The first two decades of the Premier League witnessed several deadly and iconic striking duos. The 1990s were home to Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton at Blackburn and Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke at Manchester United.
The 2000’s featured Emile Heskey and Michael Owen at Liverpool, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp at Arsenal and Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka at Chelsea.
The latest decade, however, has seen many teams drift away with this tried and test format, with a flexible front three becoming the more fashionable formula.
The current blueprint
One club currently reaping the rewards of this line-up, which allows them to press aggressively and limit their opponents' space on the ball is Liverpool.
Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Saido Mane’s quality and chemistry have played a huge role in making Jurgen Klopp’s men a force to be reckoned with once again when it comes to challenging for and winning trophies.
It would be easy to make comparisons with Liverpool’s method and what Unai Emery is attempting to do with Arsenal. The signing of Ligue 1’s 2018/19 second top scorer Nicolas Pepe from Lille for £72 million is a great piece of business.
Along with golden boot winning Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and penalty box predator Alexandre Lacazette, he undoubtedly gives Arsenal the possibility of their first world-class front line since the days of the Invincibles.
Unfortunately, it is not the current Liverpool line-up many pundits and fans are comparing the present Gunners line-up to.
When all-out attack is not the answer
Throughout the 2013/14 season, Brendan Rodgers Liverpool couldn’t stop scoring. Powered by talisman Luis Suarez with Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling alongside, the reds suffocated opponents from first to the last whistle, pressing high and forcing errors.
This style led to 31 goals for Suarez, 21 for Sturridge and nine for Sterling, with the team total ending on 101. Title winning statistics surely?
Unfortunately for the red half of the city, it was Liverpool's defence that left them short of glory that season.
Eventual Champions Manchester City conceded 37 goals, whereas Liverpool, who eventually finished second, let in 51, one more than West Ham United who ended the season 13th.
This episode mirrors the Arsenal’s from 2018/19. Despite 22 and 13 goals for Aubamenyang and Lacazette, a leaky and unpredictable defence saw Bernd Leno and Petr Cech pick the ball out for their net 51 times, three more than Martin Dubravka at Newcastle United who finished 13th.
Unfortunately for the Gunners that year, stunning performances and goals in games against Fulham and Leicester City were undermined by defensive collapses away to Wolverhampton Wanderers and at home to Crystal Palace.
Improving the back to go forward
So it has been clear for all to see that Arsenal, like Liverpool of previous years, have been top-heavy in the past. However this year, Emery and others at the helm have taken steps to change that, by building a team, rather than just individuals, who can play and flourish in the desired system.
Left-back Kieran Tierney from Celtic and centre back David Luiz from Chelsea have been brought in and both, along with their attacking quality, represent huge defensive upgrades from those who started regularly last campaign.
Tierney’s energy and aggression make him a perfect cog in the system it appears Emery appears to favour; aggressive pressure high up the field that allows his team to win the ball back in more dangerous areas.
Defensively, the 22-year-old Scotsman’s pace will allow the backline to play a high, a tactic which the Gunners have struggled with in recent seasons due to personal, therefore limiting the time and space in midfield for whoever Arsenal are facing.
On the opposite side, the return of Hector Bellerin from injury, which is predicted by the club to be in October, will also bring several similar traits to Arsenal’s right-hand side.
Brazilian Luiz also brings with him several traits that suit Unai Emery's wishes compared to Laurent Koscielny who controversially left for Bordeaux this summer and Shkodran Mustafi, who suffered last season from defensive errors.
For one, his ability on the ball will allow him to play a key role in playing the ball out from the back, another tactic Emery is keen to pursue, and something both Koscielny and Mustafi struggled with at times last season.
Like Tierney, Luiz’s speed and aggression will also be key when playing a high line, traits that will become more and more effective once he is fully in tune with his new teammates.
Midfield arrivals in the last two summer windows also point towards a team that can flourish in an attacking system rather than hinder. Lucas Torriera and Matteo Guendouzi who arrived in 2018 both possess the speed, stamina and athleticism needed to both support their attacking teammates and cover those behind them.
This is something that was desperately missing from Arsenal teams at the end of Arsene Wenger's time in charge. Then there’s Dani Ceballos who arrived this summer and set a high-performance bar with his home debut against Burnley last weekend.
Joe Willock too is showing signs that he could be the piece to fill the Aaron Ramsey sized whole vacated during the summer. Compare these players with the less athletic and older Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva and Joe Allen who played a large number of fixtures for Liverpool across 13/14 and you can see one team is certainly better prepared for the high octane system than the other.
Comparisons jumping the gun
On the surface, it may be obvious to some to compare Unai Emery’s 2019/20 squad with that of Brendan Rogers’ 2013/14 group. Two clinical, talismanic strikers, settled into the ways of the Premier League, bright young talent on the right-wing whose reputation comes with added pressure, and a defence that has previously struggled massively with consistency.
However, it is far too soon for any such comparison.
With the likes of Tierney and Bellerin soon to enter the frame, and the system suitable midfield being built by Emery, we are seeing signs that a once top-heavy team is transitioning into one whose midfield and defence is capable of playing a key role in future success under a still-developing regime, and can take a decent chunk out of the recent goals against tally.
So although it may be easy to compare these Gunners to those of Liverpool of old, it may soon be time to compare them to present Liverpool.