"I knew when I saw the teams" - John Aldridge on the clash against Arsenal

Pundit John Aldridge has given his verdict on Liverpool's recent Premier League clash against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners secured a 3-2 victory over the Reds last Sunday. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp decided to field four attackers on the day.

With that being the case, Aldridge was not surprised to see the Reds concede three goals in 90 minutes against Arsenal.

As quoted by Anfield Watch on Twitter, he told the Liverpool Echo the following: "We defended really poorly yet again against Arsenal. Whether it’s the back four or the people in front of them, it’s a collective thing and it starts from the front.

"I knew when I saw the teams, there were going to be goals in it. We played four forwards and to be fair, Jordan Henderson and Thiago aren’t holding midfielders. They’re creative if anything.

"It happened, there were goals in it and I was just hoping we’d get the rub of the green. Arsenal played well, really well. They deserved it, but going forward we did alright. The defence let us down, they let themselves down and got punished."

Anfield Watch Verdict

Aldridge does make a fair point. Neither Henderson or Thiago are holding midfield players. So, Liverpool were always going to be slightly open against Arsenal.

Fabinho has been far from his best so far this season. The Brazilian has averaged a WhoScored player rating of 6.60 in the early stages of the 2022-23 campaign.

Despite that being the case, we would have liked to have seen Fabinho start against Arsenal, as he is naturally a holding midfielder.

Liverpool will come up against Manchester City on Sunday. The Reds will have to be on defensively, otherwise the reigning champions will carve Liverpool open.