This weekend, Arsenal take a break from Premier League action and have their sights on a deep FA Cup run as they take on Liverpool in the 3rd round.
Off a run of back-to-back defeats in the league, including one of their most disappointing performances of the season away at Fulham, Mikel Arteta will hope his side can put on a showing that can spark life back into the Gunners’ season.
How Arsenal Can Defeat Liverpool in the FA Cup
Play the Strongest Team Possible
There has been a trend to play second-string teams muddled together in domestic cups as clubs focus on their league form. This would be possible if Arsenal were facing a lower-division team. However, coming up against a Liverpool side amongst their competitors for the Premier League title, they will want to win to prove their worth as we enter the second half of the season.
The Gunners struggled for fluency after taking the lead against Fulham in their last league game but need to piece together some of the firepower they showcased last season if they are hoping to compete on all fronts for the rest of this campaign. The attacking trio of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka will be expecting to start against Jurgen Klopp’s side, and a big performance in the cup could see them kick into gear as they are all struggling to find form.
When speaking about his side’s deficiencies in front of goal, Arteta stated: “When it comes to those spaces, the timing and the definition of the action, it becomes trickier to coach, and certainly to replicate as an action in the game. That’s probably the hardest thing to replicate in football.”
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Control Possession and Take the Game to Liverpool
Arsenal started the game at Anfield in electrifying fashion as they took an early lead, but they could not sustain it throughout. Playing in front of their home crowd – their fans will be expecting them to have more of the ball and create chances after the last few poor showings.
One of the ways the north Londoners could manage the game better is by introducing Jorginho to the starting team. With Oleksandr Zinchenko expected to miss out at left back, the midfield’s technical ability diminishes considerably as the Ukrainian international helps gain control of the ball as he inverts into the middle of the pitch.
Jorginho would help offset that and allow Declan Rice some freedom higher up the pitch. The Englishman was positioned as deep as the centre-halves for periods against Fulham, and that tactically wasn’t very productive.
Arteta will need his players to play proactively without fear in front of their own crowd if they want to make it into the 4th round of the FA Cup, and he will need his attackers firing as soon as possible if they are to push on strongly in 2024.
