Will Arteta go conservative again?

By Danong and 1970s Gooner 

Liverpool host Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday night in a fixture that could carry major repercussions for the 2026-27 title race.

Following Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat to Brighton, which handed the champions successive Premier League losses, the Gunners now have the clearest opportunity to climb to the summit. All the boys in red and white need to do is avoid defeat; a win or a draw will place them top of the table.

That presents an intriguing scenario for the English champions as they travel to Anfield, where the Reds have suffered just one defeat in their last ten matches.

Equally intriguing is the possibility that Mikel Arteta may approach the contest with a carefully calculated strategic plan.

Now that Man City have dropped more points It would hardly surprise anyone if the Arsenal manager went to Merseyside and decided the priority was not to lose, banking on defensive solidity to frustrate Liverpool’s attempts to break them down.

The Spaniard will likely reason that Liverpool will punish any excessive space and therefore insist on a compact shape, ready to seize any opportunity to kill the game off.

Such an approach could see him select a back four of Ben White, Ezri Konsa, Gabriel and Myles Lewis-Skelly in front of David Raya. That represents a solid defensive unit.

White earns his place through his reliability at the back; this is not an occasion for the more adventurous Jurrien Timber, who might leave gaps for the hosts to exploit.

In midfield, Arteta may opt for a disciplined pivot of Declan Rice and Bruno Guimarães. Maintaining positional discipline would free Martin Ødegaard to dictate play further forward, surely giving Arsenal’s engine room the platform to cope with whatever Liverpool throw at them.

Injuries restrict Arteta’s options in attack. Eberechi Eze starts on the left and continues his impressive resurgence, while Noni Madueke occupies the right flank in Bukayo Saka’s absence. Up front, Kai Havertz is preferred to Viktor Gyökeres, as Arteta seeks to harness the German’s high tactical intelligence, spatial awareness and ability to link play in service of the overall game plan.

Havertz’s capacity to initiate the press from the front and track back in the biggest matches should also afford Arsenal valuable structural flexibility.

Consequently, Arsenal could line up at Anfield as follows:

Raya  

White, Konsa, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly  

Rice, Guimarães, Ødegaard  

Madueke, Havertz, Eze

This side should have the defensive structure to contain Liverpool’s movement and pace on the counter.

One can only hope Arsenal manage to nick a victory, which would mark their first win at Anfield since 2012.