3. The full-backs
Arsenal’s full-backs have been their secret weapon this season. Zinchenko averages the most touches per game in the team, and Ben White has become a complete full-back with a superb understanding with Saka and Saliba.
At Anfield, they were off. White got an early warning when he let Robertson in behind, and then Liverpool’s first goal came about because he had vacated his zone. That happened on several occasions throughout the game, especially after he was booked on 23 minutes. He never looked comfortable from that moment on. Against Man Utd, he was booked on 19 minutes, and again looked lost, but was hooked at half-time for Takehiro Tomiyasu.
On the left, Zinchenko was playing against Liverpool’s best player but was carried heavily by Gabriel who was immense. Defensively, he wasn’t as bad as some have suggested, but on the ball, he was absent by his standards. But, he is a strong-willed character and will bounce back stronger.
The good thing for Arsenal is they came away from the game with a point, their first at Anfield since 2016, and if they get the small things right, they will do serious damage at West Ham.
Arteta stated after the game. However, if you win the second ball, it’s manageable.</p>
<p>Arsenal failed to do that on numerous occasions, and for Liverool’s first goal, they were cut open as Liverpool moved it quickly and got players to loose balls first.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">An engrossing game from start to finish ⚡️</p>
<p>Relive all the key moments from this afternoon’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/arsenal-lessons/3/"https://t.co/YTn1uYsS9K">pic.twitter.com/YTn1uYsS9K
<p>— Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/arsenal-lessons/3/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1645169719731732481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>April 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/arsenal-lessons/3/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The same occurred with the Liverpool penalty. Gabriel and Virgil van Dijk competed for the header, which then broke in the box, and Diogo Jota won a soft penalty by getting to the second ball first.</p>
<p>Again, when Darwin Nunez went through for a one-on-one, it was Jakub Kiwior who failed to win the second ball from a Van Dijk header. That should have been a warning for Arsenal, but it wasn’t.</p>
<p>After Gabriel failed to kill the game with an easy chance, Liverpool marched forward. Andy Robertson’s cross was headed out by Holding, but again, Arsenal failed to get to the ball quick enough, and Salah picked it up, leading to Roberto Firmino’s winner.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/arsenal-lessons/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 lesson from Anfield </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-133616" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/arsenal-lessons/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1481011200.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1481011200.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1481011200-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"></p>
<h2><strong>3. <em>The full-backs</em></strong></h2>
<p>Arsenal’s full-backs have been their secret weapon this season. Zinchenko averages the most touches per game in the team, and Ben White has become a complete full-back with a superb understanding with Saka and Saliba.</p>
<p>At Anfield, they were off. White got an early warning when he let Robertson in behind, and then Liverpool’s first goal came about because he had vacated his zone. That happened on several occasions throughout the game, especially after he was booked on 23 minutes. He never looked comfortable from that moment on. Against Man Utd, he was booked on 19 minutes, and again looked lost, but was hooked at half-time for Takehiro Tomiyasu.</p>
<p>On the left, Zinchenko was playing against Liverpool’s best player but was carried heavily by <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/arsenal-lessons/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/10/gabriel-magalhaes-numbers/">Gabriel who was immense. Defensively, he wasn’t as bad as some have suggested, but on the ball, he was absent by his standards. But, he is a strong-willed character and will bounce back stronger.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="4JYx4rZ4FA"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/arsenal-lessons/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/predicted-arsenal-xi-vs-west-ham-unchanged-anfield/">Predicted Arsenal XI vs West Ham: Unchanged from Anfield</a></p></blockquote>
<p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/arsenal-lessons/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/predicted-arsenal-xi-vs-west-ham-unchanged-anfield/embed/#?secret=4JYx4rZ4FA" data-secret="4JYx4rZ4FA" width="500" height="282" title="“Predicted Arsenal XI vs West Ham: Unchanged from Anfield” — Pain in the Arsenal" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div>
<p>The good thing for Arsenal is they came away from the game with a point, their first at Anfield since 2016, and if they get the small things right, they will do serious damage at <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/15/arsenal-lessons/3/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/04/13/west-ham-vs-arsenal-preview-prediction-team-news-lineups/">West Ham</a>.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
