Liverpool Article 04 Jan 2024
Liverpool v Newcastle United
Once again an excellent team performance as Liverpool's return to the high intensity pressing style that Klopp brought with him is showing its value. The laboured build ups and willingness to play slow, patient football has gone. The fast-paced, in-your-face, all-out attack is back and Liverpool look so much better for it. The aftermath left me with one main question, how did Liverpool only score 4? That could have been a cricket score. It was an incredibly dominating, destructive performance that fully deserved a bigger scoreline. In fact a much bigger scoreline, as it was a completely one-sided contest that must have increased the question marks surrounding Eddie Howe's future as Newcastle's head coach. To give an idea of how many more Liverpool should have scored, they had reached 28 shots by the 70th minute, 11 of those hitting the target.
It is disappointing that this win has somehow become controversial, because of the award of a couple of penalties, particularly the second one. The first is one that is a penalty according to the laws of the game, though often referees will not give a decision. The second one is harder to call. Jota took an age to go down. What is odd is that he had gone round the keeper so had an empty net, pretty much, to slot the ball into but went down anyway. If Jota had been English, I have no doubt the controversy being stoked in the media would be non-existent, while the pundits would have been talking about how 'clever' Jota was to go down. For me, I am just not sure if he simply dived or if he had been given enough contact that he was knocked off his stride and so would not have got to the ball. Either way, for me, I just wish he had tried to stay on his feet and put the issue beyond doubt by slotting the ball home. If he was unbalanced and failed to score, so be it, but at least try and stay on your feet please. It is frustrating to have this overshadow what was such a good performance, when it was such a needless moment. It is especially frustrating when the keeper came out in his post-match interview and admitted that he did catch Jota and decision to give a penalty was correct, which seems to be being ignored by the media.
What I also struggle to understand is why the controversy seems to surround how lucky Liverpool were and how they were given a helping hand. How is that the story when Newcastle had Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton hauling people down, kicking legs out from under Liverpool players breaking on the Toon with impunity? It is astonishing that at the end of the game Liverpool ended up with more yellows than Newcastle when those two alone deserved more yellows than the entire Liverpool team in the last 3 matches they have played! I have no idea how either of them stayed on the pitch when they were repeatedly guilty of yellow card offences right in front of the referee. The officials were certainly not intent on giving Liverpool a helping hand or both of those players would have taken an early bath in the first half. Actually, even if the referee had been fair and even handed, the pair of them should not have finished the half.
The refereeing was very poor, he did book Bruno in the first half hour, but then preceded to let him get away with numerous worse fouls after it. He also let Joelinton away with two blatant bookable offences in quick succession, only to then book Diaz for being shoved to the ground. By that point the referee, Anthony Taylor, had completely lost control of the game and was under enormous pressure, mostly as a result of the choice to put him in charge, once more, of a Liverpool game when he is a Mancunian. The PGMOL really should not put him under so much pressure, he is a dreadful referee anyway, but putting him in charge of a Liverpool game is just stupidity. If you had a Pierluigi Collina, that commands respect from everyone due to how good a referee he is, then you can ignore where he comes from. But when you have incompetents like Taylor, it just creates problems for him on top of trying to referee the game. The worrying thing is that such a terrible referee is seen as one of the better ones in the English game, it just makes you wonder about how bad the standard has got.
Eddie Howe has gone big on the penalties, understandable to deflect from what was such a terrible performance, with his team reduced to just kicking anything that moved like a desperate relegation battler trying to even up a clear disparity in quality. Howe would be better served looking at himself and how badly wrong he got his tactics and team selection for the game. There are far too many times you watch his teams play, both with Newcastle and his prior jobs, where his teams seem to be simply a case of putting eleven players on the pitch and hoping they can figure it out for themselves. There seems no plan to deal with opponents, no tactical thought on how to use players to get the most from their abilities. Anthony Gordon is a prime example. He has only two real qualities - pace and the ability to hit a good, hard shot. His passing, crossing and link up play are at best poor, usually they are borderline woeful. But he is being used as a build up player, when it was shown in the summer that he is at his best running in behind and hitting a shot. He was shown to be better in the centre, running in behind, but you can get a similar use out of him in wide areas, putting the ball into spaces behind the defence for him to cut inside using his pace to run onto a ball and shoot. Instead he is used by Howe to stay out wide and usually ends up just gifting the ball back to the opposition.
