More Liverpool Posts 3

Liverpool Article 25 Dec 2024
Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







After the wins over Real Madrid and Manchester City, which were very one-sided, it is hard to believe any performance could top those, but for 70 minutes of the 90 against Spurs, Liverpool went up to a whole new level. The big questions I have afterwards are how did they score only six (though it feels odd to use only in relation to six goals) and how did Spurs manage to score three? That was a hiding of epic proportions and it is hard to believe just how good Slot has this team playing. This performance was incredible. Yes, it was helped by the way the Londoners play under Postecoglou and their injury situations but it was still an exceptional and exciting performance.



It really felt like Liverpool could score every time they swept forward and Spurs just had no answer. If it was not for a couple of spells of complacency, that game would have been a much better reflection of the game than 6-3 actually was. It was certainly much more one-sided than that suggests. There is really not a lot to write here, it was a thrashing, but there was nothing out of the ordinary that Liverpool had to do to achieve it, other than play their game well. Press them, they give the ball away, attack them and they are wide open. That was it in a nutshell.



The end of the game showed how to control the play and see out time, but that only became possible because of the way Liverpool constantly broke the press throughout the game. There were periods when it was clear the Reds were baiting Tottenham in to press them, by slowly rolling the ball around, looking to create a gap when someone got tempted to chase it. It kept working as well, freeing up players all over the pitch, as Spurs' press was ragged and they were not all reacting in time to the trigger. By the end of the game, understandable when you consider the scoreline, it was a broken Spurs team, who had lost the enthusiasm to even chase any teasing balls around the defence.







Tottenham Hotspur





Spurs are turning into a massive disappointment under Postecoglou, the players are letting him down badly. Far too many are strolling around the pitch and not putting in the effort needed. The only player who seemed willing to put in the effort required, and consequently their only decent performer, was Kulusevski. It looks clear that they are already at the point where a choice needs to be made to rip it all up and start again, either by backing Postecoglou and offloading the main offenders, or by removing the Australian. Which almost certainly means that it will be the manager that makes way, as that is the easy option for Levy, before the fans turn on him.



However, while it is clear that the players are failing the manager, it is also clear that he is failing to make the most out of those players. There is no adaptability to circumstances and it is costing them badly. It does not take an expert to see that Forster is awful with his feet (actually for Premier League level, every part of his game is below the level required), and that is being kind about his kicking. It also should not take much to see that a high line only works if the defence, midfield and attack are working together as a cohesive unit. Just putting fast players at the back is not a solution, even with their first choice defence in place, they are just as bad at defending.



The front three is not pressing as a unit, the midfield is too slow to back them up and the defence is just stood up high waiting for the race back towards their goal when a ball gets played over them. There is nobody willing to organise them on the pitch, much as I love Son, he is not leading them. In fact, he is probably the biggest worry as he is not playing well in himself, let alone helping to get the others playing better. And, on top of the lack of organisation and cohesion, the whole team is incredibly slack with their passes, constantly passing themselves into trouble, before inevitably giving the ball away.



They are in a mess of similar proportions to Manchester United and they need the same drastic surgery to their team to fix it. The problem is that the repairs are going to require investment at a level that Levy is unlikely to sanction, even if the money is there to do it. The youth academy is not producing the talent to work with, so it is going to be a case of signing players to plug holes. I am just not sure that anything can be done to plug the holes Postecoglou's system leaves against better sides. At the top end, you simply have to be better at defending, I am not sure he can or even if he is inclined to try and fix the defence.







Liverpool





Alisson - he spent most of the game sat in a deckchair watching the game like the rest of us! There was a dip in levels after Liverpool went 2-0 up, which led to Spurs pulling one back, but I believe he could do nothing about the shot from Madisson. It was cleverly bent around the defenders, which meant Alisson was unsighted until too late. The second half was more of the same for him, watching the game until after Liverpool's fifth, when they got complacent again and let Spurs back into the game. Alisson was needed to stop it becoming 5-2 much earlier than it did. He could do nothing about the second, though you do have to wonder if there was a possibility he could have claimed the ball in the air. He also made a good save at 6-3 to stop Spurs making the game look far too close a contest. Overall though, he just had it nice and easy.





Alexander-Arnold - defended well, almost scored with a cracking shot and produced a masterclass in passing to top it off. His cross for the opening goal was a thing of beauty - when you talk about bending it like Beckham, well that is exactly what you are meaning. Son had a very poor game, in large part thanks to Alexander-Arnold.





Gomez - an excellent game from Gomez, the kind of performance he was routinely putting in during the Premier League title-winning season under Klopp. He was all over the pitch sweeping up at times. Though, it must be said, he could have done better on the first Spurs goal and been more vocal to get the midfield to drop in and cover on the second. The midfield were sleeping and he could not deal with everyone, so he needed to bawl at them to wake them up.





van Dijk - like Gomez, he could have done better on the first Spurs goal, he also allowed himself to be drawn out of position on the second, though he does have every right to expect the midfield to drop in and cover the gap left. But, he still should have disengaged a bit sooner and dropped back. Overall though, a good game for him, though he will not be happy at letting in three goals in one match.





Robertson - a mixed game for him, some poor crosses and awful defending on the third Spurs goal in particular, but he also did some excellent work too. He did struggle up against Kulusevski, but the Swede is an excellent player. Once Kulusevski moved inside after Spurs made some subs, Robertson was much better.





Gravenberch - apart from a spell after Liverpool scored their fifth, when he was asleep defensively, Gravenberch was once again exceptional. He does need to be more alert to a centre-back being caught up field pressing the ball though.





Mac Allister - after his pathetic piece of play acting, trying to win a free kick rather than getting on with the game and possibly stopping Spurs scoring their first, he was much better. It seemed to wake him up when he did not get the decision he was hoping for and, after that, he was getting stuck in, rather than throwing himself to the floor when involved in contact. And, of course, he scored the second after a really good, well-timed, late run into the box to steal a march on the defence.





Szoboszlai - outstanding! He was my man of the match, though there are a lot of options for that accolade. However, the Hungary captain seemed to be everywhere and at the heart of everything Liverpool did. His workrate, passing and timing of the run was absolutely brilliant in this game.





Salah - brilliant game from a player who is making a stronger case for being the greatest player ever in the Premier League. Each week that goes by, he seems to be setting new records and this week it was becoming the fastest player in Prem history to notch double figures in goals and assists, getting two more of each. I am not sure there is even an argument to be made for anyone else right now for being the best player in the world. Salah has been so good this season, that he is making it more and more laughable that he gets so little recognition from FIFA and UEFA.





Diaz - played in the centre as a false 9 and was excellent, though Tottenham's defending did help with that. However, his movement was very good and they could not cope with it at all. Could easily have scored more than the couple he got.





Gakpo - had a decent game, but not at the level he has been playing. There were a number of times his touch was poor, one of them led to him getting a booking.





Jones - replaced Mac Allister in the 68th minute. He never seemed able to get up to speed in the game and was caught chasing the play a lot. Should have done better on the second Spurs goal.





Jota - came on for Gakpo in the 68th minute. Went into the centre, so Diaz could go back onto the left. While he did have a few moments of loose play, like the moment when he should have done better with a header, he worked hard to make up for his mistakes. At one point, after he gave the ball away sloppily, he chased Kulusevski back 50 yards to try and recover it. At one point his desire was enough to win a ball against a number of Spurs' players, as he just wanted it more.





Nunez - took Diaz's place in the 86th minute. Played on the left and did a decent enough job in the few minutes he was on the pitch.





Elliott - was brought on in place of Salah in the 86th minute. Played a lovely ball to Szoboszlai right at the end, but played on the right which no longer seems to be his best position at all.

Liverpool Article 17 Dec 2024
Liverpool v Fulham A Liverpool Perspective







Wow, yet again another fantastic match! To think there were people complaining on our Liverpool site recently about the lack of entertainment watching them play. Since then, it has been just incredible to watch the games. They have all been exciting, for different reasons. Manchester City and Real Madrid were just blown away, while the others have just been rollercoaster rides. Well, I accept that the Girona match was not exciting, nestled in the middle of it all, but it was a game with little riding on it, as Liverpool had already qualified for the next stage. There was very little chance of that being anything other than a bit of a grind.



Firstly though, sadly I once again have to complain about the officiating, which was abysmal. Tony Harrington was all over the place and had a mare and was so inconsistent, he was almost consistent in his inconsistency. How on earth Diaz ended up being booked was beyond me. It was clear he was the one actually being fouled. The Perreira booking was extremely questionable and really looked a red card, or should have been. There was no attempt to play the ball, it was just studs on the back of the calf in an attempt to put Gravenberch out of the game. It was everything we are told they want to stamp out of the game.



Then there was the sending off of Robertson. I have to admit I thought initially it was a good decision, but on seeing it back, I can understand why it is controversial, especially as they did have their goalscoring chance. I am now unsure what the decision should have been. The one I am not unsure about is the penalty claim for Liverpool, which was a clear penalty in my opinion. A foul does not have to be deliberate to be a foul, so I have no idea how the referee and VAR came to the conclusion that Gomez being wiped out by accident was not a foul.



The game itself was, well I think I can call it a tactical masterclass by Arne Slot. The way he jiggled the team about, over and over again until it worked to put pressure on Fulham and really take the game to them. It meant taking big risks, but the potential rewards were well worth the risk. For most of the game, despite being down to ten, Liverpool were the better side, though the spaces left by being a man short did mean there was always the potential there for the Londoners to break. If it had been up to me, I would probably have put Endo on to give a bit more solidity, but what Slot did instead worked probably a lot better than what I had in mind. It worked so well that it felt almost disappointing to only get a draw with ten men. My only worry about it is how much it would have taken out of the legs of those players who played the full 90 minutes.







Fulham





It must be said, Marco Silva has improved massively as a head coach over the years. In the past, his teams were disorganised defensively and easy to break down. This Fulham team is much better organised and defensively much more solid, while still retaining the ability to score goals that his teams have always had. I like that he rarely thinks about settling for a point and almost always sends his team out to take the game to the opposition and attempt to win. Silva has Fulham at the point that they can give any team a game and you can never rule them out from getting a result, no matter who they are playing.



