Robin Oddis

🚨Alan shearer reacts to Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield and Arteta’s tactics approach: 🗣️ “I still can’t process what I’ve just watched. Arsenal go to Anfield — Anfield — and they don’t just win 1-0. They keep Liverpool to zero shots on target. Zero. Not one. At Anfield. Against this Liverpool team. Are we serious right now? Mikel Arteta has just put on an absolute tactical masterclass, and I’m saying this with my chest: he is the best defensive coach in world football right now. Nobody is organising a side like this. Nobody. The backline was ridiculous. Konza and Gabriel just… controlled the entire defensive third. Liverpool’s attackers were getting absolutely nothing. No space, no time, no half-yard. They were suffocating them. And it wasn’t just the centre-backs — the whole unit was so disciplined. Every time Liverpool tried to find a runner in behind, someone was already there. It was like they had a sixth defender at times. Then you look at the midfield. Arteta deliberately made it a mess in the middle. Crowded the central areas, cut off the passing lanes, stopped Liverpool from ever getting into a rhythm. Their midfielders couldn’t dictate anything. Every time they tried to play, there was a red shirt right on them. It was compact, organised, and completely deliberate. The pressing traps were smart as well. They knew exactly when to jump and when to drop. They weren’t just running around like headless chickens. They forced Liverpool into those uncomfortable, predictable passes and then recovered their shape instantly. Liverpool looked frustrated because they couldn’t find the pockets they usually find. And the game management? That’s where Arteta showed his maturity. He knew when to slow it down, when to sit deeper, when to step up. Arsenal never lost their shape. Never got stretched. They managed the moments perfectly. That’s elite coaching. Defending at Anfield takes concentration, courage and organisation. Arsenal showed all three for 90 minutes. That’s not easy. A lot of teams go there and freeze. Arsenal went there and controlled the environment. And to all the people who constantly moan that Arteta is too defensive or too cautious — what exactly did you want them to do at Anfield? Play an open, expansive game and let Liverpool tear them apart on the counter? Be serious. Some managers spend hundreds of millions trying to build this beautiful attacking identity and still can’t organise a defence half as well as Arteta has done with this group. Hundreds of millions. And they still concede more chances than Arsenal did tonight. Arsenal aren’t just a team that wants to compete for trophies anymore. They’re becoming a team that knows how to win the ugly, difficult, horrible games. The ones that actually matter. The ones at Anfield. Forget all the noise about beautiful football. You go to Anfield, keep Liverpool to ZERO shots on target and walk away with three points. That’s not luck. That’s elite coaching. Mikel Arteta deserves serious respect. Arsenal march on!”