Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Sunday’s opponents Arsenal can be a real threat when they change up their tactics and look to play long-ball football.
Klopp took charge of Liverpool last October and faced Arsenal for the first time at Anfield in January where the two clubs played out a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The Reds twice led on home soil but were ultimately pegged back by the Gunners, as both sides had to settle for a share of the points.
Liverpool face a tough task of heading away from home to the Emirates on Sunday for their opening Premier League fixture.
Arsenal, who are priced at 7.00 to win the Premier League, look set to be struggling for options at the back, with Per Mertesacker, Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny all set to be missing for Arsene Wenger.
However, Klopp is not getting carried away and believes the north London club will still be tough to overcome.
Klopp feels that Arsenal changed up their tactics last term and broke away from the usual passing style everyone has come to know them for.
The German admitted that their long-ball approach caught him by surprise and he is wary of them changing it up once again.
Klopp said: “I think everyone who saw the game saw the difference between this game and all the other Arsenal games. “But in the last few years Arsenal had a more direct style.
They have only good football players but at the end they don’t use all of them in each build up or each offensive movement – it is a myth. It is definitely a plan and they want to win games.
“Arsenal is usually a football playing team but last time against us there was a lot of long balls and always to Olivier Giroud.
“The second ball was to (Mesut) Ozil, they caused us a lot of problems in this game. That was a big threat on that day.”
Leave a comment
Link Dafabet