Having said that, the big issue he does seem to have is motivation. They do seem to sit back far too easily as soon as they have a lead. They did it twice against Liverpool and let them back in both times. As soon as they have a lead, they want to drop deep and look to hit on the counter. They do have pace in wide areas, so it is understandable, but it does often cost them. They may be more organised than Silva's previous sides, but they are still not solid enough to sit in and hold out. That makes them very reliant on their forwards to keep opponents pushed back.



They do have a lot of pace up top, which helps, but they are so good and comfortable on the ball that it feels like they would pick up much more points by holding slightly higher up and getting on the ball more. They can play keep ball to draw opponents out, then use the pace on the counter, without ending up sat inside their own penalty area when they get the ball and in danger of one sloppy pass throwing away their lead.







Liverpool





Alisson - he was unlucky with both goals, they were both deflected past him or neither is likely to have ended up in the back of the net. He also came up with a save to keep the score equal when needed.





Alexander-Arnold - it is hard to judge him defensively in this game, due to the way Liverpool played with ten men. Slot was brave and went aggressive, pushing him onto Robinson to stop the Fulham full-back getting forward. That did leave a lot of space behind him, but it was a risk that was worth taking. His flexibility was used, as he was inverted and then pushed out wide and then inverted once more, as Slot looked to figure out how to get at Fulham with just ten men. Some of his passing was brilliant, some of it loose, pretty much as normal.





Gomez - had a really good game, though he was constantly moved about from right-sided centre-back in a back four to left-back, then right-sided centre-back in a back three. Then back to left-back and then left-sided centre-back in a back three. Through it all, Gomez had a good game, though he was very unlucky with the deflection, at least he was there to attempt to block.





van Dijk - in the early parts of the game, he was caught up field, then got caught by a simple ball over the top. But, as the game went on, he grew into it and led the team well. Slot had to take chances and go man-for-man at the back, which meant there were lots of spaces to be covered, but van Dijk did what he could to organise the defensive set up.





Robertson - that was a disastrous game for Robertson. Even when he got wiped out by Diop, there was an offside so the team were unable to gain any real advantage from it. But then he followed that up by giving the ball away, leading to a passage of play where he was caught out ball-watching and not noticing Perreira behind him on the first Fulham goal. Worse, the ball deflected off him, otherwise it would have almost certainly been a simple save for Alisson. Not satisfied with that, he then failed to control a simple ball, letting it bounce off him to Wilson, who he then wiped out and got himself sent off. I know people are making excuses for the loose touch, due to him possibly carrying a knock, but that is no excuse for ball watching.





Gravenberch - was immense, whether playing in midfield or defence. And that even despite Perreira's attempt to put him out of the game with a stud rake down the back of his ankle. What a player he is growing into. Man of the match for me.





Szoboszlai - was the one who pushed Gravenberch closest for man of the match. In fact, he has a very good case to be the one who should get it. His graft and intelligent work for the team made a huge difference. His mobility and some very nice play, allied to a prodigious workrate, were like an extra man. He allowed Slot to play an aggressive game, going for the win, even though they were missing a man for most of the game.





Jones - played a higher role initially, though he had to play all over the pitch after the sending off. Before the sending off, he had not done well, he should have done better early on and then was weak just before the sending off. But after the sending off, he picked up his game and the only blot on his copybook after it was the silly booking he picked up. It was a consequence of him trying so hard and the way the team was sent out to be aggressive and on the front foot, but it was a moment that you could see coming as he chased the ball. He did play a big role in enabling Liverpool to wrestle the game back, after Fulham took complete control following the sending off.





Diaz - he should never have been booked but he never let that mistake by the referee stop him. He was here, there and everywhere helping to fill in gaps. He was also a threat when Liverpool got the ball, interchanging well with Gakpo while he was on the pitch, and generally causing havoc. A very good performance from the Colombian.





Salah - I know Robinson had been booked for a cynical foul on Diaz, and so had to be careful, but it was still impressive how Salah just ripped him apart so easily, even though Fulham constantly doubled up on him with Cuenca constantly coming over on the cover. He also got his 100th assist with a lovely ball for Gakpo to put in the net. By forcing them to double mark him the way he did, it opened up spaces that would not otherwise have been there. And he was still managing to cause them problems, even with two men on him.





Gakpo - apart from his short spell at left wing-back, as Slot tried to find a solution with the ten men on the pitch, Gakpo was excellent. He scored, showed skill on a nice run, worked very hard and caused them real problems with his movement.





Nunez - replaced Gakpo in the 70th minute. Set up Jota's goal, but he looks short on confidence still in front of goal. His energy and enthusiasm came in at just the right moment, I felt, as it brought fresh impetus to the performance.





Quansah - came on for Jones in 70th minute. Unfortunately Quansah once again had a terrible game, vying with Robertson as the worst player in the match. He was negative on the ball, mostly turning back and playing sideways, ruining the momentum that was building. His touch was poor. But the worst thing was his defending for the second goal. He had fresh legs, but he was weak and allowed Muniz to just muscle him out and score, when he should have seen out the danger. He is far too lackadaisical and needs to wake up before he misses the chance to make it at Liverpool. He has not learnt anything from all his errors, which is worrying. He plays like he is a reincarnation of van Dijk, but lacks the Dutchman's quality and physicality, so just ends up costing goals.





Elliott - took Szoboszlai's place in the 79th minute. Nearly scored but, other than that he struggled to make his mark on the game. His energy and willingness were much needed though, as there were clearly some tired legs on that pitch by the time he came on.





Jota - was brought on in place of Alexander-Arnold in the 79th minute. He may not be the best at link up play, to put it nicely, he may spend far too much time injured, but when you need a man to come off the bench and rescue a goal for your team, there are few, if any, better players around. At times like that, he turns into something special, able to shimmy and send players so far out of the way they need to get a ticket to get back into the stadium. And he is clinical as a substitute as well, with no need to get a feel for the ball or get up to speed, he is just on it. It was an excellent goal as well.

Liverpool Article 12 Dec 2024
Girona v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







While there has been a lot of criticism of the performance, even Slot admitted to being unhappy with it, I think that is what you get when there is a team that is far superior to their opposition but have nothing really to play for. Qualification was already assured, so the only thing that seemed to be on the mind of most of the players was avoiding injury and suspension. Except Diaz, as he simply cannot change the way he is and he is a fiery, all-or-nothing, kind of character, who is unable to play at half-pace. For all Slot's complaints about the performance, I feel he contributed to the poor performance with his selection of players. None of them had anything to prove, they are all regulars and know they are going to be involved each game during the season, if fit. This was the time to put one or two fringe players in, players who are fighting to get some game time, in order to raise the overall levels of fight and desire.



I know I will probably sound like a broken record now, but I thought this was a great time to give Endo a run out and rest Gravenberch. The Dutchman had looked fatigued against Newcastle and yet he played the full 90 minutes in a game with little riding on the result. It was a very odd decision, if you ask me. Hopefully, the next two games will see Slot feel comfortable enough to rest him and keep him fresh for the Premier League campaign. He is fast becoming key to the midfield's play and his level is vital to Liverpool's chances of lifting trophies this season.



It must be said that, even though the performance was not the best, Girona offered so little genuine threat that it must have been difficult for the players to rouse themselves from their state of torpor. The game was very much a stroll in the park, though Alisson was called into action a few times, it never felt like they were close to beating him. The defence did try their best to give them opportunities to test him.



I suppose I have to talk about the penalty, as it was the only really controversial moment in the match. If it can even be called controversial. It was a very soft penalty, but it was a penalty according to the rules. Technically correct, but not a satisfying way to win, nor a penalty that anyone would have complained about if it was not given. Though, by the same token, there is no definitive argument that it should not have been given.



The performance was poor, mainly because of two things - the passing was far too slow and laboured most of the time and the press was poor and lacked commitment. The press was not done as a unit, sometimes just one or two players were pressing, while every one else dropped off or worse, stood around watching. What also did not help the defending was the way the midfielders think. They are all offensively-minded and, when chasing back and the opponent stops, look to cut off a pass back in the hope of getting away on a break, rather than getting themselves goalside and seeing off the danger. That can pay off sometimes, but most of the time it just left the opponent able to keep running forward.



There was also the standard problem with a high line, it is very reliant on the press making it difficult for passes to be played with accuracy in behind. Except that there was no real press, no pressure on the ball, but the defence were not dropping off and no one was tracking runners in behind.



There was also a strange lack of quality to the long passing and set pieces, particularly the long passes, which were almost all significantly overhit. It does make me wonder if there were issues with depth perception, after playing in large stadiums week in, week out in the Premier League and then in front of smaller stands in Girona. Maybe it makes it feel like the distances are further than they really are, as the stands are so much smaller. I know there are a lot of players who have talked about that when their club has moved to a new stadium and it took them time to adjust. Or maybe I am just giving too much credence to players simply making excuses for playing poorly in a new, unfamiliar stadium?







Girona





Sadly, this is not the Girona of last season, that did so well to earn a spot in the Champions League. Last season they had a cutting edge, with Savinho causing havoc down the wings for them and they had an end product. This time around, they have Danjuma, who couldn't finish a fish supper. They are still playing the same way, still playing good football, but they just have no real quality left in the team to put the ball in the back of the net.



This is the problem with being nothing more than a feeder club for a bigger one in the chain, when you have good players they get moved up the chain. All you end up with is the ones that are not good enough. It is impossible to build anything for the long term, and it is just a waste of a quality manager, in Michel, he could be building a club to challenge for, and probably, win trophies.



They do love to throw themselves to the floor at any opportunity, particularly Miguel, who is an outright diver, but even that cannot make up for their lack of real quality. It is a shame really, they worked so hard to earn a spot in the Champions League only to be unable to do themselves justice. It is such a waste of a spot in the competition when their fans deserve better.







Liverpool





Alisson - it says a lot about the way the team played that he was Liverpool's man of the match by a margin. In fact, he was probably the only one to play well. It was so good to have him back, passes usually hit their target and shots were never going to go through him.





Alexander-Arnold - had a poor game, very loose with his passing and not putting in enough effort defensively.





Gomez - started off well, but soon succumbed to the malaise that was affecting the rest of the team. He did show flashes of his quality but also picked up a silly, needless booking.





van Dijk - not at his best, caught in behind by runners far too easily.





Robertson - he still does not look right this season and it is really looking like his time is coming to an end with Liverpool, sadly. His defending is becoming worrying, where he would engage high up in the past, thus any poor challenge led to just a free kick. These days, he backs away, backs away some more and then waits until in the box before challenging. It is dangerous and is probably due to his pace no longer being there to allow him to recover if his challenge fails.





Gravenberch - played a bit too high at times, without anyone covering him behind. I really feel this was a game to rest him or, failing that, partner him with Endo.





Szoboszlai - another who had an off night.





Jones - was back to the Jones who does nice things and then holds onto the ball too long and wastes the chance to use the space he has created for himself.





Diaz - he was the one player who never seemed to be off the pace, he just is not that type of person. Also, he was getting very frustrated by the decisions given against him, most of which were poor decisions. Particularly the one that saw him get booked, when it was clear Diaz was the one being fouled. After winning the penalty, which he was probably as surprised about getting as anyone, he then threw himself to the floor looking for decisions.





Salah - scored the penalty and always looked a threat.





Nunez - really should have scored, struggled with his link up play and was off his game. He looks very low on confidence.





Gakpo - replaced Nunez in the 70th minute. Like so many, he was not at his best, though at least he seemed to be trying.





Elliott - came on for Jones in 76th minute. Ran around a lot, but achieved very little.





Endo - took Diaz's place in the 88th minute. I really feel he should be on much sooner.

02 Dec 2024 18:35:01
I have to say I’m disappointed with some people on here.

We’ve just beaten Real Madrid and Man City without breaking a sweat so they can’t have a moan about the team.

So what do they do?

That moan about the contracts instead. The site is wall to wall moaners it’s embarrassing.

I’d say just enjoy the team at the top of both the Champions League and the Premier League but I know you won’t so I won’t waste my breath.

Liverpool Article 27 Nov 2024
Southampton v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







This was another in a string of similar performances under Slot, where the team gradually takes control of the game, but always looks to just do enough to win. This one was marred by a few moments of poor play, which looked arrogant, like the team felt the game was already won at 1-0 and led to Southampton getting back into it. Actually, I think complacent is a better word than arrogant. Saints' ability to get back into the game was aided by the size and strength of Onuachu, who was as awkward to deal with as Peter Crouch, being 6ft 7" tall, but with strength and a decent turn of foot as well. He troubled both centre-backs badly and a defensive-minded midfielder was a miss there, as no one sought to front screen him and make it more difficult for him to get control of the balls played up to him. There is no way anyone is going to get above him and beat him in the air, so the only way to deal with it is to front screen him and just make it as difficult as possible for him to do anything worthwhile with it.



What was worrying is how quickly the team descended into nonchalance in the first half, after taking a lead. Maybe it was just too easy, but it did feel like van Dijk fell back into the old bad habits he had developed when at Southampton as a player. It cost the team a goal and nearly the three points, but this team is good enough to pick itself up and get itself going after a bad spell. The will to win is incredible, reminiscent of Klopp's 'mentality monsters', that just never knew when they were beaten.



The style is closer to the Liverpool of the 1980s though. That measured possession-based play that ground down teams, rather than blasted them away as we had become accustomed to under Klopp. It worked then and so far it is working now. Back then it was the next step in the team's evolution from occasional winners to constant trophy winners. Perhaps it is once again happening? The signs are certainly good so far, but it is far too early to tell.



There are issues, particularly with midfield squad depth for the deeper position. There is no real alternative to Gravenberch and there is a lack of alternative options to change things if needed. Only Endo offers any real steel, if the opposition turn the match into a battle once more. With the Japanese midfielder ageing, and not being high on Slot's list of starters, that will need to be looked at. Though I do feel Slot could make a bit more use of Endo, to allow Gravenberch a rest sometimes.







Southampton





Southampton only have one man to blame for the predicament they find themselves in - Russell Martin. His insistence on playing out from the back is not the main issue, they actually do have the players within their squad to play that way. The issue is for me twofold. Firstly, he is not picking the right players in the right positions, Stephens, for example, is not a left-sided centre-back, nor is he a ball-playing centre-back. The bigger issue is the coaching, which has not improved the way the players attempt to play the system.



Referring back to Stephens again, he is still not setting himself in preparation to receive a ball under any kind of pressure. Instead of opening his body up ready, to increase his options to play the ball, he is being left in a panic and playing the ball blindly into danger. The keeper is a different matter, he is a back up and a terrible one at that, you have to expect a drop off in performance level, but the players in front of him were not helping him out. He was given no real passing options. At least he realised that, eventually, and just began to clear it.



You do wonder how different things could have been, if he had begun the game looking to go long to the big man up top, it would have forced the Liverpool press to drop off. That would then have opened up the short passes for the rest of the game. It is such a simple thing to do, you wonder why the coaches at the club are not telling these players to react to the situation the moment it is clear an aggressive high press is being used against them. You also have to wonder how players can come up through an academy system without knowing these kind of things as part of their basic knowledge of the game.



There does seem to be a problem with academy footballers, this lack of basic understanding of the game and ability to think for themselves, rather than just blindly following their coach's instructions. If the Saints actually figure out when to play out from the back, they might have a chance of survival. Otherwise, they are just going to continue to throw away points they desperately need.







Liverpool





Kelleher - decent enough game, was not really at blame for the goals, but he is up against the extraordinary in Alisson, who you always feel might have pulled out a wonder save for one of them.





Bradley - not his best game. He was so bad defensively on their second goal, it was embarrassing. It was schoolboy stuff from him, just running towards the ball, rather than positioning himself and being aware of what was around him. That was a very stark reminder of just how much he has to learn.





Konate - had a terrible first half, a silly, needless booking was just part of his return to something like the struggles he would sometimes have under Klopp. The booking did seem to help focus him and he improved for the rest of the half. He was much better in the second half and not so flustered, though he was helped by Onuachu going off. After that, Saints lacked a focal point and it was much easier for the centre-backs to play.





van Dijk - another who looked complacent in the first half and his giveaway for the first goal was a huge blunder. It was very like the kind of error he used to make in his Southampton days. He was much improved in the second half, but he needs to do better from the start, as Forest showed that we will not always be able to dig ourselves out of a hole.





Robertson - a very poor game from the Scotland captain. He looked sluggish and made a poor error in judgement to go for the challenge that resulted in Saints' penalty. Regardless of whether it was inside or outside the box, forget whether it should have been given, the point is that he should not have made the challenge. The question has to be asked of his future at the club, whether he is just tired from the internationals or on a decline, a team challenging for trophies cannot afford passengers. Right now, he is one. Though I would be loath to lose his personality from the club, I am not sure that he can continue on at the top level while playing international football any more and I would not expect him to want to give up the captaincy of his country to continue to play for us.





Gravenberch - at times, it was clear that he is not defensively minded, first and foremost. The defence needed his help with dealing with the forward, who was able to take the ball in far too easily from aerial balls, with no cover in front. Overall, he was still very good, but just needed that little bit of defensive forethought.





Szoboszlai - finally got a goal and looked so much better for it. His defensive work was particularly strong in this match, he covered so much ground and was a big part of the win.





Jones - had a poor game, too many touches in a game that was crying out for faster ball movement. He was also very off on his defensive game. Like Gravenberch, he should have been helping out more defensively, helping to front screen the high ball, just to make it more difficult for the forward to take the ball in.





Nunez - he embarrassed himself with his ridiculous fall to the ground and attempt to claim he had been fouled in the box. Nothing was quite working out for him, though he was not exactly missing lots of chances, it just was not being delivered into areas he could get on the end of it. He does play an important role in the press and works back brilliantly, but he needs to score more goals.





Salah - excellent game. He really looks revitalised this season after a summer off. The only real question is if he can keep it going all season? If so, he could come close, or even better, the numbers from his first season.





Gakpo - did not have the best of games, but must have felt unlucky to be the one taken off for Diaz.





Mac Allister - replaced Jones in the 62nd minute. He was given much more license to get forward and looked so much better as a result. He is so much more suited to playing high up, threading balls around the edge of the opposition box.





Diaz - came on for Gakpo in 62nd minute. His arrival, along with Mac Allister's, seemed to lift the performance to another level. His movement, and workrate, caused Soton so many problems.





Endo - took Nunez's place in the 89th minute. Somehow, despite only being on the pitch from the 89th minute, he managed to show that he is so much more than just a capable shield in front of the defence. He harried, hustled, covered and tackled, like you want from a defensive midfielder, but he also showed more, protecting the ball and keeping possession despite being under enormous pressure.

Liverpool Article 05 Nov 2024
Liverpool v Brighton & Hove Albion A Liverpool Perspective







A dreadful first half performance, followed by a much improved second half performance which was enough for a comfortable win in the end. I just hope that Slot's perseverance with Mac Allister will either pay off or be ended before it costs him. Right now, the midfield combination is really not working, with Gravenberch having to cover far too much ground most of the time and is given little help defensively. The times it makes sense are when one or either full-back is inverting to help out at the base of midfield, then it gives Mac Allister that bit more freedom to get forward and play where he is useful. The problem is that Mac Allister is not adapting his game to circumstance and holding back when there is no cover in midfield to allow him to attack. Right now, it feels like the best thing to do would be to drop him altogether, while Jones is fit and playing well, though it is unlikely he can manage to play every game.



One thing that particularly stood out about about the game were the similarities with the games against Nottingham Forest. Brighton had clearly taken cues from that game and set out to try and bully Liverpool in midfield, just like Forest did. Like the Forest game, Mac Allister did fail the challenge in the first half, but he did come out much stronger in the second half, as did the whole team. Brighton were simply just not as good as Forest and unable to capitalise on the lead they had gained. Where Forest were always a genuine threat on the break, with widemen able to offer an end product, whereas Brighton lacked the same threat from their wingers. In fact, they were very well dealt with by the defence, in the main. I did like that Slot learnt from the defeat by Forest and set out to win the midfield battle in the second half, bringing on Endo once a lead was taken, to help hold onto it.



I know there is a bit of discontent on the Liverpool site with the way Slot chooses to revert to his more controlled way of playing as soon as the team takes the lead, I have even seen someone say it "is not the Liverpool way". Clearly they have no idea what Liverpool's success of the 1970s and 1980s was built upon! Back then, Liverpool played an even more controlled and slower way of playing. The 'Liverpool way', and in fact the sole reason Liverpool were created, was to win things. Clearly the Anfield crowd appreciate that as well, as they were excellent and created a very good atmosphere for this game, driving the players on. It was great to hear and made the game even more exciting to watch.