Instead of complaining about things, while conveniently ignoring how lenient the referee was towards your midfield hackers, Howe would be better served thanking his goalkeeper for keeping the score respectable and figuring out how to do better next time. It must be nearing time for him to be replaced, as right now all the old inadequacies Howe showed at Bournemouth are beginning to rear their ugly head all over again. The defence has become about individuals reacting to situations, rather than an organised defensive unit working together to see out the danger. With Newcastle's recent, comparative, success being built on a solid defensive set up, it is little wonder that cracks are beginning to appear now that the defence is disorganised. Added to that, there are clear disciplinary issues, with a complete collapse in their team discipline in the last ten minutes. There are big problems there that are not going to be fixed by just buying players.
And I really have to wonder how he can not adjust his team to cut out the through ball down the middle, which was played at least three times in the last few minutes, by Mac Allister, Grvenberch and Alexander-Arnold, each time finding their target and creating a good opportunity to score. The first one to Jota ended in the second penalty. You have to question what is going on with the coaches on the sidelines when they are not acting to cut out that easy route to their goal.
Quick notes on the players:
Alisson - I hate to say this, this man singlehandedly saved (literally I guess!) Liverpool's season last season and has been excellent again this season, but I do think he could have done better on Newcastle's first goal. His positioning did look a little off. He has so little work to do these days in games that there is almost no opportunity for him to make up for a mistake.
Alexander-Arnold - had a really good game, defended well, played some lovely passes but it was stopped from being great by his new found tendency to smash the ball over the bar when faced with an open goal! Oh and hitting the bar when trying to put a cross in has to go against him, even if it could have been a great goal. He is getting better in the role he is playing, being more choosy about when to invert and it is helping a lot.
Konate - had a really good game, even managing to frustrate Joelinton into hacking him down to get the booking he had deserved for at least an hour. Admittedly he was not under a lot of pressure most of the game, but what he did have to deal with he did well.
van Dijk - had a sloppy few minutes, should have done much better on Newcastle's first goal and then quickly afterwards his touch was sloppy and it led to him giving away a needless foul. That kept Newcastle in a game they were looking near to capitulating in. He has been having a fantastic season, this just showed he is only human.
Gomez - I just want to see him cut in, shoot and finally score his first goal in professional football. Maybe it is just me but I am finding it is distracting me from watching what he is actually doing as I am looking in hope of there being a gap for him to run in and hit it.
Szoboszlai - started off really well but faded before going off with a hamstring problem in the second half. The amount of ground he has covered this season, a rest will do him good.
Jones - his contribution has been key when he has played this season. He was the one that dropped in to help out alongside Mac Allister after Endo was subbed off. This despite being on the high he must had had after scoring to put Liverpool back into the lead. He is doing the job that Thiago was bought to play, but he is much more suited to playing it in the Premier League. Unfortunately, like Thiago, he has been fragile and that has held him back. Man of the match? Could well have an argument that he was.
Endo - another excellent performance from the Japanese before he heads off to play for his country in the Asian Nations Cup, which was postponed from the summer.
Salah - had a dodgy first half, struggling with his touch and failing to convert a penalty. He changed his boots at half time and came out a different player, and scored two, including the controversial penalty after Jota did what he did. Once again though, he should have scored more.
Diaz - had an exceptional game, roaming around causing havoc and running with the ball, as well as working back and helping to win the ball back. Arguably man of the match.
Nunez - he just needs goals to complete his performances. So much good stuff, but it is being overshadowed by his inability to put the ball in the back of the net right now. I am sure it will come good for him, but it does get more difficult the longer this run goes on.
Gakpo - replaced Diaz in the 64th minute. Really starting to settle in again, scoring and looking really good once more. He is unlucky not be starting more regularly right now, but Salah's break for the AFCON could let him in.
Gravenberch - with Szoboszlai limping off holding his hamstring, Gravenberch was the replacement in the 64th minute. Played one glorious pass through to Salah, but other than that I think the best I could call him was anonymous. And that is being extremely kind. He was almost like playing a man down.
Jota - took Nunez's place, also in the 64th minute. I just do not understand this lad. Moments of brilliance, but also lots of misplaced simple passes and slow to react defensively. But I just cannot get my head around why he went down for the second penalty. There was just no reason to do it with the goal gaping. I do wonder how much his lifestyle affects his performances on the pitch and, most of all, his injury problems. While he is not out on the lash when he should be resting, he does sit up late every night playing FIFA (or should I say EA FC as it is now called?). It is not just that he will be up at 2am playing it that worries me, though it is a worry playing that many hours, it is more that he will be sat down for so many hours doing nothing but playing. Give him his due, he is one of the better players on the game, maybe even good enough to make a go of eSports as a career, but it does need monitoring by the club.
Mac Allister - brought on in the stead of Endo in the 75th minute. Looked really good alongside Jones there, much more confident and comfortable than he was at the beginning of the season, even after the spell out injured. In fact, I would say there seems a real hunger about him to get back playing.
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Liverpool Article 29 Dec 2023
Burnley v Liverpool
A good performance just lacking a few more goals, which it fully deserved. Liverpool dominated Burnley from start to finish, in almost certainly the most one-sided game so far this season in the Premier League. Once again match officials took the lustre off the game with their ridiculous decisions. Gakpo's goal should never have been disallowed for a non-existent foul, even after watching multiple replays I have no idea where the foul was. It was quite frankly the wrong decision. In fact, I tried to find a picture of it to use as the display picture for this article, but no one else knew where the foul was either, so there is not one outside of Stockley Park! Elliott's goal, on the other hand, you would not normally complain about it being chalked off, if it was not for the excuses trotted out last time out for the abysmal call on the blatant Odegaard handball. The excuses given for that not being given were that you have to take into account other factors, such as Odegaard slipping, which meant the clear handball was not given. But this time out we are expected to ignore all the other factors, such as that the Burnley keeper was never saving the shot anyway as he was going the wrong way and that Salah was blatantly pushed into the offside position anyway. There is just no consistency or sense behind the decisions being taken.
Putting aside the officials and their bizarre decisions, the football itself was mostly excellent. Liverpool smothered Burnley, gave them no time and space, refusing to let them build up any good possession in a performance that was also notable for the intensity it was played at. It was more like the Klopp team that turned doubters into believers. At least for most of the game. There were times when it was being rolled slowly around the defence, however, for once, that was used as a deliberate ploy to tempt the Clarets to come out and close down higher up the pitch. When they did engage with the defence, it was pinged quickly forward, looking to exploit the gaps left.
What was also interesting about the tactics was how the set up was altered to counter Burnley's defensive system and to make it easier to keep them penned in. The backline was mostly played as a back three, but, surprisingly it was not Gomez who sat back deep. Instead it was Alexander-Arnold who played mainly like a right centre-back, though sometimes he did drift into the centre and Quansah would drift out to the right instead. Gomez was bombing down the left flank, while Gakpo was cutting inside to give him the space to get forward. It worked really well and Burnley had no answer to the questions posed. The one issue from that game was the amount of good chances passed up (admittedly the officials helped on that front), Liverpool should have put that game completely to bed by half-time.
Burnley were very flat in every department, even the atmosphere, with very little coming from them until Elliott's goal was ruled out. At that point you could feel the belief in the crowd and players rise, as they must have thought every was conspiring together to give them a chance to rescue something from an awful performance. Even then, despite them stepping it up a bit and the crowd getting behind them, they really offered very little. It must be said they did not help themselves at all, they were terrible in possession, constantly playing themselves into trouble and turning the ball over. Their goalkeeper, for all the plaudits he was given, is dodgy, one of those spectacular types that makes easy saves look like world beaters when they were almost straight at him. Also he is extremely susceptible to giving the ball away when put under pressure. He is often lauded as being good on the ball, but his passing range is poor, unless he is rolling it 5 yards to a centre-back alongside him, it often goes out of play, particularly if he is being hurried. I am not convinced by him at all and can see why Man City were happy to offload him. His arrogance is astonishing as well, referring to himself as a big name player whole playing in the lower leagues on loan. It is little wonder they are in trouble with him as the bedrock of their team - he is not learning from his mistakes and his positioning is extremely inconsistent.
The biggest problem they have is their head coach, Vincent Kompany. It is hard to understand how they strolled through the Championship last season. He has absolutely no idea how to tweak his tactics to get at opponent's weaknesses, if he even bothers to look for them or figure out what they are. They just play the same way for 90 minutes, and hope it will click if they just keep going. At no point in the game did he make any kind of change aimed at exploiting gaps in Liverpool's backline or look to alter the play to break the press. It was just so passive from him and disappointing. I really expected so much more of an intelligent guy like Kompany. I expected him to be constantly looking at ways to get at opponents, but he has settled on one way of playing and that is it.
