Liverpool go into the visit of Arsenal with five straight wins in all competitions, but the bigger story is how they are getting there. Andoni Iraola has kept turning to rotation, and Liverpool have made three or more starting XI changes in nine consecutive games. That is a deliberate method, not a short-term fix.

Liverpool's rotation model

Iraola said the staff are working through the load with analysts and video, then changing the team from game to game. He added: "Now, it's more a matter of getting the decisions right, in terms of loading and freshening the legs. We are changing [the team] a lot from game to game and I think we will continue this approach." That lines up with Liverpool averaging 24.9 long balls per Premier League game this season, up from 21 last term, which gives the side a more direct route when they win the ball back.

The press has not gone soft either. Liverpool are averaging 165.9 high pressures in the opposition half per game, up from 160.1 last season, and 128.3 sprints per game, up from 123.2. Virgil van Dijk said the approach brings some chaos and risk-reward, and he is right, but it also explains why Liverpool can look so aggressive without controlling possession for long spells.

Anfield and the Arsenal test

Iraola also pointed to the crowd. "We have a big advantage over other teams because this atmosphere we can create is special," he said, and Anfield does feel like a factor again. Arsenal have not won a game there since 2012, which gives this fixture a sharper edge even before the table comes into it.

Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League, Arsenal are second, and a win would move the gap to three points. Defeat would stretch it to nine after nine games. Iraola has already resisted any rush to talk up the bigger picture, saying "there has to be another level", and the Arsenal match is the cleanest way to see whether this version of Liverpool can keep the same edge when the opposition is stronger.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →