'We've not lost like that since Nou Camp'

Andy, hate to ask you to relive those first 20 minutes at Anfield last weekend, but have you been able to get your head around what happened?

It was all a bit of a blur, to be honest. At 2-0 you're thinking: 'Right, get one back before half-time and we're still in it'. But at 4-0, the game was already over, and it could have been even worse. Arsenal were slow out of the traps, but throughout the 90 minutes we simply couldn't cope with Liverpool's pace or power. As an Arsenal fan, you had to put your hands up and say that the scoreline didn't flatter Liverpool.

Where does that rank alongside the performances from opposition teams you have seen down the years?

It's got to be one of the best. Often when Arsenal have been beaten heavily in the past we've just been exposed on the counter-attack or been unable to defend set-pieces effectively. Although these aspects were present last weekend, we have to admit that we were simply torn to shreds. It was more one-sided than the 6-3 defeat to Manchester City this season, as we were unable to cause Liverpool any problems at all. It's the most convincingly I've seen Arsenal beaten by any team since losing 4-1 in 2010 at the Nou Camp. In both of these games, we didn't even warrant the goal that we scored.

In fairness, Andy, you called it spot on - attack Arsenal with pace and press high was what you told us beforehand. Any tips for Brendan Rodgers this time around?

I feel like I shouldn't say 'more of the same' after what happened last time, but it's got to be! In the league meeting at the Emirates, Arsenal had time on the ball and generally controlled the game. Whenever sides have denied Arsenal time and space in possession this season, we haven't been able to cope. Liverpool should treat it as much like a home game as possible and put Arsenal under pressure from the start. If they manage to do this, it will make an already edgy home crowd increasingly restless.

But there'll be no such repeat of that 5-1 defeat because...

We simply can't let it happen. Mathieu Flamini's return will provide the back four with some much-needed protection, but we need to be more solid and compact as a defensive unit and more potent in our offensive play. Our attacks in recent weeks have been far too slow and predictable, with no-one threatening to run in behind the back four. This has led to opposition sides pushing their defensive line further up the pitch, allowing Arsenal to pass the ball in front of them. This sort of patient build-up poses far less of a threat so far from the opponent's goal. We miss the pace of Theo Walcott at the moment and I think that the more explosive style of young German Serge Gnabry could be needed to give Liverpool's defence something different to think about.

Everyone is talking about the fact that Bayern Munich loom large for Arsenal in three days' time - just how much of an effect will that have on the match?

I think that after what happened last weekend, the players will be fully motivated to face Liverpool. This game, whatever the outcome, could well shape the rest of the season for Arsenal. A convincing win would build the confidence again ready for the run-in, but another defeat would make the upcoming challenges look all the more daunting. It is impossible to overstate the importance of this game for the Gunners.

With all this in mind, how do you expect Arsene Wenger to line up and what will his orders be?

Wenger has his own philosophy regarding the way his team should play and is unlikely to make any significant changes in terms of team shape or even personnel. It is absolutely vital that Arsenal move the ball quickly in possession and start the game with the same intensity that Liverpool did at Anfield. However, I find it hard to see anyone making penetrative runs for our increasingly frustrated creative midfielders to pick out.

Have you got a prediction?

Let's just say that I wouldn't bank on a home win...