Sunday 14 August 2016 21:23, UK
Liverpool thrilled in attack against Arsenal but their 4-3 victory also highlighted defensive concerns for Jurgen Klopp's men…
Manchester City were shocked by the speed and skill of Liverpool's attackers last season home and away. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea could not cope with Philippe Coutinho at Stamford Bridge. Southampton, flayed 6-1 on their own patch in the League Cup, felt the full force of Jurgen Klopp's Reds.
In 14 second-half minutes on Sunday it was Arsenal's turn to bear the brunt, as Adam Lallana, Coutinho and Sadio Mane came in wave after wave after wave to propel Liverpool into a 4-1 lead.
It was a blistering burst which left Arsenal on the ropes and Arsene Wenger fearing an even greater thrashing. Liverpool were at full tilt, just as they had been in those games last season.
Yet, what followed was not more goals for the visitors but a fightback from the Gunners which left Liverpool holding on in the final moments.
Afterwards Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry criticised Liverpool's inability to manage a game. It is a weakness which saw them concede 50 goals last season - the joint most they had ever conceded in the Premier League. And something they need to address if they are to transform their eighth-place finish in 2015/16 into a title challenge this time around.
If we want to achieve something special this year we're going to have to be more disciplined defensively as a unit.
"Arsenal are a top team but if we want to achieve something special this year we're going to have to be more disciplined defensively as a unit," Lallana told Sky Sports.
He could have been forgiven for getting caught up in the euphoria of helping Liverpool to only their second win in 21 away trips to Arsenal in all competitions, but sights are set high at the Anfield club this season.
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic, too, given the weapons in their armoury.
Coutinho has become a star - scorer of a stunning, goal-of-the-season-contender free-kick and a wonderful team move on Sunday - but in Roberto Firmino, Lallana, £34m-signing Mane, Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Danny Ings, Klopp has a wealth of attacking options. Georginio Wijnaldum has added strength to the central midfield area.
But still those defensive concerns persist.
Left-back Alberto Moreno was particularly vulnerable against Arsenal. He chopped down Theo Walcott to give away a first-half penalty with a tackle described as "garbage" by Gary Neville and just a minute after the England international saw his spot-kick saved the defender was caught out of position, allowing the Arsenal man room to score from open play.
On the other side of the defence, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain breezed past a couple of challenges to score before familiar questions were raised about Liverpool's ability to defend set-pieces, after Calum Chambers nodded in a Santi Cazorla free-kick.
"It was a very good performance from Liverpool," said Jamie Redknapp. "Every single goal they scored was top class. The only thing that marred it was defensively. And that has been a problem for them for a number of years now. How do they stop other teams scoring goals is going to be their problem.
"If you look at how they set up, they've got one player who played defensive midfield against Arsenal and that was Jordan Henderson. He's really an attacking midfielder.
"They're not set up to stifle teams. They haven't got, for example, a Nemanja Matic, someone who's going to protect the back four. That's why Liverpool are going to be a great team to watch. There will be plenty of 4-3 and 4-2 results. They're not equipped to stop other teams playing.
"Unless they win the ball with the first press and they get the ball played around them it's going to be extremely difficult for them."
Redknapp's view was shared by Henry, who believes the Reds - if they are to win consistently - must at times restrain their attacking intentions to consolidate a result.
"They can't manage a game," he said. "They always want to go fast and forward. You're 4-1 up away from home, manage the game.
"At the end of the day they ended up defending for their life. I think what we ended up seeing today is two vulnerable teams. And Arsenal were a bit more vulnerable than Liverpool."
Three of Liverpool's next four Premier League fixtures are against Tottenham, Leicester and Chelsea. After beating Arsenal, they can lay down further markers against more of their title rivals in the next month.
With their attacking ability they have every chance of doing just that - but they will have to be equally effective in the defensive third, too.
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