The away game was arguably Liverpool’s first big game where there was something at stake – a chance to get level on points with the Gunners and make a push for top six.
With that in mind, Rodgers’s approach tactically was clever: it was a similar system we saw in the 0-0 draw in the League against Swansea. We basically set up in a 4-5-1 with a deep defensive line with the intention to intercept opposition passes and counter-attack quickly.
Against Swansea, our lack of pace up front meant our attacks were toothless. With Daniel Sturridge up front we had a pace and strength up front. Additionally, we had Luis Suarez in more-or-less a free role when attacking, with Glen Johnson pushing forward to make up numbers on our left side.
And the plan worked: in the first half we countered effectively and closed down Arsenal around our area. We were efficient in our plan, but our lack of possession and control was telling.
In the second half our lack of compactness in midfield was our downfall, as well as our constant willingness to stand off Arsenal and only deal with their attacks in our box. We barely closed down the ball when it broke to an Arsenal player for a long-shot opportunity, and, whilst we controlled the width competently, our marking of Ramsey, Cazorla and Wilshere was poor.
Arsenal’s comeback mirrored that of Everton’s in the 2-2 draw in this season’s Merseyside Derby. After Jordan Henderson’s brilliant second half goal that put us 2-0 up, we lacked the composure and experience to take the sting out of the game, retain possession and keep Arsenal out. With Arsenal’s high pressure, we were pinned down in our own half for the majority of the game and lacked ideas as to how to keep the ball in this situation. The finger can be pointed at our more experienced players – Gerrard, Suarez and Lucas – as to why we couldn’t grab hold of the game after the commanding score line.
Once again Andre Wisdom looked as if the big occasion was too much for him, and had a poor game. Arsenal attacked our left side with Podolski, Gibbs (and later, Santos) and occasionally Giroud, making it very difficult for Wisdom. Lucas’s intelligence came into play, as he mainly took up positions on the left side.
Going forward you got the feeling that, with Wisdom and Downing there was little technical ability or spark on our right side and most of our chances came from the left flank which was operated by Suarez and Johnson. As a result, the right flank was easy to telegraph and meant limited chance creation or counter-attacking options on our part.
The player performances took a dip in the second half in general: Suarez and Gerrard – both of whom had great first halves – appeared jaded in the second period. This is where we question our philosophy of resting with the ball and why it hasn’t been seen so far.
Whilst Jordan Henderson had a good game, the performance of the night went to veteran Jamie Carragher, who was commanding and dominant. With our deep line, Carra was an ideal choice as there was no room to exploit his lack of pace.
Henderson, whilst took up incredible attacking positions and put in good attacking pressure, contributed little defensively. His energy could have proved useful in closing off Wilshere and Ramsey, something which he didn’t particularly seem to do.
The draw was bitterly disappointing in the circumstance. This was a game we really needed to win to take a major step in our season. Whilst there are major gripes, Rodgers’s plan was good and the execution was commendable, it’s just that bit of confidence, composure and experience that we needed to close the game off. This kind of issue has plagued our season and we don’t seem to have made giant leaps in terms of our mentality. Hopefully this is a learning experience for our younger players. All in all, we can’t be too unhappy with the final score; the mentality issues are a question of time.
Follow Kerushun on Twitter @kerushun99