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Paul Merson, an Arsenal legend, without doubt, has to eat some of his prior words here.
He said that Arsenal would get found out badly vs. Liverpool, due to the club's poor defence, but this didn't' materialise. If anything, the opposite occurred, and Arsenal's defence held up well.
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Salah, Firmino, and Mane must stand as arguably the best-attacking line in England. And certainly one of the best on Earth at any club. But Arsenal's defence held firm against them and was a vital component in gaining a credible and warranted draw.
I personally believe that Arsenal's forward line, man for man, is as good as Liverpool's. Who can knock Aubameyang, Lacazette, and Ozil? But they had arguably a more influential point here, and Salah, Firmino and Mane were quiet.
Both halves were relatively even in terms of chances, but Arsenal arguably had the more attacking impetus and was able to create more in their final third.
Moreover, the midfield battle was strong, and both teams pressed. Did Arsenal press better Maybe, however, Torreira was strong and has been the midfield player that Arsenal has missed for some time.
Mustafi had been much maligned lately, but his performance in this game was strong. He was a prime factor in keeping Liverpool's prime forward line quiet.
Liverpool did in fairness have a legitimate goal ruled offside, but Mane didn't threaten heavily bar this, and overall a draw was fair.
So what does this mean for Arsenal going forward? Despite fears of a hiding, which evidently didn't materialise, how can the club progress with this strong draw? Liverpool is a prime contender for the league this season, and they too would be happy with the draw, however, is the Emery revolution progressing? Which players, and which tactics can develop from here?
Arsenal has more tough games upcoming, with their "good friends" Tottenham in both the league and the League Cup, and Manchester United in the league, to play in the coming month. However, this draw proved many wrongs and showed Arsenal can handle it for now amongst the big boys.
Top four can be regained on this showing.
#5 Rob Holding
Holding was signed by Arsene Wenger in 2016, and whilst unknown as a young man from Bolton Wanderers, he impressed immensely in a game vs. Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The club was the reigning champions, and he managed to keep Vardy et al very quiet.
In this game, he kept Salah, Firmino, and Mane, quiet and since his introduction, this season has been very capable. His height, reading of the game, heading, and positional awareness, are all strong, and he, Sokratis, and Mustafi, have made a very strong defensive triad when called upon.
On this form, he can readily gain a spot in the England squads for the UEFA Nations League and the coming Euro 2020 qualifiers. However, Wenger was much maligned in his later tenure, and rightly so in some measure. Signing Holding though, along with the FA Cup wins, was a major saving grace, and Arsenal should be grateful to Wenger for this.
#4 Mustafi
Akin to his defensive partner, Rob Holding, Shkodran Mustafi had a stellar game. And he too kept a top-level forward line quiet. However, he is an odd player, and this isn't meant disrespectfully.
He has won the World Cup, and in the same team as club teammate Mesut Ozil (and current Academy head and former teammate Per Mertesacker). But he gave away a penalty towards the end of the first half at Crystal Palace and often has these defensive lapses.
This game though was the exact opposite. With respect to Palace, they don't have the forward line of Liverpool, and it logically should be harder to defend against Salah, Firmino and Mane.
Going forward, Mustafi should be retained by Arsenal, since he has his moments, like in this draw. Though my genuine view is that he is not a title-winning defender, which is part of the club's ultimate goal.
That said, the Mustafi enigma continues, since today he kept quiet a world-class forward line.
#3 Pressing and energy
Led by the presence of Torreira, Arsenal were pressing Liverpool from the start and were able to get in Liverpool's faces and manage to deny them space in this area. The midfield battle was primary in winning this game, and Arsenal arguably did this via strong tactical planning from Emery.
Fabinho was a top signing in the summer for Liverpool, but he was matched for energy by Torreira, along with Xhaka and Ozil.
Milner is an underrated player somewhat, and despite his goal didn't really challenge in the midfield that much. It was all down to Emery's game plan, which sought to match Liverpool's energy and fight. And this is exactly what happened.
Another point was the early direct balls to Aubameyang, which capitalised on Liverpool's backline, and created some early chances for Arsenal in the first half. It is Emery's meticulous planning that is showing the improvements required, especially compared to the latter part of Wenger's tenure.
#2 Torreira
There's a reason why Lucas Torreira's chant is reminiscent of that of Vieira's in the day and during the "winning" Wenger years.
He brings the same tenacity and midfield strength that Vieira added in his prime at the club, and Arsenal has lacked a player of Torreira's nature in the midfield for years. Vieira was perhaps more progressive than Torreira, but certainly, he can be an heir to Vieira.
His presence was more than enough to match that of Fabinho and Milner, and he was pivotal in Arsenal's early pressing game and trying to destabilise their game.
Naby Keita was missing for Liverpool today, but whether his presence would have altered matters is moot. What is certain is that Arsenal's midfield balance has enhanced vis a vis the latter Wenger tenure, and the introduction of Torreira has been elemental in this shift. Ensuring a strong midfield balance is key in Arsenal regaining a top-four place.
#1 Arsenal are coming back
Comparisons with the last few years of Wenger's period are inevitable. Wenger's achievements should always be heralded at the club. But then there were some evident faults, which the club both on and off the pitch has taken time to correct.
The narrative amongst pundits, rival fans, and especially the club's fans c. 2012-2018 was that the team had top players, but lacked the mentality, physicality, and dominance to win the top trophies. Bar the FA Cup wins, this was proven correct, and Wenger and the club parted ways.
This draw vs. Liverpool shows, to pundits, fans, and rival supporters alike, that the old faults are slowly diminishing, and the club is looking to compete again at the highest level.
Arsenal didn't get the smashing that some pundits predicted, and the defence proved strong, against a very strong Liverpool attack. There are many rival fans who would be gaining a new respect or at least a strong re-evaluation of the team on this performance.
Tough games are coming up though, more so against the old enemy Tottenham in the league and League Cup and away to Manchester United in the league. The gap is clearly closing with Arsenal and the other top six, and Arsenal did comfortably beat Spurs at home last season. Even the games against Man United, together with the backdrop of the end of Wenger's reign, were close affairs despite being both Man United wins.
A new Arsenal is emerging, and the other top six sides need to take note. My own view of Arsenal in latter years has been of a Ferrari not being maintained properly. The club has branding, infrastructure, finances, and fanbase, to compete at the very highest levels of the game, but has been mismanaged. Hopefully, now, the proper management tools can be implemented and this game shows some advancement in the right direction.
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