Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal Stuck In Gear As Arne Slot’s Liverpool Deftly Adjust

There was a time, not that agelong ago, erstwhile almost each large games were stiflingly tense affairs – cautious, cagey, almost unwatchable but for nan exquisite tension, nan consciousness that this was excessively important to expect nan shot to beryllium entertaining. The goal-heavy thrillers of nan Pep Guardiola-Jürgen Klopp rivalry were a invited diversion, but they ever felt oddly transgressive – were we sure awesome clashes were expected to beryllium that overmuch fun? In that sense, Liverpool’s 1-0 triumph complete Arsenal connected Sunday fresh into a long-established tradition; successful clip nan tedium will autumn distant successful nan corporate representation and each that will stay is nan majesty of Dominik Szoboszlai’s match-winning free-kick.

Two different much caller traditions were observed amid nan worry of Anfield: that Arne Slot will ever someway find a way, and that Arsenal will ever someway travel up short. Few managers person ever had specified a aureate touch arsenic Slot; he has a singular capacity to make decisions that don’t conscionable alteration nan result of a game, but do truthful successful an evident and unmissable way.

Liverpool person not been anyplace adjacent their champion this season. They person looked unfastened and unbalanced. They are, of course, dealing pinch their condolences astatine nan decease of Diogo Jota. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez person been sold. Five elder players person arrived, pinch Alexander Isak group to subordinate that list. And yet astatine nan world break, they guidelines top of nan Premier League table arsenic nan only broadside pinch 3 wins from three. Against Bournemouth and Newcastle, they fto gaffe two-goal advantages and past regained nan lead pinch goals from substitutes.

Against Arsenal, they were much cautious, possibly overcompensating for nan wildness that had characterised nan opening 2 games. According to Opta, they mustered an xG of conscionable 0.4 against Arsenal’s 0.5, by a facet of almost 2 nan lowest mixed xG successful a crippled truthful acold this season. And yet they won.

There had seemed a threat earlier nan play began that Szoboszlai would beryllium nan overseas man out. If Florian Wirtz, signed for £100m (about $135m), operated down nan striker successful a 4-2-3-1, it seemed reasonable to presume that nan 2 much protect players successful past season’s midfield trio, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, would play arsenic nan brace successful beforehand of nan backmost four. And so, since Gravenberch returned having missed nan Community Shield arsenic his partner gave commencement and nan opening crippled of nan play done suspension, it has proved. But pinch Alexander-Arnold gone, Jeremie Frimpong injured and Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez returning to fitness, Szoboszlai recovered himself drafted successful arsenic an improbable auxiliary right-back.

Who, honestly, tin opportunity they thought he had nan skill-set to play astatine full-back? But he has taken to nan domiciled pinch gusto and has played a decisive portion successful nan past 2 wins. Against Newcastle past week, Szoboszlai looked alternatively much comfortable than nan profession full-back connected nan different flank, his compatriot Milos Kerkez, who has had a difficult commencement to life astatine Liverpool. Then, having been released into midfield by nan preamble of Bradley, it was Szoboszlai’s dummy that created nan abstraction for Rio Ngumoha’s injury-time winner. On Sunday he arced a stunning 32-yard free-kick successful disconnected nan wrong of nan station pinch 7 minutes remaining.

Will Szoboszlai stay astatine right-back? It remains implausible, and yet he has already performed creditably location against 2 of past season’s apical five. While Mohamed Salah has had a slow commencement – his narration pinch Hugo Ekitiké is still successful its infancy, and his touch looks unusually deliberate – Szoboszlai has astatine slightest started to connection nan benignant of precise early passes that Alexander-Arnold gave nan Egyptian, thing Frimpong, much of a ball-carrier, did not.

Temporary aliases not, Slot has recovered a solution that has worked. He has a glorious knack of shifting games to his will. The opposition pinch Mikel Arteta is obvious. Arteta has done a singular occupation successful his 5 and a half years astatine Arsenal: he has turned a drifting nine into superior title challengers. They are nary longer nan soft touches of old, unbeaten successful 22 games against “big six” sides earlier Sunday (although whether Manchester United and Tottenham warrant inclusion successful that nickname remains debatable). But equally, Arteta has ne'er won astatine Anfield aliases nan Etihad.

Could he beryllium blamed for caginess fixed he was missing Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, pinch Martin Ødegaard restricted to a domiciled from nan chair and William Saliba going disconnected early? Perhaps not. But Arsenal person a extent of squad these days. Mikel Merino successful midfield and Noni Madueke connected nan correct are not bad options. Liverpool were vulnerable, yet Arsenal hardly tested them. Against Manchester United and Leeds, they had been likewise passive, waiting for a mistake, and past taking advantage. Liverpool did not succumb.

And while Arsenal could opportunity it took a freakishly superb free-kick to hit them, it would beryllium conscionable arsenic existent to opportunity that Arteta’s grounds is of near-misses, while Slot someway keeps producing wins from nowhere.

• This is an extract from Soccer pinch Jonathan Wilson, a play look from nan Guardian US astatine nan crippled successful Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a mobility for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll reply nan champion successful a early edition.