Liverpool vs Arsenal + can you fix Manchester United?

Kate Mason (0:01)

The Athletic FC. Hello, and welcome to The Athletic FC Podcast with me, Kate Mason. It is time for our tactical preview show where we bring the sport's finest minds into the room to break down the hottest football tactics.

And with me today, our former England goalkeeper, Rob Green.

Liam Tharme (0:27)

Hello.

Kate Mason (0:28)

Hello, and the Athletic's tactics writer, Liam Tharme.

Rob Green (0:31)

Morning, guys.

Liam Tharme (0:31)

Hello.

Kate Mason (0:32)

How do you feel about being the sport's finest minds?

Liam Tharme (0:35)

Oh, I thought it was about Rob, really. More so than me.

Rob Green (0:37)

I feel under pressure now. I feel like we've got to deliver without you built us up to such a great thing, but we will.

Kate Mason (0:43)

That's exactly it. You thrive under pressure, don't you?

Rob Green (0:45)

This is it. This is it. Without the big up, I just wouldn't be able to raise my game. So there we are.

Kate Mason (0:50)

Okay. A huge show to come, everybody. And a high quality weekend in the Premier League, all building up to the 4.3 kickoff on Sunday. Liverpool welcoming Arsenal to Anfield. A game so big, they've cleared the whole day for it.

Rob Green (1:04)

Yeah, on its own standalone game. You don't see that often, do you? But there's some, you look at the Champions League games, how they figured that out and everything that a lot of teams have had to play on the Saturdays. So it could be a good one.

Kate Mason (1:17)

And it feels like an old school clash of styles, maybe. Are you excited?

Rob Green (1:21)

Yeah, you're looking at two teams who've moved this season, perhaps, towards being a bit more direct. We'll have a look at that and also being physical as well, which is an undervalued part of football, I think, in modern day. So it's been a welcome addition.

Kate Mason (1:40)

It's been a tricky week for Arsenal in some ways, and they were involved in one of the biggest cut sets in history on Tuesday night, losing to fourth-tier side Fleetwood Town on penalties. What did we make of Fleetwood's performance, Liam?

Liam Tharme (1:54)

It's spirited, definitely spirited. I mean, they were physical, sat in the 5-4-1, said we're going to put tackles in, we're going to defend the box. They were out shot 26-3, but one on fouls, 14-5. So they were saying, I mean, even the situation where Max Dalman gets sent off right is them trying to basically bring the game down to their level, saying we can't play a technical game as good as Arsenal. We're going to try and rattle them, we're going to make it difficult for them.

And they did that. I mean, if you repeat the game again, I'm not sure how many times they win it. They gave up a lot of chances, but they kept the scoreline down, kept themselves in the game and were really good on pens.

Rob Green (2:28)

I think you look at Arsenal and it's the same old problem, came up with different personnel of breaking down a low block. And you look at the goal that they scored was a quick ball from Ben White across the pitch and a switch. And then that opens up a bit of space, but there's quite a lot that was pedestrian, quite a lot that was slowing the build up. And you lose your wide men or you take them out and rest them and put them in with two young lads.

It's such a big facet of their game is to drag defences out. And that's something they understanding there that was there, gone and so in that first half in particular, it really didn't feel like it worked. And then second half, once they got her to guard on, once they got people back into positions, it felt like it was a matter of time and they probably should have scored the winner in that time, in that second half.

Kate Mason (3:21)

What were they missing? Arsenal?

Rob Green (3:24)

Well, Tuesday night goals was an obvious thing, finishing touch, they underperform their XG by a lot. I think if you put those chances in the game again, Ben Whites at the far post, fantastic save, but got to be scoring that, and you feel all in all in there.

With a defense like that, if the other team are going to defend that resolutely and that well, you are going to get a finite number of opportunities, clear-cut opportunities, even the goal they scored was bundled in by Gukariz, so it's not a case of scoring the perfect goal, which they often seem to want to do. It's a case of whipping it in behind bodies and asking a horrible question of the defense, and if that's where they got the joy and didn't do it often enough, I feel.