A THREAD! 👇 Liverpool beat Arsenal on Monday to maintain their 100% start to the Premier League season. Our coaches reveal the tactics used by both sides from the fixture 🔴 #LIVARS
🔴 Liverpool used a 4-3-3 in possession, featuring Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum and Naby Keïta in midfield and Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané in attack (1/8)
🔴 They also used their usual 4-3-3, and a back four of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, when without possession (2/8)
🔴 They implemented an aggressive press, with Salah and Mané closing down Arsenal’s defenders from the outside, and Firmino and Keïta picking up their deep midfielders (3/8)
🔴 Arsenal set up in a 3-4-3 structure with the ball; Hector Bellerín, Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Ainsley Maitland-Niles played across midfield (5/8)
🔴 When out of possession they mostly used a 5-4-1; Maitland-Niles and Bellerín tucked in to form their five-man defensive line, and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Willian dropped into midfield (6/8)
🔴 Arsenal had a co-ordinated approach in defence; Aubameyang, Lacazette and Xhaka shared responsibility for pressing Liverpool’s defenders, picking up Fabinho, and occupying Keïta (7/8)
Manchester City’s 4-3-3 started on the front foot as Arsenal initially attempted to press into the host’s half, in a 4-4-2 shape. Arsenal went player-oriented in the wide areas, with Declan Rice and Thomas Partey tracking Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gündogan’s forward runs. However, Silva’s wide runs to City’s right-side created space for Savinho to drive inside, penetrating against the aggressive jumping of Arsenal’s left-back, Calafiori. This helped disrupt and stretch Arsenal’s back line in the early stages, including when Haaland was slid in-behind to calmly open the scoring... 🧐🧵
It wasn’t long before Arsenal formed a low block, while City responded with a 3-1-5-1 shape. Josko Gvardiol moved into a left-side number eight role from full-back, with Gündogan as the central option underneath Haaland. Rodri – soon to be replaced by Kovacic – acted as the single pivot. Still, it was City’s right side that proved most potent, with Silva’s wider positioning supporting Savinho’s direct movements and dribbles against Calafiori... 🧐🧵
Stemming from tweaks to the 4-4-2 formation, and initially most popular in Spain, the 4-2-3-1 grew in popularity from the 2000s onwards. It has since been used with success by many prominent coaches, including Pep Guardiola, Arne Slot and Erik ten Hag... 4️⃣2️⃣3️⃣1️⃣🧵
Central protection...
The 4-2-3-1 requires defensive midfielders who can duel, tackle and intercept in individual battles. These midfielders must be alert enough to land on any second balls. They must have good acceleration and deceleration to help with this... 4️⃣2️⃣3️⃣1️⃣🧵
Spain used a 4-3-3 structure and built play patiently from the back, despite Germany pressing aggressively from their 4-2-3-1. They moved the ball around the back line to isolate Thomas Müller, before a centre-back stepped out with the ball into midfield... 🧐🧵
Olmo continued to move inside and Asensio dropped deep, in the process pulling Süle out of his position in Germany’s back line. This helped Spain to build out from the back and get around Germany’s increasingly effective high press... 🧐🧵
Traditionally, full-backs are the widest players in a back four, and as a result they attack and defend mostly in the wide areas. However, full-backs who move inside into central spaces are known as ‘inverted full-backs’. This movement adds an extra presence centrally... ↩️🧐
Although Pep Guardiola is the coach most associated with the inverted full-back, Johan Cruyff used them with Barcelona many years before. Then, he often converted the 4-3-3 into a 3-4-3 diamond, with one full-back inverting into central midfield... ↩️🧐
Manchester United were set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, but Fred pushed forward from the double pivot to become a number 8 and give them a stronger attacking presence in central midfield. Bruno Fernandes then adapted his positioning, moving into the left inside channel... 🧐🧵
The hosts eventually pushed both full-backs higher, primarily working around the outside of Tottenham’s wing-backs. United’s wingers then came inside, with the freedom to rotate with Fred and Fernandes, as long as both inside channels were always occupied... 🧐🧵