Quick notes on the players:
Alisson - not quite at the races in this game, with his kicking being a bit off. That could have been pure boredom though as he never had a save to make all game.
Alexander-Arnold - had a very good game, solid defensively and pinged the ball about well in the "quarterback" role he was playing in. The freedom he was given suited him as well, he could raid down the flank or drift into the centre when he wanted. Admittedly it was 'only' Burnley, but he did well and you can only beat what is in front of you.
Quansah - it was a decent enough game for Quansah, though his passing was poor, with a number of attempted long-range balls failing to hit the mark.
van Dijk - once again excellent, using the crossfield pass really well to beat Burnley's attempts to press. Also, he is beginning to drive out from the back once more, when the opportunity presents. That is something he has not done enough of since returning from injury. It is good to see it return to his armoury, as it can make a real difference as he rarely loses the ball when he brings it out from the back.
Gomez - had a surprisingly effective game, driving down the flank like Robertson would. What helped him out is his willingness, and ability, to deliver with his left foot, as the Burnley defence were set to stop him cutting inside on his right. That left him able to easily just go outside and cross. When they reacted to stop that, he just cut inside and drove into the box. He has the confidence and quality that made him so important in the title-winning season a few years ago, though he still has that potential for a loose pass at the wrong moment. However, overall he is playing some excellent football right now and just needs to stay fit now.
Elliott - was exceptional, the kind of performance we normally see from him when he comes off the bench. So unlucky to have his goal ruled out as well, as that would probably have seen him pick up the man of the match award. He was everywhere, full of energy, but also quality.
Gravenberch - he was the one major disappointment in this game, as he was poor. Early on he even pulled out of a tackle, allowing the Burnley player to win the ball when he was favourite for it. He did go in for challenges later in the game, I have no doubt he would have got an earful over that moment of cowardice. However, it is not just that which let him down. His first touch was poor, except for one moment which ended up with Berge getting booked for fouling him. When he runs with the ball he reminds me of Jack Wilshere, the ball is always just a bit too far away from his body for full control. That worries me as it contributed to Wilshere's string of injuries as he was always stretching slightly when running with the ball to keep it under control. That left him always at risk of hyperextending ligaments when tackled. That should be not as much of a problem for Gravenberch, due to his better lifestyle choices, which means he will be fitter and stronger. It is still something he needs to look at, it is much easier to manipulate the ball if you have it slightly closer to you and it would improve his control when striking the ball for a shot or pass. His passing has been a real letdown at Liverpool, just keeping the ball in a better position to strike it from would help with that immensely.
Endo - another in a string of impressive performances from the Japanese midfielder. He may not be the quickest player across the ground, but he is clever and gets himself positioned well to interfere with the opposition when they try and attack. He is like that really annoying fly that constantly buzzes round you whenever you try and relax. Even when he is not actually stopping you, he is putting you off and taking your focus away by being there niggling away.
Salah - hit the bar with a shot and really should have scored but his game will probably most be remembered for being shoved bodily into an offside position to give the officials an excuse/reason to rule out Elliott's goal. Not that he had a bad game, in fact he looked a bit more like himself in this game than he has done recently, it was a step in the right direction towards him returning to form.
Gakpo - he was the other player that could have arguably got the man of the match award if all had been equal. He worked hard, played a good pass for Nunez to score, and had a goal ruled out for a foul that nobody but the VAR booth people could see. It was possibly his best game in a Liverpool shirt.
Nunez - the actual winner of the man of the match award and he was excellent. His early goal was an excellent first time finish from a lovely weighted pass from Gakpo. That has been the only thing missing from his recent performances. Now he just needs to build on it by scoring consistently.
Szoboszlai - replaced Elliott in the 66th minute. He came on as part of a triple substitution just as Burnley raised their game and played a big part in just shutting the Clarets down and snuffing out their threat.
Diaz - took Gakpo's place in the 66th minute. Looked a little more at the races after coming on, than he has of late. There were a few good signs, though it must be borne in mind, like with all the good performances, that Burnley did pretty much play into Liverpool's hands.
