Arsenal vs Liverpool: Statistical Analysis

Arsenal and Liverpool clash on Monday night in what is definitely the marquee clash of this game week’s Barclays Premier League action. Liverpool and Arsenal are the second and third most successful sides in English football history in terms of titles won and have, on many occasions, produced some classic encounters. Still, this is a rivalry which is characterised less by rancour and more by the respect each club has for the other. After all, these are the two hallowed clubs of English football we are talking about.Over the past two seasons, this fixture has seen the home side exert complete domination. Arsenal fans can never forget how Luis Suarez and co dazzled them in the 2013/14 season in a 5-1 loss at Anfield. Similarly, Liverpool fans will also have unsavoury memories of last season’s 4-1 loss at the Emirates where the Arsenal attack ran rings around the Reds’ hapless defence.Coming so early in the season, it is important not to overstate the importance of this fixture. A loss is not a disaster and neither is a victory a sign of things to come. That said, the boost in confidence a victory can provide cannot be understated.Given this context, we look at some numbers which will give us a fair indication as to how things will pan out once the ball is kicked on Monday night.All stats are from Opta, Whoscored and Squawka

#1 Head-to-head record

Arsenal Liverpool Arsene Wenger Brendan Rodgers — Brendan Rodgers and Arsene Wenger will face each other early this season

In all competitions, these teams have faced each other 199 times. The clash at the Emirates marks the 200th competitive game between these two clubs. A look at the overall head-to-head record shows there has always been little to choose between the teams. Liverpool hold a slight edge having won 76 games to Arsenal’s 72.

**Arsenal v Liverpool - 199 games**
Results	Total	%
Arsenal	72	36.18
Liverpool	76	38.19
Draws	51	25.63
Goals	Total	Av.pg
Arsenal	263	1.32
Liverpool	282	1.42

At home, though, Arsenal have a clear advantage having beaten the Merseysiders 44 times. The Reds, on the other hand, have only won 21 of these 97 games with 32 games ending in a draw.

**At Arsenal - 97 Games**
Results	Total	%
Arsenal	44	45.36
Liverpool	21	21.65
Draws	32	32.99
Goals	Total	Av.pg
Arsenal	144	1.48
Liverpool	86	0.89

#2 Goalkeepers: Petr Cech vs Simon Mignolet

Petr Cech hasn’t had the greatest of starts to his Arsenal career. The Gunners have so far failed to keep a clean sheet in the two games played in the Premier League and, although not totally at fault for the goals conceded against West Ham at the Emirates, the experienced shot-stopper would have been disappointed with his overall display.

That said, in the limited playing time he got in the Premier League last season he was outstanding and once he establishes clear lines of communication with the defence, Arsenal fans can expect to see the best of him.

On the other hand, Mignolet comes into this game on the back of a couple of clean sheets and sound defensive displays. The Belgian too has had to endure his share of troubles since joining Liverpool a couple of years ago (even losing his place to Brad Jones last season) but has kept a steady hand on the tiller in 2015.

If the Gunners’ attacking force comes out all guns blazing, he can expect a busy evening at the Emirates.

**Cech vs Mignolet - 2014/15 stats**
	Games	Clean sheets	Goals conceded	Saves per 90	Saves per goal conceded	Mins per goal conceded	Save %
Cech	7	5	2	2.4	8	303	89
Mignolet	36	13	43	2.5	2.1	75	67

Keeping aside the fact that Cech played only 7 games, it is clearly evident that Cech’s numbers are vastly superior to Mignolet’s. Of course, this is not just down to the goalkeepers themselves. Cech was guarding the posts behind the league’s best defence who romped to the title. Mignolet, however, was playing behind a struggling defence which was afflicted by injuries and frequent changes in the formation.

If Cech can reproduce similar sort of numbers for Arsenal, or even come close to them, Arsene Wenger’s decision to make him first choice will be vindicated.

#3 Defenders: Laurent Koscielny vs Martin Skrtel

Since making his Arsenal debut at Anfield in August 2010, Laurent Koscielny has come a long way. That day, he was sent off and Arsenal somehow secured a 1-1 draw. Now the lynchpin of Gunners’ defence and one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League, Arsenal struggled last season when he was out injured; first with an Achilles tendon problem and then with a calf injury.

He has had an iffy start to this season – he turned his back instead of getting in the way of Joel Ward’s shot which could have prevented the equalizer against Crystal Palace – and would be looking to reassert his authority against the Merseysiders.

Skrtel, who is now one of the senior most members of the Liverpool squad, will be looking to keep another clean sheet and complete a hat-trick of shutouts for Liverpool. Last season, he was not part of the defence that endured a horrid afternoon at the Emirates and has quite a task on hand to subdue the likes of Giroud, Ozil and Sanchez.