I have to also say well done to the referee, who tried to let the game flow as much as possible and allowed a lot more physicality than is usual in the modern era - I really enjoyed that he allowed players to actually tackle and not give a foul because someone brushed past someone else and messed up their new hairdo in the process. Football is so much better when it is a contact sport! Even when we were terrible in the first half, I still found myself really enjoying the match. I really hope he is commended for his performance and asked to continue in this vein. Even more so, I hope the other refs take notice of this and try and follow suit.







Brighton & Hove Albion





I have to admit, I found the hyperbole over their performance in the first half way over the top. The commentators on the stream I watched were talking about how brilliant they were, which I thought was complete nonsense. They created very little, almost everything good came as a result of loose passes in dangerous areas from Liverpool players, giving it away under little or no pressure. If those poor passes had been because of good pressing, then I could understand the hype, but as they were contributing little to force bad passes, it feels odd to give them so much credit. Especially as they were very easily opened up at the back when Liverpool did manage to string any passes together. The one time BHA did manage to put together a good move, they scored from it, which I think fooled the commentators into thinking they were "brilliant". If they had been as good as was being made out, they would have created much more and could have easily run up a cricket score against a Liverpool team that were, at times, helping them. They were still clearly the better team in the first half, just that it was as much down to Liverpool being poor as it was to anything they were doing well.



Personally, I was a little disappointed with the Seagulls, they had a team at their mercy and yet were unable to really put pressure on them. Tactically they were decent on the ball, constantly overloading wide areas, looking to exploit the gaps left by Mac Allister usually being too busy rolling around pretending to be hurt to even try to get back and help Gravenberch out. They struggled to make the most of the overloads as both Liverpool full-backs had a solid defensive game, a lot of their attacks either broke down or ended with a shot from the edge of the box. They just needed to make that one more pass or hold possession, but they were handing over possession too easily.



That left Welbeck mostly reduced to chances from free-kicks, when he was often in place to receive a ball in the box, where his good touch is likely to have enabled him to take good control of the ball and create a chance or make Liverpool risk giving away a penalty. Once Liverpool improved in the second half, they had little real answer other than hopeful balls to their wingers, in the hope that their pace would make something happen. Once Liverpool took the lead and settled back again, they had a chance to fire back, but all the changes left their side unsettled and disjointed. Instead of looking to build up and overload one wing, it was lacking in any real tactical plan that could be made out, as the players did not seem to know for sure what they were doing due to all the changes. Brighton are just missing that bit of quality to allow them to step up and compete at the next level. They are good on the ball, but the decision making in dangerous areas is poor and their wingers have pace but lack end product.







Liverpool





Kelleher - really needs to work on the accuracy of his longer passes, as he is often closed down and needs to play it further forward when the opposition are pressing well, but you can almost guarantee the ball will go nowhere near a team-mate if kicked more than about 20 yards. That is a major weakness for a team that wants to be able to pass it around at the back under pressure.





Alexander-Arnold - defensively solid, dealt very well with a tricky customer in Mitoma, allowing him very little chance to really attack the box. Unfortunately, his work on the ball was nowhere near the same level. His passing was mostly terrible and his deadball delivery was not at its usual level.





Konate - once again he was playing well defensively before picking up an injury on the stroke of half-time. Losing him would be a big blow, as he has been having an excellent season and showing signs of maturing into a great defender. Just a bit of bad luck, not a pull or strain, as he had so often been prone to in the past, hopefully that is a good sign for the future and that he is over his regular niggly injuries.





van Dijk - he has very much become the leader of this group since taking over the captaincy. Even when not playing at his best, his presence is very important to the team.





Tsimikas - mostly very good, looks like he has now moved ahead of Robertson in the pecking order. However, he did make a major mistake on the Brighton goal, positioning himself to cover an overlapping run, when there was no one outside of the player on the ball, and so failing to close down and put the player on the ball under pressure. That was a lack of awareness as he just ran across, rather than towards the guy about to shoot. It might have made no difference, but putting the player under pressure makes it a more difficult shot to take.





Gravenberch - once again he was left fighting fires, trying to be everywhere at once as he got little help from his partner in midfield in the first half. He is playing well, but he needs a more solid partner alongside him than Mac Allister. Someone to help him in the defensive end.





Mac Allister - in the first half, he was utterly abysmal for almost the full 45 minutes. In between the play acting, complaining, dallying on the ball and allowing it to be taken off him and poor passes, he did show flashes of ability. Unfortunately, it was mostly followed by him taking 6 touches too many and losing the ball, then falling over in the hope of winning a free kick, rolling around on the floor leaving the team a man down until he eventually realised he was not getting a foul and then he would spend the next few minutes complaining. He did improve slightly in the second half, but his performances are becoming a real concern now and he is not offering enough in terms of controlling the play and getting forward to make up for being such a weak link defensively. He was lucky to come out for the second half. I think it is time to accept that it is not going to work playing him in the deeper position and giving him Endo's minutes, at most, and not in the deep-lying position. In fact, I think I would prefer to see Morton given a chance over Mac Allister playing like this. It is not a lack of effort, at least in my opinion it is not, it is just that he is channelling it in the wrong way.





Szoboszlai - while he is still not at his best on the ball, his work off the ball and defensive responsibility is key to Liverpool's good form. If he can refind his form, added to his exceptional workrate, then Liverpool will go up a level.





Nunez - he links the play up so well, gets back and helps defend, particularly after the changes had meant Liverpool were essentially playing with four forwards for a short period. He does need some better service though.





Salah - not at his best, but still pops up with a cracking goal when needed. Probably should have scored earlier after breaking through to face the keeper one-on-one though, but who can complain when he wins the match for you?





Gakpo - a good game for Gakpo, he is a constant menace with pace and power on the ball. He lacks Diaz's skill and trickery, but he is much more direct and that can often be enough.





Gomez - replaced the injured Konate at half-time. He was excellent, very solid defensively and could have added a couple of goals. It is little wonder the Kop were chanting his name at the end. To have played so little football this season and then just step up like that is extremely impressive. While I did say losing Konate would be a big blow, if he continues to play like this, it would be less of a blow and more of a tickle with a feather.





Jones - came on for Mac Allister in 66th minute. Immediately the midfield looked much better for his arrival, despite Szoboszlai going off and being replaced with a forward. Jones, despite having a similar tendency to Mac Allister of wanting too many touches, is much more defensively responsible and better at protecting the ball when under pressure.





Diaz - took Szoboszlai's place in the 66th minute. Is facing a major battle to keep himself in the team and is showing a real desire and willingness to earn that place. I have been very impressed with him this season and he caused Brighton problems every time he got the ball.





Endo - was brought on in place of Nunez in the 77th minute. In a match like this, with the referee allowing both teams to be physical and make proper challenges for the ball, he was an ideal player to bring on and shore up the midfield once the lead was taken. It was so good to see him getting a few more minutes than usual as well.





Bradley - substituted in for Salah in the 91st minute. Had very little time to do much.

09 Nov 2024 10:54:11
Wonderful article, many thanks.

{Ed001's Note - thanks Neggy.}

Liverpool Article 30 Oct 2024
Arsenal v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







Not exactly the most exciting of games, with tactical play ruining any moments when the game started to veer close to a good game breaking out. Slot got his initial team selection wrong, probably waited a little too long to change it, but the changes he made did make a difference and meant Liverpool took the midfield over and controlled the play. The first half was very much in favour of Arsenal, they were the better team, but Liverpool defended well and did not give up many clearcut chances, despite the scoreline. Arsenal overloaded the midfield, Havertz dropping in there to add an extra body, and were able to win the midfield battle as Liverpool's midfield was so lacking in mobility without Szoboszlai. Gravenberch has been mighty this season, but he can only do so much on his own. Make no mistake about it, he was pretty much on his own as Mac Allister was little more than a traffic cone on the pitch for large parts of the match and Jones is not quick enough to get back and help.



It meant the defence was worked hard and showed how far off the pace Robertson is right now, as he was given a bit of a doing by Saka. Luckily for him, and the rest of the team, the centre-backs were on top of their game and restricted Arsenal's chances. The result was probably a fair one overall, as Arsenal were better in the first half, Liverpool in the second, though both managers made tactical mistakes. Slot got the first 66 minutes wrong, but his subs fixed the mistake and really took control of the game. Arteta got it wrong by setting out his team more defensively at the start of the second half, allowing Liverpool to be the better side by sitting a little deeper and not continuing to overrun the midfield.



What was nice was to see Liverpool use a high press without the ball, though the old basic error of not dropping off when the press was broken returned from last season, leading to Robertson being dumped on his backside by Saka at one point after he was caught out trying to hold a line when the man on the ball was under no pressure. If he had just dropped off, there is a good chance he just sees out that danger, rather than being caught sprinting back to catch the Arsenal winger. Overall, a fair result I would say, but both managers will go away thinking they should have won it and that they only got it half-right tactically.





Arsenal





The whining over injuries overshadowed the fact that they went into this game missing just two players who would have started the game and only one of them was actually injured. Hardly a crisis and, after spending over £700m since taking charge, you have to wonder how come Arteta has still not built a squad at Arsenal that is capable of coping with two first choice players out. Putting that aside, Arsenal did well in the first half, winning it without really creating much in the way of good chances, but were far too ready to sit back and try and hang on to a 2-1 lead in the second half against a Liverpool side that they had been overrunning in midfield. It seems like Arteta has made a conscious decision this season to be more pragmatic. Understandable as he just needs to win something now, but it does not seem to be working as well as he probably hoped.



Added to their diving, whining, time wasting etc, it is starting to make them thoroughly dislikeable as a team, a bit like Brentford, but with much better players. But, if you are an Arsenal fan, you will not care about that one bit if it finally brings them the Premier League title back. It does feel like a waste of the potential there, this team is not at the level of the great Wenger teams, admittedly, there is no Henry (but then where is a player of that quality these days anywhere in the world?), Vieira or the sublime skills and touch of Bergkamp in this team to play the game the way he did. But it still feels like there is more to this team than sitting back and holding onto a one-goal lead. Still, if Arteta does a George Graham and grinds out 1-0 wins all season and they get to lift the Premier League trophy at Ashburton Grove, the fans will be as happy and enjoy their celebrations as much as if they had won every game 5-4. In fact, they would probably enjoy it all the more because pretty much everyone else will hate it!