Jones - was brought on as Gravenberch's replacement, also in the 66th minute. He is growing into such a good player right now. Where Gravenberch was offering nothing, he came in and immediately closes down, tracks back, as well as getting forward and being heavily involved in the build up play.
Jota - came on for Nunez in the 84th minute. He does what Jota usually does when coming off the bench, he scored. You cannot ask for any more than that of a man entering the pitch in the 84th minute!
Liverpool Article 27 Dec 2023
Liverpool v Arsenal
A much more exciting game to watch, full of fast, flowing, attacking football, rather than a turgid borefest forced by the Dutch Roy Hodgson. The result was not what Liverpool wanted, but the game was extremely enjoyable. There were a few things that did take the edge off the enjoyment, mainly the injury to Tsimikas, which has to go down as one of the most bizarre ever. How often has a player been injured by his own manager falling on top of him? Such a shame for the lad as he had been getting better and better by the game. With Robertson still looking to be a fair bit away, Klopp will have to find an answer to the left-back issue. Though maybe it could actually be to the benefit of the inverted full-back system if he plays Gomez there and plays it as a back three in possession? That will be up to Lijnders and Klopp to figure out.
I have to mention the handball, as that is what it was. Odegaard's arm moved towards the ball and stopped it getting through, I have no idea how VAR does not give that. I fully understand the referee missing it, but what are VAR looking at? Maybe I just no longer understand the handball laws in the game, as I have seen a number of handballs not given this season that looked as clear handballs as I have ever seen. Having seen so many not given this season though, I was not really surprised this one was not.
Putting that aside, the Liverpool performance was decent enough in the first half, but not quite full intensity for long periods, but picked up massively in the second half and really took the game to Arsenal. Despite the non-penalty and the shockingly bad miss by Alexander-Arnold on the break, I would say a draw was probably a fair result on reflection. It was an excellent but close game, with two exceptional sides going toe-to-toe for 90 minutes (plus all the assorted stoppage time). This is what Premier League football should be like - two teams going at each other trying to win the match.
Arsenal are looking a much better side this season for the addition of Rice, who has made a huge difference to them. They still lack in forward areas, Jesus works hard but lacks end product, Martinelli is quick and skillful but lacks end product and Saka, brilliant as he is, spends far too much time throwing himself to the ground looking for free kicks to actually affect games as he should. But they are certainly no longer a team to be discounted, with a good, solid backline and Rice patrolling in front of it. Whether that is enough to beat Man City, or if Arteta is good enough to take this team to the title is a different matter. He does seem to be showing signs of learning from some of his mistakes, in terms of returning to what worked last season, but with Rice in the middle plus no longer putting everyone in defence when taking a lead against rival teams. So maybe there is hope for Gooners there in terms of a title challenge.
Quick notes on the players:
Alisson - there is not a lot to say about him, when needed he comes up with big saves, he is always looking to spring quick attacks and gives the whole team a much more solid feel just by being there.
Alexander-Arnold - started off brilliantly, bombing down the flank causing trouble and putting in quality balls. Then he started to drift inside and created less problems as a result.
Konate - spent most of the game covering at right-back and dealt with Martinelli very well, almost shutting him out of the game completely.
van Dijk - a tougher game than usual for him, but once more he shone, as he has all season.
Tsimikas - was playing really well right up until he was shoved out of play and ended cleaning out Klopp, who then landed on top of him and broke his collarbone. A complete accident, but it was caused by a delberate shove off the pitch - something Wenger had warned about when he was manager of Arsenal. He did say all these snide little shoves on a player travelling by the edge of the pitch were going to result in players picking up serious injuries by colliding with something. Though I do believe he was thinking of the advertising hoardings or crashing into the crowd rather than a German football manager!
Jones - the midfield just looks far more balanced with him alongside Szoboszlai. He needs to stay fit as he was really good in this match and his fitness could make all the difference this season. He brings such control of the ball due to his ability to protect the ball, dribble around players and to pick a pass. It makes it difficult for the opposition to deal with him as he has so many options to use the ball. His workrate makes a big difference as well.
Szoboszlai - the Hungarian is playing with less freedom than he did initially, but overall he is providing much more for the team than he was. It is not as spectacular, but it is no less vital for that.
Endo - he is really looking the part right now. You can see why he was such a cult hero at Stuttgart. He does take chances on the ball, which can be dangerous, but mostly he distributes well.
