It will be very tempting for Brendan Rodgers to avoid change against Arsenal. After wins over Stoke City and Bournemouth, which have both come using the same formation and the same starting line-up, you could perhaps forgive the boss for sticking with his 4-2-3-1 formula in North London.
However, as we consider the areas in which we fell short against Bournemouth last time out – when, especially early on, we were a little overwhelmed in midfield by our newly promoted rivals – then we can see the value in changing to a slightly more traditional 4-3-3 set-up.
Jordan Henderson’s potential injury issues could also force Rodgers’ hand. Our captain limped out of the game against Bournemouth shortly after half-time and, as a result, he may not be risked at the Emirates Stadium.
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With all this in mind, here are five personnel battles that Rodgers will be overseeing in training this weekend:
5) Joe Gomez vs Alberto Moreno
Gomez has been excellent thus far and will likely keep his place for the Arsenal game. However, Moreno has at least given the boss food for thought ahead of the match, after an encouraging cameo in a more attacking role against Bournemouth.
There are two things that could work in the Spaniard’s favour here – the first being that Rodgers could elects to go for the more experienced member of his squad in such a big game, and the second being that we could yet play both of them, with Moreno starting ahead of Gomez to give us that extra little bit of solidity on the flanks.
4) Dejan Lovren vs Mamadou Sakho
Lovren has been looking good over the last couple of games and as such it would be a surprise to see him dropped in this game. However, with Sakho set to be handed a new long-term contract (via the Liverpool Echo), the Frenchman could well be demanding his first appearance of the season. Sakho is a little quicker on the turn than the Croatian and that could make him an important tool in stopping the admitted brilliance of Alexis Sanchez.
Martin Skrtel has very much re-established himself as the leader of the defence over the last two games and it seems likely to remain a head-to-head battle between Lovren and Sakho all season long to determine who plays alongside him.
3) Jordon Ibe vs James Milner
There were suggestions earlier in the week (via the Liverpool Echo), that Milner could play on the right of midfield against Arsenal, something which would likely see Jordon Ibe miss out. The inclusion of this particular tactic is likely to be very much reliant on whether or not Henderson is fit enough to start. If he isn’t, then it seems even more unlikely that Rodgers would risk moving Milner out of his preferred role. With Joe Allen injured and Lucas out of favour, our options in the middle are very limited.
However, Ibe could still miss out regardless of where Milner plays. With Arsenal likely to pack the midfield, as they did against Crystal Palace last time out, we could well choose to match them and rely on our full-backs to provide the width.
2) Adam Lallana vs Roberto Firmino
Lallana’s performances over the first two games have been fairly disappointing and most Liverpool fans will likely be yearning to see Firmino make his first Premier League start since his big money move from Hoffenheim.
The Brazilian has made two decent cameo appearances so far and has done well to demonstrate the fact that he can be relied on to track back and help the defenders, rather than just wait up front for the ball to come to him. That’s something which will be needed against Arsenal from all of our players and maybe that might be just enough to earn him the nod. However, Rodgers appears to have few qualms about Lallana thus far, and the former Southampton man will be confident of keeping his place.
1) Jordan Henderson vs Emre Can
This one will likely come down to injury. If Henderson is fit, then Rodgers will likely start with the team that played in our first two matches. If he’s not, then Can will come in as a like-for-like replacement and will become our deepest lying midfield player.
However, a further possibility is that both players could start alongside James Milner in a three man midfield. This would give more licence to the likes of Coutinho and Lallana to push further forward and concentrate on getting up in support of Benteke. It would also help break up the play and give our back four an extra guard against what, on paper, is a formidable Arsenal attack.
