'Cazorla will be earmarked'
Joe Allen insists Liverpool can travel to the Emirates Stadium targeting a victory tonight – and has picked out Spanish playmaker Santi Cazorla as the man the Reds will have to shut down to secure three points.
The Welsh midfielder was an impressive performer when the Gunners triumphed at Anfield earlier this season, although he could not prevent Cazorla from creating one goal and scoring another in a 2-0 win.
Allen believes Brendan Rodgers' men will have to learn from that mistake in the reverse fixture on Wednesday, although a considerable amount of focus should also be on their own game.
"He's been a great addition to them - a technician with great quality," Allen told Liverpoolfc.com when quizzed about Cazorla's impact on the Barclays Premier League.
"One of his biggest attributes is the fact he plays off both feet, so he's a danger for us and someone we'll have to prepare to face and make it as difficult as possible for him to perform.
"We'll be earmarking him, no doubt.
"You'd like to disrupt their passing game as much as you can. That's key to the way that they go about their business and want to control the game.
"At the same time, we focus on ourselves. You can sometimes go into these games a little too worried about the opposition, and that can take a little edge off your own team.
"They are a team that can do that to any team on their day. They've got quality; they have done for many years.
"But nothing changes from our point of view. We're ready to go out and give 100 per cent - if everyone performs to the best that they can, we can get the result."
Rodgers' side have failed to register a victory over any of the six teams currently above them in the standings, but the 22-year-old expects a result of significance to arrive in the near future.
He added: "It's something we want to change obviously but it's not something that plays on our minds too much.
"We feel as a group it's just around the corner and it's a great opportunity on Wednesday night to travel away from home, perform and pick up all three points."
Allen played the full 90 minutes of the FA Cup defeat against Oldham at the weekend, blasting home a deflected strike to briefly give the Reds hope of a comeback at Boundary Park.
It wasn't to be, however - but the Welshman is confident that his teammates can continue a trend of recovering at the first opportunity following a disappointing defeat.
"In previous games where we've had disappointments and results have been poor, we've tended to bounce back well," the No.24 concluded.
"Hopefully it will be more of the same for the game at the Emirates and another important game after that against Manchester City.
"It's always nice a couple of days later to be back out on the pitch again.
"Sometimes the longer you dwell on it, the worse it can be. We're all itching to get back out there.
"Although it's a tough fixture, and our record against the big teams this season hasn't been what we would have liked, we feel that result isn't far in coming."
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