Arsenal Goals: Lukas Podolski (31), Santi Cazorla (68)
Of all the things that there is to say about this game, one thing is more obvious than anything else. Brendan Rodgers has one hell of a job on his hands. Is it possible to bring ourselves back from this position, to a place where we can realistically challenge for Champions League football? Or should we just write off the entire season now and build for next year. On the evidence of this game, it's likely to get a little worse before it gets any better.
The team was as we expected, there was nothing to read into any of Rodgers' selections in the way that there was last week. It was very much a predictable opening to the game itself as well, Arsenal a little more direct in the first couple of minutes but after the first five had settled enough to start passing it around. That being said it was Borini with the first chance of the game, being given room to run at the back four and firing wide instead of maybe going with the better option in Gerrard out wide. Moments later Suarez turned Per Mertesacker and with a little more pace would have gotten away from him only to be brought down. It was good that we'd worked these early openings but disappointing not to have worked Mannone in goal at least once.
In any Premier League game, the midfield battle is key. Against Arsenal that might be even more so, given their style of football and the movement of their players in and around the penalty area. It was worrying to see then as Abou Diaby got a grip on the middle of the park very early on, a grip he would not relinquish for ninety minutes. There were pockets of space between the midfield and back four that Cazorla or Diaby would wait for the ball and even though they had yet to get through our defences, wasn't the most encouraging of sights. That brings me neatly onto Steven Gerrard.
I could write an entire article - and other, more qualified people than me have - about Gerrard's role, both in a wider sense and today's game in general. It wouldn't make for pleasant reading either at the moment, for this was one of Stevie's most troubling performances in a Liverpool shirt. There are two issues that present themselves as early as the first twenty minutes. Firstly, his passing range - which has seemed rather extravagant for a few games now - disturbs the flow of our play and more often than not results in the opposition ending up with the ball. The second is his nonchalance in regard to that scenario, a casual stroll back into the midfield area isn't exactly what the manager requires.
It's possible that he may be being given special dispensation - because after all we all know Gerrard has the ability to make those passes - but it does seem counter productive when you have a side whose entire identity revolves around keeping the ball and arguably it's best player constantly relinquishing it. Suarez was guilty of this also, unable to find a Liverpool shirt on a number of occasions but the kind of passes he was actually trying to play were short, simple balls that were being cut out. Every team has a player who won't exactly be up to par - win or lose - on any given match day. Against a team like Arsenal with two of our best not up to scratch however, it was always going to be difficult.
One other thing that will frustrate in equal measure as it will please is the wide play of Fabio Borini. He's shown on a few instances in a couple of games now that he has the intelligence and forethought to catch out a misplaced pass along the back line but whenever he capitalizes on that the final ball is lacking. With just a little more composure - something which appears to be pandemic along the whole squad at the minute - Borini could definitely be a valid threat to any team. By the mid point of the first half, Arsenal had gone up a gear with their pressing. This - along with our static movement - made it incredibly difficult for us to play any kind of passing football along the back line. The pressure was mounting but still neither goalkeeper had a save of note to make.
With Arsenal probing and hassling, the best we could do was muster a few counter attacks and to seize on any mistakes. Sterling did just that and was brought down on the edge of the box, only for the free kick to be wasted. There were a few moments afterward where we actually had the ball in their half of the field but didn't seem to know what to do with it and were unable to work anything of note. Even worse, we set about what would lead to our downfall. Gerrard with another loose ball led to Lucas Podolski picking it up just inside his own half. He then played it forward to Santi Cazorla and set about a lung busting run inside Glen Johnson. It was a strange sight indeed to see Johnson stripped for pace but when Cazorla played the ball back to the German, he needed no second invitation to smash the ball into the far corner beyond Pepe Reina to give the Gunners their first goal of the season.
Following the goal, there was an instant withdrawal from Arsenal. This allowed us to actually breathe and settle on the ball for the first time in a long time and we settled relatively quickly for a side that had been second best for large portions of the half. If a response was to come from anywhere - either directly or indirectly - it was probably going to come from Raheem Sterling. He menaced Arsenal for a period following their goal, linking up with Joe Allen at first and then Luis Suarez which led to what looked like a stonewall penalty appeal only for Howard Webb to turn it down. Replays did show it would have been harsh on Arsenal, but how we could have done with that kind of decision going into half time.
