FA Cup champions Arsenal have successfully defeated Premier League champions Liverpool in the Community Shield match which was held at Wembley, Saturday (29/8) local time. The two teams drew 1-1 for 90 minutes. The Gunners are entitled to win a trophy after winning 5-4 in the penalty shootout.
The two teams have not appeared in full strength. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson are not ready for the match. While Arsenal are not reinforced by Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe. Jurgen Klopp uses a 4-3-3 formation with a complete front line trio. In the opposing camp, Mikel Arteta applies a 3-4-3 scheme.
From the collision of the formation above, it can be seen that Liverpool are naturally outnumbered in the wing sector. Arsenal’s wing-back, wing-back and wing-back will only meet Liverpool wing-backs and full-backs. This often happens, especially when Arsenal build attacks from below.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s quick goal is the best example. Sadio Mane moved to press Rob Holding. Meanwhile Roberto Firmino and James Milner closed the progression to the middle. It was clear that Hector Bellerin had a very large space.
The reason is that Andy Robertson is outnumbered on the wing. He didn’t go up because he had to keep Bukayo Saka in a high area. Robertson only rose after Bellerin got the ball. It was easy for Bellerin to throw a high pass to Saka who took advantage of the space behind Robertson.
Saka moved the direction of the attack quickly to the left. Ainsley Maitland-Niles underlapped so Gini Wijnaldum couldn’t help Neco Williams on the wing. In addition, this Maitland-Niles move made room for Kieran Tierney’s overlapping center back to create a 2v1 situation. Auba got the shooting space and he scored a goal.
Praise for Arteta for being able to make Arsenal players progress in facing various forms of high pressing Liverpool. Arsenal players are able to apply the principles of playing well so they often succeed in eliminating Liverpool’s pressing line.
At the moment below is an example. Liverpool’s high pressing form is a little different because there is no help from the second line. This condition made it easier for Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka to create a diamond shape and win in total against Liverpool’s first line. Simple but effective.
Arsenal are also quite good when facing Liverpool’s counter press. They can make progressions because the players are constantly giving options. Bellerin went wide immediately when Elneny fed into Holding. Eddie Nketiah exploited the space between the lines because Liverpool’s second line was very high. Arsenal managed to get out of Liverpool’s pressure, even ending with a shot outside the penalty box from Maitland-Niles even though it was still soaring.
Arteta’s tactical breakthrough is actually on Scottish left-back, Tierney. The 23-year-old was installed as a left center-back but was given the license to move up as in the first goal. This movement succeeded in making Arsenal win numbers easily.
When Auba is about to get the ball, Maitland-Niles moves towards the inside. The space in the wing is utilized by Tierney. This scheme succeeded in making Williams very inconvenient. Bad luck because he rarely played but once played he had to play against Aubameyang and often faced outnumbered situations. The right side of Liverpool’s defense has been exploited by Arsenal very often, it can be seen from the graphic below.
Liverpool’s high pressing is also one of the factors Arsenal can make progression. Liverpool’s high intensity has not returned. It’s not a big deal if it is caused by not being ready, but a big problem if Liverpool players are negligent and feel very superior. In addition, Liverpool have several times applied a high defensive line like Bayern Munich, but these tactics seem immature.
Being able to build attacks from below well does not mean Arsenal are dominant. They only get 40% possession of the ball. Arsenal do not play flat ball from the goalkeeper to the opponent’s penalty box. Direct play and transition are Arsenal’s main way of progressing to the Liverpool defense. They were not dominant because Arsenal let Liverpool control the ball, aka reactive playing with low blocks when not holding the ball.
Arsenal are indeed quite high in the Liverpool goal-kick situation. But when Liverpool progresses or there is a situation that will naturally make Liverpool get the ball in the middle third such as a throw-in or free kick, Arsenal play with a low block. They formed a 5-4-1 formation but sometimes Arsenal’s two wings, Aubameyang and Saka, rose to help Nketiah. Almost all players are behind the ball.
Arsenal’s low block gave Mane and Mo Salah a hard time to look for space. Supply from wing-backs is also hampered because Alexander-Arnold is not available. Liverpool’s classic scheme of gastric bait from wing-backs to Mane or Salah only happened in the 56th minute.
Robertson’s bait gave Mane a 1v1 situation but he failed to complete the opportunity. The Senegalese forward also had a golden opportunity in the 81st minute but Emiliano Martinez moved quickly to close the corner for Mane’s shot. Two moments that should have been used to score goals.
Naturally Arsenal’s tight defensive form will leave space on the wing. This was used by Liverpool to release a cross even though it was ineffective because of Arsenal’s solid defense. In addition to winning numbers in the penalty box, Arsenal center-back is able to anticipate crosses well. In total Liverpool released 23 crosses throughout the match.
Klopp made a substitution that proved successful. Takumi Minamino and Naby Keita came on to replace Milner and Williams. Gomez shifted to right back while Fabinho partnered Virgil van Dijk in the center. Minamino allows Liverpool to penetrate more than the central area. The result was the equalizer in the 73rd minute scored by the Japanese player.
The 90 minute match ended 1-1. Community Shield does not apply for an extra-time round so the match is immediately settled on penalties. Rhian Brewster’s strike hit the post while all Arsenal executors were flawless. The Gunners won 5-4 on penalties.
Klopp’s statement recaps everything. “Arsenal build attack well even though they don’t always make chances from it (the scheme). We got the ball but we have to try hard. We have two or three key moments that we don’t complete. It really affects the results of the match. “
A result that is not entirely fair for Liverpool but Arsenal deserves a thumbs up. They have only undergone three training sessions together, and there are even some players who only underwent one session. Despite playing reactively, Arsenal’s performance was quite impressive and finally won the Community Shield 20/21 trophy.
ASL
