Premier League Tactical Preview: Xhaka v Mane and other key battles

Alex Keble
10 August 2016

Klopp's new signings should fit in well at the Emirates

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Alex Keble returns with his regular analysis of four key tactical battles ahead of the opening weekend action in the Premier League, including how Xhaka and Mane will fare on their debuts...

"Liverpool’s major problem last year was the speed of their counter-attacks. Adam Lallana, Emre Can, and James Milner could not transition the ball quickly enough to suit Klopp’s tactical philosophy, but the additions of Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum should dramatically speed things up."

Xhaka v Mane

Arsenal v Liverpool
Sunday 16:00,
Live on Sky Sports 1

The two big-name signings on display on Sunday afternoon are likely to decide this one. Granit Xhaka will be charged with controlling the zone of the pitch in which Liverpool are most dangerous, and his task will be made more difficult by Sadio Mane's powerful counter-attacking bursts through the middle.

Jurgen Klopp's fluid 4-2-3-1, in which the four narrow attackers swarm interchangeably in the final third, was most effective last campaign against teams that looked to play on the front foot. Man City's 4-1 and 3-0 defeats to Liverpool exemplified their system's effectiveness against an open, chaotic midfield; Arsenal's new-look midfield will not be given time to adjust to Premier League life.

Liverpool's major problem last year was the speed of their counter-attacks. Adam Lallana, Emre Can, and James Milner could not transition the ball quickly enough to suit Klopp's tactical philosophy, but the additions of Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum should dramatically speed things up. Mane in particular will be dangerous here; he loves to dribble through the centre, opening up space for runners ahead of him. Poor Xhaka faces a tough opening day.

Recommended Bet
Back Liverpool to win at 2/1

Lukaku v Walker/Rose

Everton v Spurs
Saturday, 15:00

Ronald Koeman represents a major tactical shift away from the short-passing aesthetic of Roberto Martinez. He will bring a quicker, more direct style to Goodison Park that centres around a powerful target man and looks to exploit opposition weaknesses wherever possible. As a result, on Saturday he will most likely instruct Romelu Lukaku to peel wide, awaiting long diagonal passes in behind Tottenham's marauding full-backs.

Last season, Southampton completed the most crosses (6.1 per match), won the most aerial duels (19.3 per match), scored the most headed goals (15), and completed the third most accurate long balls (31.6 per match) in the Premier League. Lukaku could thrive in a system that plays to his strengths, and certainly stands a good chance of scoring on Saturday.

Roberto Martinez occasionally used Lukaku as a winger, swapping him with Steven Naismith and using him as a wide target man. Given that Mauricio Pochettino instructs Danny Rose and Kyle Walker to advance deep into the opposition half this would be a good strategy for Koeman to employ on his Everton debut. It would also help Lukaku avoid a head-to-head tussle with Toby Alderweireld.

Newcastle used Moussa Sissoko on both flanks in their 5-1 win on the final day of the season, exploiting Spurs' high full-backs expertly.

Recommended Bet
Back Lukaku to score any time at 15/8

Guardiola v Moyes

Man City v Sunderland
Saturday, 17:30,
Live on BT Sport 1

Pep Guardiola's possession-centric tactical philosophy will see Manchester City average around 60% in the 2016/17 season, but converting this into goals will prove particularly challenging in the Premier League. David Moyes is a defensive coach who prioritises a two-banks-of-four shape over creativity, and thus will give Guardiola a tough debut at the Etihad.

Sunderland will line-up in a very narrow, deep-lying 4-5-1 formation that aims to nullify Man City's possession football - a pattern that will be repeated in numerous games at the Etihad whilst Guardiola is in charge. David Silva, Raheem Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne, and Leroy Sane will have to be constantly moving and constantly probing in order to find any gaps; it is a tricky start for a team still learning their new manager's methods.

Papy Djilobodji, an £8 million signing from Chelsea, faces a challenging Sunderland debut at the back - particularly if Lamine Kone has left for Everton by Saturday. Elsewhere, the outstanding Jan Kirchhoff will need to dominate the defensive midfield zone.

Recommended Bet
Back under 2.5 goals at 29/20

Bournemouth's flaky midfield v Lingard & Ibrahimovic

Bournemouth v Man Utd
Sunday, 13:30,
Live on Sky Sports 1

Last season, Eddie Howe's Bournemouth lost 25-5 against the top four teams for possession in the Premier League, with the opposition central attacking midfielder scoring nine times across those eight games. The main reason for this is a weakness in central midfielder, which - based on the Community Shield match - could be exploited by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jesse Lingard.

Bournemouth's pursuit of aesthetically pleasing short-passing football means that they do not field a traditional defensive midfielder and tend to play with a very wide formation when in possession. This helps explain their dreadful record against the likes of Man City and Spurs last season.

Against Leicester City, Ibrahimovic showed a preference for dropping deep whilst Lingard drifted over from the right in an attempt to dominate a similar area. They did not sync particularly well, but should flourish against a much wider and physically weaker central midfield. Lingard's runs behind as Ibrahimovic drops short should be a key feature of an easy opening game for Jose Mourinho.

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