Liverpool





Kelleher - he had a decent game, the problem is that he is being compared against the best and it is fair to say that Alisson would probably have saved one of the goals. Kelleher is a very good goalkeeper, but he is nowhere near Alisson's level and it shows in games like this, when small margins make the difference. Also, it is clear that, despite the commentators talk about how he played midfield back in Cork, he is simply not as good with the ball at his feet as Alisson is. Kelleher's passing is not as accurate and that point of attack is a big part of the system Slot has set up, with the passing around at the back mainly to set a trap for the opposition, to create a space for him to play the ball into. Unfortunately, Kelleher is not able to maximise the potential there to launch attacks, so it often just ends up with pressure on the backline or the ball given away.





Alexander-Arnold - had a poor game, he was struggling badly with his passing (perhaps a consequence of carrying an injury), with his usual accurate passes just ending up sliced and given away. Despite that, his ball out to Nunez to set him away for the second Liverpool goal, was delicious.





Konate - a very good game, he defended solidly, covering up the gaps as the midfield was overrun. He and van Dijk ensured Arsenal had very few real chances and just one corner in the entire match. In fact, I think he has to be man of the match for Liverpool.





van Dijk - also very good, his long range passes usually finding their mark. Defensively he was solid too.





Robertson - sad to say, but he looks like a fading force right now. It very much looks like his legs are going and he is a weak link for any winger to target now. Replacing him is going to be incredibly difficult, mainly because of his outstanding personality and personal drive to give everything to the cause. He is one of those personalities that is great to have around the place for the youngsters breaking through as well.





Gravenberch - his worst game of the season, though he still had a decent game. It was just that he was being overrun as there were no legs in there other than him. He spent most of the game covering the gaps Mac Allister was leaving, which then left a gap where he should have been that normally Szobszlai would have dropped back to cover, but Jones has nowhere near the mobility needed to get back in time.





Mac Allister - terrible performance, a couple of bright moments aside when he got the ball at his feet and picked some nice threaded passes. It is little wonder he was replaced, though I would have replaced him at half-time personally or even sooner. Yes, he has the ability to pick nice passes, yes, he can always be counted on to work hard, but he drifts forward too far constantly and leaves a huge gap behind him which he lacks the pace to get back into. It should be either him or Jones in the team, not both.





Jones - struggled to get involved until the triple substitution on 62 minutes. Then he was much better. He has much more of an all-round game than Mac Allister, as a defensive midfielder anyway. It seemed odd that Slot decided to play him in front of Mac Allister, rather than the other way around. I would have to call that a mistake and it held Liverpool back badly.





Nunez - linked up well with Salah when the opportunity came, but was very much starved of service for most of the game. He did press well and kept Arsenal from being able to make use of their dominance in midfield, with Havertz dropping in to give them the edge in numbers, as well as mobility. Nunez was always willing to drop back in and cover gaps. His workrate is a very important factor in tight matches like that.





Salah - once more adding to his tally and giving their defence a really difficult game. When he is sharp like that, even though he has not got the blistering pace he used to have, he is still incredibly difficult to handle for any defence.





Diaz - unfortunately for him, Partey was very adept at diving to win free kicks every time he was near him, so he never really got a chance to do anything. It was incredible how strong he must be to throw Partey about the way the referee seemed to believe he was doing. It was little wonder he got fed up.





Szoboszlai - replaced Mac Allister in the 62nd minute. Immediately improved the midfield and got involved in pretty much everything. For all he has not been at his best this season, his workrate and particularly his tracking back, have been essential to the team's performances. If only he would shoot when the chance arises!





Gakpo - came on for Diaz in 62nd minute. He had obviously been watching what happened with Diaz, as he made sure not to physically engage with Partey and instead used him movement to get space.





Tsimikas - took Robertson's place in the 62nd minute. Looked much more solid than Robertson and offered more getting forward as well. It might well be time to swap over which of them is the first choice.





Endo - was brought on in place of Jones in the 90th+1 minute. It was far too late for him to have any real effect. It is a shame to see him so massively underutilised, similarly to how Klopp wasted Minamino a few years ago. I could understand him being out of the picture if Mac Allister was not playing so badly in the deeper role. At least Endo offers competitiveness.

Liverpool Article 25 Oct 2024
RB Leipzig v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective







Another tweak in tactics from Slot, as he kept up his incredibly impressive record, which has seen him have the best start of any new manager in the club's history, with 11 wins from 12 matches so far. This time out, the drop off and sit back defence that was adopted against Chelsea was discarded, in favour of a press, led by Nunez. With the forwards and midfield pressing, the backline had to stay pushed up, meaning there was space in behind but it was not exploited, instead RBL were caught offside repeatedly. The system was also altered slightly by allowing the left-back to operate like a full-back, raiding forward rather than sitting in the backline as a third centre-back. And it worked well, in what would have been a dominant win but for a string of poor passes from Liverpool players, particularly early in the game. Almost everything good created by the east Germans was as a result of Liverpool giving the ball away and putting themselves under pressure.



It was concerning how many passes went astray, especially the longer ranged passes - mainly that is Alexander-Arnold attempting them, so it was also almost all him that was misplacing them. The strange thing is that these are passes that he would normally make very easily. There were so many going astray that I was beginning to wander if the players were suffering from some kind of depth perception issue, maybe due to a lack of training and playing at that stadium or changes since the last time they were there? I remember interviews with players about how it affected the team's results when they changed to a new stadium, West Ham United and Arsenal players mainly, and what was the main issues they found. While fans talk about the atmosphere, they were mainly talking about the difficulty in finding the range of passes due to the landmarks they used, subconsciously and consciously, no longer being there. It is why away teams like to train the night before the game on the pitch they are to play on, to get their eye in so to speak.



To be fair to RBL, a lot of the loose passes were down to their pressing early on, but it was still happening when Liverpool players were not being pressed. A lot of the shorter loose passes were laid off into space, expecting a Liverpool player to be running into it, but only finding a Leipzig player there, which suggests an issue with the players' understanding of each other. Despite the poor passes, I would still consider this a performance of the kind that Pep Lijnders was wanting from Liverpool when he was with the club. No, I am not referring to intensity, but to his main buzz word when he was being interviewed - control. He was looking for the team to control games. It never happened under Klopp, but the control is now there and the results are bearing out that he had the right intention, it was just application that failed over the last couple of seasons.





One quick note about the officials, who were terrible enough that they could well have been English Premier League officials! Not sure how both the ref and VAR missed the penalty on Nunez, you do not get much more clear and obvious.





RB Leipzig





RBL are a well-drilled, well-organised pressing unit under Marco Rose, but they lack real quality, which is being badly exposed in the Champions League. Simons is simply nothing special at this level. Sesko needs to be the focal point of their attacks, using Openda's pace more to push the defence back and create space to play in. Though they will need better quality across the midfield to do that as Nusa, Vermeeren and Haidara were poor, only slightly less poor than Simons. Defensively, they are a typical Bundesliga outfit - weak. Defending in the Bundesliga is often shambolic and, though they have one of the best defensive records in the division this season, you could see that defending was not a strength for this team.



Having not seen them at all this season, I would question whether this is their full first team, playing their usual formation and tactics, or whether they are saving their best for a proper assault on the Bundesliga title this year? They just played with so little confidence after the goal went in that it did not seem like a team that is fighting for a title.





Liverpool





Kelleher - a much improved performance, though he did start off with a needless rush out of the area to try and deal with a ball that Konate was easily able to deal with. After making a mess of his header and nearly conceding due to it, I was worried that it would set the tone for his night, but he was very good in the main. Though I would want to look at how easily he conceded the one-on-one chance to Openda, despite the Belgian being offside and it ruled out. There was none of the intimidation that forwards get as Alisson bears down on them, nor did he look like getting anywhere near to putting pressure on the forward.





Alexander-Arnold - a very solid defensive display but it was badly marred by his mostly terrible passing, oddly enough. There were a number of times he gave away the ball very softly. You expect a few of the difficult passes he attempts to go astray, but even some simple lay-offs to the side of him were straight to an opposition player. However, what really pleased me was how hard he worked to win the ball back and showed good reading of the game to position himself in a position to retrieve it with an interception very quickly afterwards.





Konate - it seems RBL have forgotten he played for them, gifting their other former player in the Liverpool ranks, Szoboszlai, a red bull statue but not him, however they will no doubt wish he still was in their team. He had a very strong performance and is settling in nicely this season now that he is not being rotated from week to week.





van Dijk - not just a great defender any more, he is really growing as a captain and becoming a strong leader of the team. The captaincy has really brought out the best in him and he has become more important to the team than ever.





Tsimikas - after a rocky start, where he also gave the ball away with a bad touch, he played very well, though not well enough to deserve the man of the match award that he got. His crosses were not accurate enough for him to deserve it, though I was pleased to see how well he got into positions to deliver. His corners were very good though and put RBL under intense pressure to deal with.





Gravenberch - once again excellent and, for me at least, the man of the match. He was everywhere and broke up play, protecting the defence, as well as using the ball well when he had it.





Mac Allister - when he gets forward, he plays some very good passes through the defence, but he is very little help defensively, often getting caught in no man's land without the pace to get back or the reading of the game to pick up a position to block a possible pass. I am not convinced by him as a partner for Gravenberch at all. Also, I feel that he deserved his booking for diving as he does go down far too easily looking for a free kick. While he was fouled, he also did dive dramatically to try and ensure the referee saw it. It should have been a free kick to Liverpool and a booking for Mac Allister really, but it is his amateur dramatics that made the referee think it was just a dive with no contact.





Szoboszlai - a much better game from the Hungarian captain, who always does the dirty work for the team, but this time out he offered much more help offensively and his passing was better. Still passed up a perfect opportunity to hit a shot from the edge of the box though, which leads me to believe he is under instruction to avoid shooting.





Nunez - was very good, setting the press and caused their defence so many problems all night, as well as scoring a tap in at last. He was also very unlucky not to be awarded a penalty for a clear foul on him in the box.





Salah - also had a good game, though he was unable to get his goal, he did at least get an assist. It was a much more restrained performance than normal, with him sitting a bit deeper than he usually does. He was really unhappy to be subbed off though!





Gakpo - a very good game, he caused them lots of trouble throughout the game, though he really does need to work on his shooting.