**Koscielny vs Skrtel - 2014/15 stats**
	Koscielny	Skrtel
Games Played	27	33
Interceptions	93	55
Clearances	166	319
Blocks	18	40
Defensive Errors	2	5
Tackles Won	23	34
Aerial Duels Won	56%	65%
Fouls Committed	19	24
Total Duels %	52%	60%
Yellow Cards	4	8
Goals Scored	3	1

A look at the numbers from last season shows how different Koscielny and Skrtel are in terms of their style. While the Frenchman tries to defend on the front foot, as shown by the number of interceptions, Skrtel is more of a penalty box defender who prefers to throw his body on the line and win duels.

Also, the higher number of clearances made by Skrtel are a proof of how flaky the Liverpool defence was last season.

#4 Midfielders: Santi Cazorla vs Jordan Henderson

Like Koscielny and Skrtel, Cazorla and Henderson are completely different types of midfielders. Yet, they are pivotal to their teams as they orchestrate play from the centre of the midfield.

Cazorla has rediscovered himself in a deep-lying midfield role since the second half of last season and has arguably been Arsenal’s best – and most important – player in 2015. His two-footedness, the ability to control balls in tight spaces and ping passes from deep midfield to high midfield are unique gifts that Arsenal have tapped to their advantage, both offensively and defensively.

Henderson is more of a classic English-style midfielder whose technical ability is not the greatest but makes up for it with his sheer tenacity. A hustling and harrying ball carrier and ball winner, Henderson has a big Gerrard-sized hole to fill in the centre of Liverpool’s midfield.

The only stumbling block for Liverpool would be his availability for the game after picking up an injury against Stoke City last weekend.

**Cazorla vs Henderson - 2014/15 stats**
	Cazorla	Henderson
Minutes Played	2992	3256
Goals Scored	7	6
Assists	11	9
Key Passes	78	67
Pass Completion %	89	82
Interceptions	40	31
Clearances	30	71
Blocks	5	7
Tackles Won	46	61
Total Duels %	54.7%	45.7%
Successful Take-Ons	87	10

A look at the numbers gives us a clearer idea of what these two players bring to their respective teams. Cazorla has a clear edge in terms of Key Passes, Pass completion % and Successful Take-ons, illustrating his higher technical ability. Henderson plays more of a sweeper kind of role as shown by the higher number of tackles and clearances.

#5 Playmakers: Mesut Ozil vs Philippe Coutinho

Easy-on-the-eye, dexterous, skillful and classy. All these adjectives, and many more, define how Ozil and Coutinho go about their business on the pitch. Ozil is a classic modern number 10 who starts in the centre nominally but drifts wide, pulling defenders out of position. This enables runners like Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez to take advantage of Ozil’s through-balls and precise passes, as we witnessed in the game against Crystal Palace.

Coutinho, on the other hand, is a more forceful kind of playmaker who relishes tackling and running with the ball. He likes to cut inward from the left flank and has a great long range strike up his sleeve. It would be fascinating to watch this duel.

A look at their 2014/15 numbers reveals there is little to choose between them; Ozil, though, has a much higher pass completion rate and has started the season in scintillating form.

**Ozil v Coutinho - 2014/15 stats**
	Ozil	Coutinho
Minutes (Games) Played	1857 (22)	2792 (35)
Goals Scored	4	5
Assists	5	5
Chances Created	70	58
Key Passes	65	53
Successful Take Ons %	64.2%	59.56%
Pass Completion	88%	80%

#6 Strikers: Olivier Giroud vs Christian Benteke

Tall, physically imposing and a nightmare to defend at set-pieces; Giroud and Benteke have a lot in common. While Giroud is central to how Arsenal play, his ability to hold off defenders with his back to the goal and play passes to onrushing midfielders is a crucial part of how operate in the final third, Benteke is still finding his feet at Liverpool having had a couple of stellar seasons at Aston Villa.

The younger Belgian has one distinct advantage over the handsome French striker: pace. Benteke is much quicker on the turf and is often found finishing counter-attacking moves. He scored his first goal in the Premier League for Liverpool against Bournemouth and, given that the Arsenal’s defence looked a bit dodgy while defending crosses at Selhurst Park last week, it would be fascinating to see how Benteke fares.

A look at the numbers from last season shows how similar both the players are.

Giroud vs Benteke - 2014/15 stats
	Giroud	Benteke
Minutes (Games) Played	1856 (27)	2378 (29)
Goals Scored	14	13
Assists	3	2
Chances Created	28	33
Shot Accuracy	41.4%	36.25%
Aerial Duels Won %	50.25%	54.84%
Conversion Rate	20%	16.25%
Scoring % (Goals/Shots on Target)	48.3%	44.8%
Headed Goals	4	4