Exposed and out-gunned: Why Liverpool were out-played by Arsenal

Liverpool once boasted of the best midfield in the world, featuring the likes of Xabi Alonso, Momo Sissoko, Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano. These days, it’s arguably the weakest area of the squad and it came back to haunt the Reds yet again in their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at the weekend.

A midfield trio of club captain Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson failed to gain a foothold against the sublime pairing of Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta, who dominated the middle of the park despite a numerical disadvantage.

Before the game, much was made of the absence of Mathieu Flamini and Jack Wilshere from the Gunners squad, yet they were hardly missed at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening.

Rodgers had reprised the much-vaunted 3-5-2 formation once again for the top of the table clash, after it succeeded so well in the 4-1 win over West Bromwich Albion in the previous game.

But Arsene Wenger anticipated Liverpool’s strategy and nullified it with a few adjustments to his tactics, although the performances of Liverpool’s midfielders certainly helped their cause.

The Squawka performance score chart – Arsenal were by far the better team as a result of winning the midfield battle.

Wing-backs

The 3-5-2 naturally demands competent wing-backs who have an excellent sense of positional and are comfortable on the ball as they progress up the pitch to support the centre midfielders.

If Liverpool had Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique available, it could have been a different story. But as it was, Jon Flanagan and Aly Cissokho didn’t do a particularly effective job as replacements.

Cissokho was woeful, failing to provide reliable support and offer an outlet for Liverpool’s trio of centre midfielders, and Flanagan, although he gave his all, isn’t good enough on the ball to regularly contribute to the build-up play.

As a consequence, Lucas and Gerrard were unable to retain the ball and move it up the pitch due to the lack of support from wide positions, causing attacks to break down before they even reached the strikers.

It was telling that Liverpool’s performance improved with the switch in formation, with the introduction of Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson as wide midfielders offering reliable passing outlet, helping the Reds move up the pitch.

Liverpool’s lack of natural width forced them to play through the middle. The graphic shows just how many failed passes were made centrally.

Gerrard and Lucas

As if the problems cause by the lack of natural wing-backs wasn’t enough, the weaknesses of the Gerrard-Lucas axis was exposed once again.

The pair’s lack of mobility was a chink in the armour that Arsenal exploited repeatedly with some slick passing, often bypassing either midfielder with little to no effort.

It certainly isn’t the first time that the duo have been exposed by quick and technical players, and with some of the country’s best attackers in Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil, they stood no chance of stemming the tide.

Pinned back by the Arsenal onslaught and their own lack of natural width, they struggled to build up play from deep within their own half, leading to one of the worst performances in recent memory from Gerrard.

Gerrard, Lucas and Henderson were effectively charged with carrying the attack by themselves as Rodgers’ 3-5-2 became more of a 5-3-2, an almost impossible task.

Offensively, it may have been a lost cause, but defensively, as long as the two players are paired in midfield, the same weaknesses will persist and while Liverpool can get away with it against mid-table teams, the likes of Arsenal will tear them apart.

The graphic shows just how frail Liverpool’s midfield was, conceding take ons in front of the penalty area in particular.

Coutinho’s return

The return of the Brazilian playmaker reinvigorated the Reds midfield by providing the link between midfield and attack, occupying the spaces in between the lines.

Coutinho was noticeably rusty as several through-balls missed their target by a few agonising yards, but the Reds star is the only player with the vision to attempt those passes on a regular basis.

He also brings balance to the Liverpool midfield, often dropping in as a fourth midfielder and helping the build-up play progress progress up the pitch.

Liverpool’s shape will benefit immensely from the Brazilian’s intelligence and movement, and their midfield should improve once he reaches full match fitness.

Coutinho’s introduction added an extra dimension to Liverpool’s play, even if he was a little rusty in his pass execution.

Rodgers’ options will be boosted by Coutinho’s comeback and with Joe Allen and Luis Alberto also on the bench, there should be enough reinforcements to see them to the January transfer window.

However, if the Liverpool boss has ambitions of a top-four finish, or even the title, then the midfield needs a drastic overhaul.