ARSENAL could put their ‘musical chairs’ tactic to good use when they face Liverpool in a huge Premier League clash this weekend.
The Gunners will be determined to bounce back from last weekend’s shock defeat to Bournemouth.
However, it will not be an easy task – especially given Mikel Arteta‘s growing injury list.
Despite being at risk of missing some key players – including Martin Odegaard and potentially Bukayo Saka – Arsenal can go into the match with some confidence thanks to the Spaniard’s tactical prowess.
Arteta insisted his team will be “flying” at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
And he could utilise an effective ‘musical chairs’ trick to get the better of Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right side of Liverpool’s defence.
Arteta’s ‘musical chairs’ tactic
The Gunners have been using a new system which uses an inverted left-back.
New boy Riccardo Calafiori has taken up that role in recent weeks, but he could be replaced with Jurrien Timber or Oleksandr Zinchenko at the weekend due to injury.
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Declan Rice plays inside the left channel as a central midfielder, with left winger Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz completing a diamond.
Those four players then rotate throughout the match and change positions, moving into the areas where space has been left.
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If Calafiori moves inside, Rice will shift out to the left and make the side of the diamond.
The Italian then moves to the base, leaving plenty of space for Martinelli in attack.
That would then give Alexander-Arnold a headache in terms of who he should mark.
Liverpool will have to find a solution to keep tabs on the four moving players.
And the Reds have got to be aware of who’s running and who’s staying in their position – which could also confuse midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.
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Who marks Salah?
From a defensive point of view, Arsenal have to figure out who will be responsible for covering Liverpool’s star man, Mohamed Salah.
With Calafiori likely to miss Sunday’s match due to a knee injury, Zinchenko may be in line to start.
The Ukrainian has struggled up against Salah in the past which could be a cause for concern.
It will be a game of stick or twist for Arsenal, with Gabriel Magalhaes potentially forced to step out onto the left – adding to the diamond.
But £105million man Rice will likely cover the position.
The midfielder is pivotal when it comes to Arsenal’s in-game formation switch from attack to defence.
Arteta usually encourages his team to be brave by attacking with five.
But with Salah and Luis Diaz going the other way, they can’t afford to be naive.
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Direct David Raya
One of David Raya‘s key strengths is his ability to play direct and diagonal passes from the back.
Some opposition teams have attempted to catch him out in the pass by pressing high.
But the Gunners have been able to play over that press thanks to Raya’s distribution.
That gives the wingers plenty of space to make a run in behind the opposition defence.
It also gives Havertz, who is 6ft 4in tall, the chance to act as a target man, causing problems for the centre-backs.
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