Why returning Laurent Koscielny will be more important to Liverpool vs Arsenal than Alexis Sanchez or Philippe Coutinho

After a good 10 minutes of mostly talking about transfers on Thursday morning, Arsene Wenger finally got to discuss events actually on the pitch and Arsenal’s performances at Anfield, but it probably says a lot about how the former dictates the latter that he couldn’t help adding a caveat of his own.

“We’ve had good memories and sometimes bad memories as well,” Wenger said.

One of those bad memories was from last season, when Arsenal got humbled 3-1, and there was the humiliation of having to bring on Alexis Sanchez to try and earn a point having initially dropped him to try and make a point. That was when the issues with the Chilean’s future also really came out in the open, and they haven’t yet been cleared.

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Sanchez will likely be back on the bench at Anfield this weekend, albeit in different circumstances, but so many of the connected questions following on from the same situation. He wants to leave, but Wenger is highly likely to make him stay and see out his contract.

Jurgen Klopp is in a broadly similar situation with Philippe Coutinho, who has also been out with injury, and that adds an extra edge to this early-season meeting.

Coverage of the action on the pitch is likely to be layered with a lot of lingering camera shots of those players off the pitch, given what their futures mean for their clubs’ futures, but it is another player’s return that could mean most for this game: Laurent Koscielny.

Returning from suspension, he adds a badly needed assurance to Wenger’s erratic backline, that is all the more required against an attack as rampaging as Liverpool’s.

Or, at least, an attack as rampaging as Liverpool’s against better sides.

This has been the early curiosity of their campaign so far, even if it continues a trend. Klopp looked like he badly missed Coutinho in the opening league matches against Watford and Crystal Palace - and certainly missed his passing composure from midfield - only for Liverpool to look supercharged again in that Champions League qualifier against a side as accomplished as Hoffenheim.

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Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were particularly devastating overlapping and thereby overwhelming the Germans at pace on the wing in that 4-2 win, and it’s hard not to think Arsenal’s backline would find similar difficulty given how they’ve already struggled against the pace of Jamie Vardy and Jese so far. Liverpool are set to double up on that, in a much better side and attack.

There’s also the fact that Klopp’s side put seven goals past them in two games last season.

That is why Koscielny could arguably be more important to this game than either Sanchez or Coutinho, much as so much of the focus will be on them.

It is not just about his assurance and leadership, but about his speed. Fundamentally, he is one of Arsenal’s fastest defenders. Even if they can’t bank on matching that Liverpool attack for pace, there are going to be so many occasions when it is needed; when Koscielny will be required to interject or intercept.

The other twist to all of that is Wenger is surely likely to go with the more conservative counter-attacking approach he did against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final and then Chelsea in both the final and Community Shield - and that they didn’t in those chaotic opening matches against Leicester City and Stoke City.

Given how Liverpool have so struggled against backlines that deep, it could yet turn this game again - but only so long as that Arsenal backline retains a sturdiness. That will only make Koscielny more essential.

All eyes will be on Sanchez and Coutinho, but all importance will rest on another returning player.

It might yet mean a good result, whatever about a good memory.