The Reds suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Manchester United last time out and it is important that Brendan Rodgers makes a few changes to his side if Liverpool are to avoid a similar fate on Sunday.

Brendan Rodgers' post as manager of Liverpool has come under intense scrutiny with the Northern Irishman failing to get the best out of his current side. Liverpool's exit from the Champions League in midweek was followed by a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United rounding up a disappointing week for the club and its fans.

On Sunday Rodgers will be hoping he can get the season back on track by picking up a win over their top four rivals, however the former Swansea boss will have to tweak his tactics and team selection to ensure that.

Reinstate Simon Mignolet

The Belgian has been demoted to the bench after a number of below par performances, however the defenders have to take a fair share of the blame. Liverpool have conceded six goals from errors, only their rivals Everton have managed more. Whereas the former Sunderland man did make a few high profile errors, Brad Jones is not the man who should replace him.

Even though the Australian could not do much about the three goals he conceded against Man United he must be held accountable for his poor positioning especially for the first and the third goal. Jones was kept in goal for the match against Bournemouth and did little to suggest that he is the right man for the job after cheaply conceding a goal.

With Jones between the posts Liverpool will be very vulnerable and Arsenal will fancy their chances against him. Mignolet despite of not having fared well this season is the far better option. The Belgian has made more saves than any other goalkeeper (294) in the last three seasons and with more support from his back line is capable of producing better performances.

Play a natural striker

With Mario Balotelli suspended for the game and Daniel Sturridge injured, Rickie Lambert is the only natural striker in the squad and Rodgers should make use of him in the match against Arsenal. The former Southampton man is capable of having a similar kind of affect Peter Crouch had during Stoke City's 3-2 win over the Gunners.

Lambert is capable of imposing a physical threat inside the opposition half and will thereby allow his side to exploit a weakness in the Arsenal squad. Sterling on the other hand can cause a lot of menace for the defenders with his pace but lacks the predatory instincts of a striker as proven in the match against Man United. Even though David De Gea made life difficult for the youngster, Sterling made four shots on target and failed to convert any of them something which proved to be costly ultimately.

Sort out the issues on the left side of defence

Both Dejan Lovren who plays as a left sided centre back and left back Alberto Moreno have made two errors each which have resulted in goals this season. Teams have identified the left wing as the weak area and have repeatedly exploited it when playing against Liverpool. This was evident in the match against Man United when the Red Devils enjoyed a lot of luck when making moves from their right flank.
Antonio Valencia repeatedly tormented the Liverpool defence and got the better of both Moreno and Allen in the build up to the first goal.

It is important that Rodgers takes a note of this for Chilean star  Alexis Sanchez is expected to start on the right flank for Arsenal. The former Barcelona man has been in supreme form and can be a real menace if allowed much space or freedom. This does not bode well for Liverpool for Moreno is of an offensive nature and repeatedly desserts his defensive responsibilities for attacking ventures. If this is the case on Sunday, Alexis and Arsenal will make Liverpool gravely pay.

Play a pressing game

Liverpool have to show a similar tenacity as they did in the same fixture last season if they are to pick a win on Sunday. The Reds gave the Gunners a 5-1 drubbing last time season and much of this was down to the Liverpool players closing down the Arsenal midfield and forcing them into conceding mistakes from which they capitalized.

The Reds failed to show the same kind of drive against Man United and allowed the attackers too much space to operate and must not repeat the same mistake against Arsenal.

Play a four man defence

Rodgers has tried his luck with a 3-4-3 formation this season but it has hardly yielded many positive results. Jordan Henderson and Lazar Markovic were deployed as wing backs against  Bournemouth and should Rodgers persist with the system the two men will have trouble containing the likes of Welbeck and Sanchez.

It would instead be a better option if Rodgers opts to play natural defenders as full backs who will be better equipped to restrain the threat posed by Arsenal's wingers.


 

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Liverpool 2 - 2 Arsenal

December 21, 2014 11:00amAnfield (Liverpool)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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