Diaz - surprisingly replaced Salah in the 66th minute. Unfortunately, he had not long got onto the pitch before the control went missing after the triple substitution, so he never really got the chances to deliver that he would have liked. He was very obvious in his hard work, switching positions and getting in good positions.





Robertson - came on for Tsimikas in 74th minute. He was not on long but he looked ready to go and played well in the few minutes he got.





Jones - another surprise substitution as he took Nunez's place in the 74th minute. Worked hard and got around the pitch getting involved but really needed more time to have any genuine effect.





Gomez - was brought on in place of Alexander-Arnold in the 74th minute. Looked very good at right-back, and it was satisfying to finally see Liverpool get some use out of that excellent long throw of his when he first came in and caught RBL out by throwing it right in behind their defence. That throw is such a good weapon, I have no idea why Klopp and his coaches failed to make use of it when he was on the pitch. It is akin to not letting Alexander-Arnold make long passes, it just makes no sense not to utilise it. I just hope that, if the chance comes to get a throw around the edge of the box with him playing, that it is treated like getting a corner and bodies are put into the box. With dominant aerial presences like Konate and van Dijk, it could be a route to a few goals during the course of a season.

Liverpool Article 23 Oct 2024
Liverpool v Chelsea A Liverpool Perspective







Slot had clearly looked at Chelsea and seen that, while they score goals if the game is stretched, they struggle when teams just sit in the middle and stay compact. It is simple to just sit in and hold station, waiting for them to hit and hope from range or deliver a cross to no one in the middle and recover the loose ball. He had also clearly spotted how poor they are at the back and open due to their disorganised press, which is very similar to the one Marcelo Bielsa employed at Leeds United. It is great when it works, but any error by them defensively leaves them wide open. With it being man-to-man throughout the team, it leaves the opposition keeper with time on the ball, unless someone leaves their man to close him down, which usually gives him an easy out ball, or he can look a bit longer, as their team gets drawn high up the pitch to leave a 1-on-1 constantly. That play should have seen Tosin sent off early in the match, as he clearly hauled down Jota, who was running free.



The tactics did not lead to a vintage, attractive, attacking performance, but it was very solid and it was clear Chelsea did not really have the quality in their play to break down the defence. The emphasis on possession by Maresca leads to there being plenty of time for the defence to get back and regroup on most attacks. When they do break quickly, they lack bodies to cause problems, so balls in tend to be very easy for the defence to deal with. All in all, if it had not been for one bad mistake by van Dijk (who really is human after all), they would not have scored. There is such a major improvement in the defending this season from last season, the organisation and understanding of their roles is much better under Slot, added to the emergence of Gravenberch, that the team is defending so much better.



In fact, one thing that gives me hope for the season being a close run thing is the defending of both Liverpool and Manchester City. Liverpool, because they are tighter and give away less genuine chances. Manchester City simply because they are playing like Liverpool last season, open and loose at the back, in fact their defensive set up is very similar to the way Liverpool set up. You can only get away with conceding first so many times before it catches up to you, unless you tighten up. It is not down to Rodri being injured either, as the problems are down to the centre-backs simply not being able to cover the wide spaces behind them, with both full-backs advancing too soon and not being able to recover quickly enough. Having Rodri there shores up the centre a lot, but that is not an issue without him either, it is the flanks that are wide open and vulnerable to quick forward balls to runners down the sides of the centre-backs. It is a long season, with City having such a strong squad compared to everyone else, it does require them to slip up in order for others to capitalise and this does look like a season where they are more capable than ever of doing so.



Liverpool, while defensively solid, do have work to do in the attacking third, with there being times when it looks so disjointed, especially with Jota up top. He does not link up anything like as well as Nunez, which often sees quick attacks break down before they can really get started, leaving the team playing a slower, more possession-based style, passing around at the back to try and draw the opposition in. The difference once Nunez came in, which was not just because of his exceptional tracking back and more intelligent pressing, was also in the way he links up with Salah, in particular. Those two are a genuine threat when in tandem, always driving the team forward with quick one-twos between themselves, which are almost impossible to defend against. The problem is that, just as Nunez establishes himself in the team, there is an international break and he is back late, while Jota is back with the rest, due to the time zone differences.



One of the more pleasing aspects of this game is that it came on the back of one-such international break, leaving the team a little disrupted, but it was still able to get a result without really having to get out of first gear. It was a very controlled and low-intensity win, which will not have taken too much out of the players ahead of the Champions League game. Playing the game at a slower pace does favour Liverpool, as Chelsea are at their best when the game is more like a basketball game, as their defensive inadequacies are then cancelled out to a large degree by having space to attack at the other end. Slow it down and their youth and energy is not able to give them an edge.





I do have to mention the referee, John Brooks, who was utterly abysmal and gave some shocking decisions. He is amongst the worst of a very bad bunch of officials in the English Premier League, and he was 'helped' on VAR by one of the few who can be said to be on a similar level of ineptitude. It must be so difficult for a linesman of the quality of Darren Cann (probably the only decent official in the Premier League at the moment) to work with these clowns who are in the middle. The training really needs to be questioned as not one Premier League official is improving, in fact they all seem to be regressing each season. They have put the bar on the floor already, it is astonishing they can slither under it still and drop it further down for each new season, but they certainly manage it. They are extremely well-paid professionals, yet they are worse than amateurs.





Chelsea





I have seen a lot of praise for how Maresca has this team playing compared to Pochettino, but they seem to be comparing the team Pochettino took over, rather than the team he left behind, to this current Chelsea team. I do think that is a little unfair on Pochettino, even though I am not a big fan of his. Personally I think Maresca has benefitted from taking over a team, because Pochettino had gradually moulded Chelsea into one, from the numerous individual players he inherited. They are better this season, but a lot of the credit should be given to Pochettino for it. Despite the money spent, Chelsea are a long way away from the finished article. One thing Maresca, like Pochettino before him, struggles with, is grinding out wins when needed. Tactically, he has a system and he sticks to it, no matter what, similar to Vincent Kompany last season, but he has better players to use to play that way. He also seems to lack tactical acumen to a degree, though he is still learning so that may come in time, but right now it is not there.



I particularly refer to his decision at half-time to make a change to bring on Neto in place of Sancho - on the face of it a very good decision as Sancho is not as good as Neto and was having little success, but he then had the team attack down that side constantly. It was very strange because Robertson had been struggling badly against Madueke, who had been able to get past him very easily, and now Madueke barely saw the ball. It would have made more sense to continue to press the attacks down that flank but bring on Neto to look to get on the end of balls pulled across. It just made the game easier for the Liverpool defence, instead of ramping up the pressure.



Also, it does feel like there is a lack of football intelligence in the Chelsea team (partly explained by having so many young, fairly inexperienced players), particularly Palmer, who often fails to shine in the big games due to lacking the brains to figure out how to deal with the attention he gets. When he does improve this aspect of his game, then he will become the player he is often heralded to be, rather than just a very good player whose stats are padded massively against the weaker teams, a bit like Harry Kane was doing at Tottenham Hotspur. While I know Palmer is not the brightest bulb in the box away from the pitch, that should not stop him learning and developing his game as it is clear that he is a football obsessive and is willing to put the work in.



With Palmer almost anonymous, it did feel like Chelsea offered very little other than maybe the hope of a mistake from Liverpool's defence or a good set piece, because they mostly played in front of the Reds, who were happy to just sit back and wait for them to give the ball back and hit them on the break. They really created very little in the way of good chances, even the goal came from an error by van Dijk. It just felt like they were hoping for a chance to break, rather than making one happen. Their is a lack of incisiveness to their passing that gave Liverpool time to get bodies back and deal with anything played into the box quite easily. Jackson works hard and is a willing runner but he does not get enough of the ball, though that was in part due to Liverpool's tactics offering little space for a ball in behind for him to run onto.



I do have to say that Chelsea are always going to struggle with Sanchez in goal, he is simply not Premier League level at all. He possesses very little in the way of redeeming qualities to make up for his dodgy keeping. It was a very odd signing, one that has not made them any better than if they had just kept Kepa in goal until they found a top class keeper. It is by far and away their weakest link and you have to wonder why Maresca sticks with him, rather than giving a chance to one of the young keepers in the squad.





Liverpool





Kelleher - not a good game for him, as usual when he first gets into the team, which is why I find it strange that many consider him the best back-up keeper around. For me, the best back up will come in and be solid immediately, which he is not. He always needs a run of games to get his confidence up and play well. He needs to go somewhere to be a first choice. In this match, he was very diffident and stood rooted to his line on a couple of occasions when he should have been straight out to clear the ball. Both times ended up causing a problem with the defence, who were waiting for him to act. Also his kicking was very poor, though a large degree of that was probably due to the conditions, he never seemed to adjust to suit them, which is worrying.





Alexander-Arnold - a decent game overall, but particularly defensively, where he handled first Sancho and then Neto, despite them having a pace advantage. He never gave either an easy time to deliver the ball, so much so that neither finished the game facing him. Sancho was hooked at half-time and Neto was moved to the left to try his luck against Robertson instead. The system played did not give him the usual freedom on the ball, so he was not as effective in creating play as normal.





Konate - solid performance and decent enough on the ball. He is really settling in to the team well right now and is not making so many rash errors as he was prone to in the past. Though it must be pointed out that he and van Dijk did have an easier time of it due to Chelsea failing to commit bodies into the box when a cross was played. Usually it was just Jackson on his own trying to get on the end of it, Palmer wants to hang around the edge of the box in the hope of picking up a loose ball to hit, Caicedo sits too deep when there is Lavia and the full-backs covering the midfield and the opposite winger is usually waiting out wide, rather than trying to get on the end of the cross.





van Dijk - made a big error when he pushed out into midfield, leaving a huge hole behind him for Jackson to run into and score. Apart from that, he was very good. It felt like the error was more of a result of having spent years playing a more aggressive defensive style under Klopp and he just automatically rushed out to engage, rather than dropping off as Slot was looking for.





Robertson - struggled badly against Madueke's pace in the first half but then had a much easier ride in the second half when Chelsea shifted the emphasis of their attack to the opposite flank. It is quite worrying how exposed he is looking defensively when left one-on-one with a forward, even when out in the full-back area, so it is not a consequence of the change in style he is being asked to play.





