Carroll, Dempsey fiasco has Liverpool at Arsenal’s mercy

Brendan Rodgers is not in the place he imagined he would be.

Having left the Kop with a taste for the dazzling, after Liverpool’s impressive 2-2 draw with Manchester City, he has no tactical space to manouvre now thanks to a last-day transfer fiasco for the Reds.

Andy Carroll was let go on the understanding that Clint Dempsey would be in.

That would have given Rodgers the Plan 'D' he is going to need against Arsenal on Sunday.

Instead, all he is left with is the tiki-taka style that he is trying to imbibe in his Liverpool revolution, which have so far, got him a loss and a draw.

The one team you do not want to go tiki-taka against is Arsenal.

Even Barcelona, the founding fathers of tiki-taka, barely escaped the Arsenal whiplash.

Simply put, Arsenal is a team that thrives on being allowed to play an open game.

Which is why nobody tries to out-pass them, closing down the game and strangling space. And teams that do this get points against Arsenal. See Stoke.

The danger in out-passing Arsenal is that, should they have their shooting boots on, they will skin you.

The other danger is that Liverpool is new to this game. And despite their very bright showing against City, should Arsenal be a goal to the good with 10 minutes to go, Liverpool would need a Plan B, C or D.

Nothing unsettles Arsenal more than a direct, aggressive, in-your-face style of play.

Carroll showed on Saturday for West Ham what that option can give a team.

Dempsey certainly would have been an option as well.

Now, unless Rodgers has something up his sleeve that we don’t know about, Liverpool better be ready to out-pass the pass masters.

Even Charlie Adam, who would have been a candidate to plug the midfield and break up Arsenal’s play, is not there.

The British Press on Sunday reported that Rodgers is livid with the situation.

The Kop will be just as livid if the Red Revolution is shot down by the Gunners.

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