strike-partner Andy Carroll who could be the key figure for Liverpool at the Emirates. Carroll scored the winner for Newcastle at Arsenal last season, with his aerial dominance troubling the Gunners all game. Much will depend on Wenger’s side’s ability to deal with him in the air and the task of nullifying Carroll’s danger will fall on the shoulders of Thomas Vermaelen.
Vermaelen had a strong start to the season at Newcastle- he made 4 tackles, 3 interceptions and 7 clearances in a strong defensive display. In the air, he won just 50% of duels, though, and picked up a rating of 7.46 from WhoScored.com
Carroll had more shots than any forward last weekend- the big hit-man managed 7 in total but only 1 was on target, as he failed to find the net. He failed to make any key passes or successful dribbles- he left that to Suarez- and lost possession on 3 occasions. Ominously for Arsenal though, he won 100% of his aerial duels but picked up a lowly 6.47 match rating, with his wayward shooting lowering his score.
Going forward for Arsenal, much will depend on Robin Van Persie. The Dutchman scored 18 goals in his final 17 games last season and had continued that good form with 3 goals in pre-season but drew a blank at Newcastle. With so many personnel changes at the Gunners right now, there’s no stability in terms of selection and he’ll need to step up as the main man this weekend- those young, inexperienced players will be looking to their new skipper for inspiration
Van Persie had 2 shots and made 1 successful dribble last weekend in a fairly ineffectual display at St James‘ Park. He lost possession on 5 occasions and won 75% of his aerial duels, picking up a WhoScored.com rating of 6.07. He’ll need to improve significantly if the Gunners are to get anything out of this game.
Playing on the left of central defence, Daniel Agger will be directly up against Van Persie. Agger was the most impressive of Liverpool’s centre halves in the Sunderland draw- the Dane made 2 tackles and 1 interception in the tie, and made 7 clearances as well as winning 83% of all aerial duels. Agger was awarded 6.6 for his performance by WhoScored.com.