Gravenberch - I am not sure it even needs to be said any more this season, but he was once again very good, one of the best players on the pitch. Some of his forward runs are mesmeric and reminscent of Moussa Dembele at his peak in the Fulham/Spurs midfields, where he seems to glide around challenges, almost dancing around players. The way he changes pace with such ease also reminds me of Dembele. He is a joy to watch right now, with his hard work chasing back and making challenges as important as his quality on the ball.





Jones - for me he was the man of the match, despite still having a tendency to take a touch, or more, too many. Doing that in the penalty box nearly led to two penalties, though I do think he went down far too theatrically on the first one for my liking, but it was a penalty. The second one is usually left to the referee's discretion, they are often given and VAR normally keeps out as it is not really a clear and obvious mistake. In fact, we have been often told that sendings off/bookings/fouls given for similar offences are because it does not matter if the player gets the ball first if they follow through by cleaning out the opponent, but the PGMOL changes its tune game by game so who can actually be sure any more? But, it is one of those that you just have to accept either way, as it seems to be very subjective and vary from game to game, team to team and individual to individual as to whether it is given or not. Despite a poor touch, he was able to score with a lovely finish and it came on the back of a performance where he was defensively excellent and showed some lovely touches to wriggle out of tight areas.





Szoboszlai - another indifferent game from the Hungarian captain. He works so hard for the team, he offers so much workrate tracking back and breaking forward, but he is not using his greatest asset to its full capability, or at all right now. Szoboszlai is one of the best strikers of the ball in the current game, but he regularly passes up the chance to shoot around the edge of the box in favour of an extra touch or three or a pass to someone not in a dangerous position. You have to think that is an instruction, as he does it so often. Perhaps it is about keeping possession, but there is nothing wrong with a dig when you have a clear sight of goal and the ball is sat up nicely for you to hit.





Jota - worked hard and the foul on him, when he was away, should have resulted in a red, but other than that, he was pretty ineffective. That could have been down to picking up a knock, which saw him coming off after half an hour.





Salah - looked extremely sharp and, of course, got on the scoresheet. His link up play was excellent, particularly with Nunez after he came on. He also added an assist, with his pass leading to Jones scoring. His numbers are just insane and he shows no sign of letting up yet.





Gakpo - not at his best, but he did provide excellent defensive cover. Unfortunately, going forward he was not quite at it and made some poor decisions at times. His shooting was off as well.





Nunez - replaced the injured Jota in the 30th minute. His arrival made the team play better, partly down to his workrate winning the ball back deep in midfield and partly because he links up much better than Jota does, allowing the team to build possession up. He also showed vision and ability to pick a pass I had no idea he had within his locker. Also showed good team spirit by seeing Salah getting manhandled by Veiga and inserting himself between. He did get caught offside a couple of times, you have to wonder though why the ball was not released earlier on one of those occasions.





Diaz - came on for Gakpo in 66th minute. A decent cameo, but the game was fizzling out by the time he came on, other than needle between players. He did get involved and did about as much as anyone in the last half hour, but it was a game that was petering out.





Mac Allister - took over from Jones in 81st minute. Managed to get a booking but not much else to show for his efforts.





Gomez - was brought on in place of Alexander-Arnold in the 81st minute. Barely able to get involved at all.

Liverpool Article 05 Oct 2024
Liverpool v Bologna







Apologies as once again I was only able to watch the game once, in a crowded bar, sat next to a group of Italians raucously cheering on Bologna. Though it did get much easier to focus after Salah added the second, as the Italians became subdued for the rest of the match.



What should have been a comfortable and routine victory, was made into an uncomfortable and difficult win by Liverpool themselves and their insistence on trying to play out from the back at a snail's pace. It made for an extremely frustrating watch. I know I will be told that we were playing it slowly to try to draw players in, but they were not being drawn in, so all it achieved was to give them plenty of time to close up the press. They were happy to keep on their man and wait for someone in red to make a mistake, which happened with an alarming amount of regularity. At least if the ball had been moved quickly, it would have made it a struggle for them to set their press. Instead it was usually rolled back to Alisson, who was then strolling about looking for an option, any option to pass to. It did improve a little after half-time, thankfully.



When the pace was increased and the ball played forward, instead of sideways and backwards, Liverpool were able to cut through Bologna fairly easily and created chances to shoot. It just was not happening enough and instead the game was lacking in real quality for large portions.





Bologna are not the same team they were last season under Thiago Motta. The attacking play lacks the quality it showed under the exciting leadership of Motta. Italiano has kept the same defensive set up, but going forward they lack the patterns of play that brought the success last season. They had little threat to offer, their chances coming from Liverpool's poor play and they lack the quality of player to really compete at this level. Such a shame that they were unable to hold on to Thiago Motta, as it would have been interesting to see how he could have got on with this team, which were so entertaining to watch under him. Without him, they look a little out of their depth at Champions League level.





Quick notes on the players:





Alisson - was called upon far too often to bail out Liverpool, usually after their slow paced passing got them into trouble. Often he was the worst offender for dallying on the ball, though he had an excuse as every player was man marked and unavailable to receive a pass. The movement in front was poor, but he was taking too long to play a ball out, allowing pressure to be put on him. However, his saves kept the clean sheet intact.



Alexander-Arnold - not his best night, he was part of the general malaise at the back, but he is always a threat when he gets the ball. The problem was that he gave the ball away too easily on occasions in dangerous areas. The winger opposing him lacked real quality, which helped a lot.



Konate - defended well, but he was a part of the defence that played the ball round too slowly. On the ball, he needed to look forward more quickly, instead of just rolling it across to Alisson most of the time.



van Dijk - failed to make use of his passing range enough, when his big diagonal pass would have been useful to open up the play and push the Bologna defence back. Instead he was mostly happy to also just roll the ball across the backline.



Robertson - looked a bit lost. Got forward occasionally, but did not link up as well as he often does with Diaz. Looked a bit leggy and I was not surprised he was taken off to be honest.



Gravenberch - drove forward at every opportunity and was once more Liverpool's man of the match. He did lose the ball a few times, but he lost it trying to make things happen, rather than because he was aimlessly rolling the ball about.



Mac Allister - a much better performance from the Argentine, his best of the season so far. He did play a little deeper than he has been, in the main, which contributed to his better play. He was still able to get forward and score.



Szoboszlai - also much improved from his previous performances this season. It finally looked like a midfield that was developing an understanding.



Diaz - caused them no end of trouble but just lacked that end product, similar to the way he was playing last season. He was just teetering on the edge of really taking them apart, without ever quite doing it.



Nunez - the team looks so much better with him in it, his link up with those around him and his runs to drag opponents around, help so much with the overall play. It is still a work in progress, but there are good signs there.



Salah - an assist and a goal but there was so much more in the game for him. He messed up a couple of simple balls across on counters, but it does seem churlish to complain when he has provided the assist for the first goal and then scored a beauty for the second!



Jota - came on for Nunez in the 61st minute. He tried hard but he was mostly receiving passes that were aerial balls to battle for, which is not his strength. Standing leaps against a much bigger man are never going to end in his favour, though he is good in the air, his skill is in timing a running leap to take him above the defenders.



Tsimikas - replaced Robertson in the 71st minute. The problem with only getting to watch a match once, and that in a busy pub, means that sometimes you just fail to notice things. I have to be honest, even after hours trying to run it back through my head, I simply cannot remember what Tsimikas did or what impact, if any he had either positively or negatively.



Gakpo - took Diaz's place in the 71st minute. What makes me feel worse about not remembering Tsimikas in this match, is that I can remember Gakpo looking dangerous and causing Bologna problems, when he came on at the exact same time as the Greek.



Bradley - was brought on in the stead of Alexander-Arnold in the 85th minute. Had little time to impact the game.



Jones - subbed on for Szoboszlai, also in the 85th minute. Never really had time to have an effect.

Liverpool Article 30 Sep 2024
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool







First off, just to point out that I only got to watch the game once and in a busy bar, so apologies for anything I have missed. It was not helpful that it was such a tough watch as well, as the performance was poor, by both teams. It was worrying how so many players could have an off day at once, though a fair bit of that is down to Wolves being able to nullify them. The defence was the difference between the two teams - Liverpool's played well (one horrible error aside) and allowed Wolves almost no real chances, and were able to build up play from the back fairly comfortably. In fact, other than that error allowing Wolves to equalise, this would have been a very routine and comfortable win, despite not playing well.



It does ring a warning bell over the way of playing though. Just a reminder, rather than a need for a rethink, that a one goal lead is very rarely enough in this league. I appreciate the thinking behind more control in the play, and agree, but when the lead is just one goal, the team still need to be looking to score a second. Against Wolves, it felt like the team were too content to just knock it about, feeling safe in the knowledge they had the measure of the opposition's attack. I felt the same way, it did feel like the defence were easily able to deal with whatever Wolves could throw at them, but, and this is a very big but, playing this way does increase the chances of making a mistake. In a game you are comfortable in, those chances increase further as players mentally relax. That was happening a fair bit yesterday, with sloppy passes turning the ball over in dangerous areas.



Overall though, this is still a team in progress, with a lot of players not quite adapting well enough. To be top of the league, despite not really hitting your stride, and with a number of players struggling, is one hell of a position to be in. If Slot can get those struggling players to hit form, this could be an extremely exciting season. If those players do continue to play poorly, he is going to need to make a few changes before it does cost LFC when playing the better teams in the league. So far, the fixtures have been fairly kind to Slot, he has to make sure he takes advantage of that kindness to get his team right for the more difficult games coming up.



What I have enjoyed about Slot being in charge is that his substitutions usually improve the performance, Jones and Gakpo immediately lifted the team and allowed Mac Allister a bit more freedom. That was rarely the case with Klopp in charge, much as I love the man and will be forever grateful to him, his substitutions rarely impacted the games. Normally they tended to just be like for like. Though I would like him to make more use of substitutions, to rotate in some players who need a bit of gametime to keep them sharp.





Wolves looked like what they are, a team in a poor run of form and badly lacking in confidence. There are a lot of good players there, particularly in the midfield, which looks almost as strong as any team in the league's, but they are not matched for quality by the attack and defence. Larsen tries, but he offers almost no goal threat and no ability to run in behind. His strength was no use against Liverpool's centre-backs, who were able to outmuscle him, so he had little to offer. Bellegarde has no real skill or pace to cause problems with and so Cunha was their only real threat up front, but he was poor and failed to use his pace and skill to anything like their fullest. In fact, it was odd that he played up against Robertson in the first half and was not immediately switched over to play up against Alexander-Arnold the moment he got booked, with instructions to just run at him constantly.