From nearly getting back on level terms, to almost instantly being two behind. Abou Diaby picked up the ball and ran with it virtually the full length of the pitch before putting Giroud through on goal. Fortunately for us, his finish did not match the expert placement of his team-mate earlier on in the game and it went harmlessly wide of the post. To win this game from here we would have to contend with such dangerous counters, as well as the flagging form of some of our more senior players. Half time came at a good time for Rodgers to get his men in and settle them down but it was the first time in the game Arsenal were having to cope with any real pressure.
A goal down to start the second half, you could have been forgiven for thinking Liverpool were the team with the lead. We visibly backed off to begin with and let Arsenal play right on the edge of our box and when we had possession were very calm and composed without wanting to rush into anything. That's not a criticism by the way, we were far too impatient to get back into the game away at West Brom the other week and it cost us another goal so the idea that we still had a lot of time to get back into the game was a valid one. It took a full five minutes for us to get into the Arsenal penalty area and when we did it was time for Howard Webb to make another decision. This time Mertesacker and Suarez came together inside the box but the referee again ruled against the award of a Liverpool penalty.
Coming into this game Arsenal had drawn twice and were yet to score. However they looked like a side brimming with confidence and were simply brighter, quicker and stronger than the men in red. A particular mention goes to Carl Jenkinson at left back who not only handled Sterling far better than anyone before him and who also supported the Arsenal attack well and provided them with good width whenever it was required of him. At the other end we were getting the ball into good areas but there was a reluctance to take the responsibility of shooting and as such continued to pass up half chances, in the hope of finding better ones that never came. Of all the Liverpool players who came out for the second half, Fabio Borini looked a lot livelier and can consider himself a little unlucky to be taken off for Stewart Downing but the time was definitely right for changes.
Though the game went through minor patches of being broken up by the referees whistle, it was no means a dirty game. Howard Webb had very little to do save for the odd penalty shout and was called into action again when Vermaelen appeared to handle the ball. It would have been incredibly harsh as he was falling over but certainly the crowd were into the game now and at least we appeared to be spurred on. Arsenal took the game to us on the break and had a couple of chances of their own, Skrtel having to challenge Oxlade-Chamberlain on the edge of the box before Jenkinson forced Reina into a save.
The game was a lot more open than it had been for most of the first half and not only we were pressing them a lot better but were far more composed in possession ourselves. A lot of this was to do with the fact that Joe Allen was starting to find space and this in turn allowed Gerrard to push on. The pressure was mounting as Stewart Downing got in behind their defence for the first time in the game and forced Mannone into a save. Arsenal were looking flustered but remained resolute in trying to preserve their lead, still maintaining a threat of their own. Our midfield which had been poor in the first half was now pressing very high up the pitch with Gerrard, Allen and Sahin all roaming in and around the final third. Anyone willing to judge Nuri Sahin on this game would be a fool, the midfielder having played very little football over the last year. He was fairly quiet in the first half but grew into it somewhat in the second but was visibly tiring. His passing was fairly simple as he looked not to extend himself and try to ease himself into life at Anfield and that's understandable. Definitely more to come from the Turkish international, who was taken off for Shelvey with just over twenty to go.
Whether it was the reshuffle or the fact that we'd been relatively on top for a while I don't know. We seemed to switch off for just a moment however and that was all Arsenal needed. Cazorla and Podolski switched roles for the opener and the Spaniard thumped the ball toward Pepe Reina, whom it agonisingly squirmed under. It'll go down as a goalkeeping mistake for someone who sets such high standards for himself, but one that we've seen far too many of in the last twelve to eighteen months. Arsenal had doubled their lead and unless we could recoup two goals, would condemn Liverpool to our second defeat in three games.
If there is to be one positive, it's that there was still a threat there. It's important that regardless of opposition and scoreline that the team keeps trying because anything can happen in football. Downing and Johnson in particular linked up and provided Arsenal with some problems down the right hand side but were unable to find that final ball which could potentially get us back into the game. Another bright spark was the growing confidence of Jonjo Shelvey, who with fifteen minutes to go appeared to take the game by the scruff of the neck almost single handedly. He won a bouncing ball in between a handful of Arsenal defenders and then forced a great save out of the goalkeeper before moments later putting Gerrard through on goal, only to have Vermaelen cut it out.
Having been pushed further forward in the second period, Steven Gerrard wasn't as effective as he might have been in other games - although you can put that down to Arsenal's grip on the midfield as much as anything else - but when he did get into good areas, was far more impressive than in the first half. I'm a big believer in moving him forward into one of those front three slots and although the injury to Lucas may curtail that for now it's still something that should be looked at.
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