Their biggest problem is the goalkeeper and defence, they get a lot of protection from the midfield but once that is broken through, they are very poor. Worst of all though has to be their belief in passing out from the back with this unit. They are so bad at it, it is almost comical. Not quite Burnley last season bad, but close to it. That is going to cost them a lot of goals if they continue to try and do so, unless they make massive improvement in their passing choices. Though I do think Johnstone in goal is a lost cause on the ball and it would be better to simply keep the ball away from him. He either passes people into trouble or gives it away more often than not and is a liability in this system.





Quick notes on the players:





Alisson - never really put to much work, Wolves could not even manage a corner in the first half. He could do nothing with the goal, which was just down to a catastrophic error by Konate.



Alexander-Arnold - apart from a silly yellow early on for kicking the ball away, he had a good game, and did not allow Wolves to build up much of an attacking threat down his side of the pitch. As always, his main strength is his ability to put telling and dangerous balls into the box and he did that once again.



Konate - apart from that stupid error he had a really good game, scoring his first Premier League goal and defending well most of the time. He was covering when Alexander-Arnold got forward. On top of that, he played some good passes. It is impossible to overlook the mistake though, it was horrendous.



van Dijk - for me, he was man of the match, imperious like only van Dijk can be. While Konate defended well, van Dijk defended effortlessly. He bullied the Wolves' attackers.



Robertson - his performances are improving as he gets the hang of his new role, which will make it a worry that he went off injured.



Gravenberch - his worst performance of the season so far, as he was up against it with Wolves' midfield being so strong. His worst performance was still good enough for him to be awarded the official man of the match award. He did give the ball away trying to make things happen sometimes, but he was very good and showed how well he fits this new role he is playing.



Mac Allister - an awful performance. He just is not suited to the position. His strengths are in getting forward and slipping through passes at the top end of the pitch, which he is rarely able to do. I would like to see him and Szoboszlai swap over positions.



Szoboszlai - another who struggled badly. He takes too long to release the ball, either as a shot or pass, in vital areas. I wonder if the pressure on him as the main man for his nation is telling on him, as he plays like a man who is too tense to play with freedom.



Diaz - not at his sparkling best, but he still caused lots of problems for Semedo and popped up all over the place, rotating well with Jota at times.



Jota - it was a proper Jota performance - truly awful but pops up with an excellent cross for Konate to score from, then is terrible again until winning a penalty. Such a frustrating player!



Salah - not a good game for the Egyptian. Put his penalty away well, but most of the game he was struggling. I think Slot needs to look at rotating him more with Chiesa, to try and freshen him up. At the start of the season, while fresh, Salah is always incredible, then fades. He rarely misses a moment of football, for club and country, I think it is time that he did get a bit more rest. It would benefit him, Liverpool and Egypt to keep him fresher.



Jones - replaced Szoboszlai in the 73rd minute. The arrival of Jones and Gakpo saw Liverpool's game step up. He controlled the play much better than Szoboszlai was doing.



Gakpo - came on for Diaz, also in the 73rd minute. He has looked really good this season on the left, it is turning into a really difficult choice for Slot.



Gomez - was brought on for the injured Robertson in the 89th minute. Never had a chance to really get involved in the game.

Liverpool Article 24 Sep 2024
Liverpool v Bournemouth







A really odd game, littered with errors, which makes it very difficult to judge tactics by either side. So much of the attacking play was a result of silly, usually unforced, mistakes. One of Diaz's goals resulted from a terrible, unforced error by Bournemouth's keeper Kepa, though he might very well have scored if Kepa had not rushed out and got himself caught in no man's land like that. It was just made easier for him. But it does make it so hard to discuss this game. On the face of it, looking at the stats would make you think Bournemouth must have been really good going forward to be able to get so many shots off. However, a large number of them were down to mistakes and a lot of the rest were hitting and hoping from range, rather than really dangerous attacking play. On the overall balance of play, Liverpool were certainly the better side and their attacks were more dangerous. It was not down to luck or mistakes that they won, they were just better all over.



It probably could have been a bigger score, but Liverpool did not really go all in to attack after gaining the lead. It was a much more controlled performance, waiting for Bournemouth to be drawn out of position by moving it around before getting it forward. The counter was a particularly effective tool, the more Bournemouth pushed forward to try and get back into it, the more exposed they were leaving themselves at the back and they paid for it. The trio up top of Nunez, Salah and Diaz were always a threat and even more so when Liverpool were pegged back. And the only time Liverpool were exposed at the back were when players made individual errors, dallying on the ball in dangerous areas mainly.





I have to say I am a little disappointed in Bournemouth this season. Last season they ended so well and it looked like Iraola had the measure of this league, I was expecting the Cherries to push on and really light up the Prem. Instead they have struggled and it was clear to see why watching this game. Their forwards offer pace but very little else. The end product, game intelligence etc is abysmal. Lots of running very fast and just hoping for the best seemed to be the plan for the wingers. It will be interesting to see if Iraola can improve their wide players, as they have lots of pace and workrate but so little quality it is painful to watch. If they gain any kind of end product, they will be a really dangerous team.



Overall Bournemouth play some very pretty football, but they lack a cutting edge at the moment. Evanilson looks a quality forward, with some of the qualities of Diego Costa, but a bit more refined with it and he gave Konate a torrid time early on with his clever movement putting the French defender off balance when Konate tried to smother him. Just a little body roll as Konate got close to him was effective initially but, once it lost its surprise element, it was of less use. He does need to do more though, as he was shut out of the game as Konate grew to understand what he was doing and his attempts to take on van Dijk saw him completely shut down. I can see him growing into a very decent link man up front, but he does not look to have lots of goals to his game. In fact, that is the big problem with this team, there does not seem to be a lot of goals in it at all.





Quick notes on the players:





Kelleher - he will have wanted a busier day, to show watching suitors how good he is, but the Cherries lack of accuracy left him to have a fairly simple day. When called upon, he made a save but it was not a day for him to really impress.



Alexander-Arnold - he was caught dallying on the ball a couple of times, I would put that down to how easy it was for him on the ball most of the time. Bournemouth's press fell off so badly that it is little surprise Liverpool players got a bit too relaxed, he certainly was not the only one to get himself into trouble for it. His passing was excellent at times and he got himself yet another assist, to equal Robertson as the Premier League's all-time assist record holder for a defender. Defensively he did well, Kluivert was unable to do much against him and swapping him out for extreme pace also created very little. Alexander-Arnold just positioned himself to block the route to goal, gave himself a bit of space, so that he would not be beaten easily for pace and concentrated on just holding up Ouattara until cover arrived, before forcing him to run into traffic. A really good test for him, which he passed well.



Konate - was caught out a couple of times early on by Evanilson, who surprised him. Soon got the measure of the Brazilian though and grew as the game went on, producing some excellent defensive play to recover from errors made by his teammates. One block in particular showed his desire to put his body on the line for the victory. Also picked up an assist by providing the ball over the top to Diaz that drew Kepa out of goal. I enjoy seeing a player who is given a new challenge and, despite initially being beaten by an opponent, figures out how to deal with it and keeps his head up, rather than losing it after being beaten.



van Dijk - he was Virgil. I think no more needs to be said, as it was prime Virgil out there, dominant in a way very few defenders have managed to be in this modern era.



Robertson - under Slot he is definitely a lot more reserved, but he does still pick his moments to get forward. He is getting better as he grows into his new role and the understanding with the midfield grows, so they know when to provide cover to allow him to get forward.



Gravenberch - I will have to dig out a thesaurus to find new superlatives to use for his performances this season. His problem is going to end up similar to Salah and van Dijk's if this carries on. The level of expectation will rise so high that he will need to be superhuman to get any credit, or to get near to being in the running for a Ballon d'Or, while others will get nominated after a couple of standout moments in a season. He is quickly making himself undroppable. Another superb, all-round performance. Just, and I do mean just, beats out van Dijk and Diaz for me as man of the match. Diaz would probably have got it if he had played the full 90 though.



Mac Allister - some of his forward passes are exceptional, but I still feel he is being a little held back by this role and would like to see him play where Szoboszlai is, to make the most of his strengths. Overall a very good game though.



Szoboszlai - his pace, power and workrate are providing a great platform for the team to build upon, but he still is not playing at anywhere near his best. His game feels a little stilted, like he is too busy thinking about what to do, rather than just doing it. Hopefully that will change over time as he develops into this system of play.



Diaz - I had thought before the game that it might well be time to give Gakpo a run on the left, but I was completely wrong. Diaz was excellent and scored two goals to cap off his performance. He does mesh much better with Nunez than he does with Jota. They seem to have a much better understanding and can rotate very easily.



Nunez - Liverpool look much more dangerous up front with him there, rather than Jota. It is not just runs in behind, his movement and link up play is better. What a goal as well! Last season, he was hitting the post but they were bouncing out, hopefully a sign of things to come with that one going in off the inside of the post. I do like that he always tries to aim for the corners, even if it did lead to so many bouncing back off the woodwork last season. His workrate and desire are infectious, not just amongst his teammates, but the crowd feed off it too.



Salah - not at his best, but still a decent game, giving Kerkez a really tough day and linking up with Nunez, particularly for Nunez's goal. Another assist for a player that is so often derided in the media for being selfish as well.



Jones - replaced Szoboszlai after 61 minutes. Where the Hungarian tends to play more to the right, leaving space for Mac Allister to get forward on the left side of midfield, Jones tends to drift over to the left instead. In some respects that worked better, as Jones would drop deep at times to allow Mac Allister freedom to stay forward. It certainly provides an interesting option for Slot, if (and that is a huge IF, though not quite a Reece James size IF) Jones can avoid injury. Jones is comfortable in the deeper role and the more forward position, that could be invaluable later in the season. Again though, you always have to qualify it with Jones with regard to his tendency to be missing through injury.



Chiesa - came on for Nunez in the 72nd minute. A few more minutes for the Italian to impress. Starting off down the centre, he was not particularly effective but, after swapping over with Salah, he looked much better down the right.



Gakpo - replaced Diaz in the 72nd minute. Another good performance from the Dutchman, but it is not enough to get in the team when Diaz is playing so brilliantly.