Salah - once again not at his best but, once again, he popped up with a goal.
Gakpo - while it did work out well last season, I think we are now seeing why he did his best work out wide in the Eredivisie. He is not entirely suited to playing in the centre, it does not suit his game.
Diaz - drifted all over the pitch, working really hard but ultimately fairly ineffective. He seems completely unable to dribble past a player any more.
Gomez - on for the injured Tsimikas in the 34th minute to play left-back. Had an excellent game and looked natural there on the left, which has not always been the case when he plays there.
Nunez - replaced Gakpo in the 67th minute. He just needs a break to go his way right now. His workrate is always exceptional and he pushes the opposition defence back but it is just not quite happening for him.
Gravenberch - came on as part of the 67th minute triple substitution to replace Jones. Not really impressing at the moment, but he is still young so he still has time on his side to come good, but he needs to do more, work harder, fight for the ball.
Elliott - the final piece of the triple sub was Elliott, who took Diaz's place in the 67th minute. Played really well, as he has done all season when coming off the bench. His game has returned to the level he was at pre-injury and, maybe, even gone beyond it. What is most impressing me is his maturity on the pitch.
Liverpool Article 20 Dec 2023
Liverpool v Manchester United
Yet another poor performance, in a string of poor performances. This time it started out promisingly, with the team showing great intensity, attacking verve and using the width really well to pull United out of position and get the ball into dangerous areas. Then, after a few minutes of putting Man Utd under the cosh and looking like they were going to put them to the sword once again, Alexander-Arnold starts drifting inside in his inverted full-back role, the intensity and pace of the attacks vanished, along with the width. The game turned into a borefest of Liverpool passing it around slowly and cumbersomely, putting very little pressure on the United backline and either losing possession cheaply or hitting and hoping from distance. It did mean Liverpool ended up with a large amount of shots, but very few of them were actually good chances. In fact the best chances, for Liverpool, were from corners and fell to the centre-backs. Overall the best chances ended up being Man Utd chances, as Liverpool saw their chance to win slipping away and threw more and more bodies forward.
It is worrying how long this has been going on now, with the lack of width and intensity producing repeated poor performances. Sometimes they are rescued by introducing width in the second half, but it is an accident waiting to happen. What is even more worrying is some of the ridiculous, and frankly idiotic, justifications for the tactics being employed. Though I think the very worst was the one that stated it allows the team to change when it is not working. So why not start with something that works at least some of the time, then change if that is not working? You can change any system very easily mid-game, so justifying a failing tactical approach by saying you can change it is just bizarre. You need to move the opposition around to tire them out during the match, playing with no width allows them to play the way every defence wants to - narrow and compact. They are not being moved about, they are not getting tired and so are not as likely to be forced into sloppy errors. The better way would be to attack with width, force them out of their shape and then flood the centre, when they have left gaps. Not flood the centre where they are waiting for you.
To be honest, I am fed up and bored of talking about this terrible tactical approach that Klopp and Lijnders have foisted on the club. Almost as bored as I am having to watch the limp, lifeless displays of slow, passing for passing's sake approach that passes for football right now. There is so much more that can come from this team, as they showed in the first few minutes. This team is capable of pulling opponents all over the place, attacking with width and verve, playing exciting, attractive and enjoyable football. And it can win doing so. I just wish someone could actually explain a benefit that comes from this approach, which right now just smacks of the nonsense that we see at goal-kicks in the Premier League now. When the centre-back places the ball on the edge of the 6-yard box and passes it 3-yards to the side to the goalkeeper, who is then usually under immediate pressure because it has given time for the opposition to race into the box. It makes absolutely no sense and often results in loose passes, while offering nothing that I can see. It does not provide a base to launch an attack any easier than it would for the goalkeeper to kick it out to a defender, who would at least then be wide of the goal in the event of a loose touch or misplaced pass. All it does is create opportunity for the opposition as far as I can see.
It is the same with this current tactic. There is nothing that it provides that cannot be done just as simply or even better in most cases, by playing a simple back four. In fact, in many ways it has negatively impacted Liverpool's play as it has taken away Alexander-Arnold's excellent crosses from high up the pitch. For some teams I can see the sense in not wanting your full-backs charging down the flanks, but his delivery is far too good to remove it from the arsenal available to the team. At least if someone else was providing some width to create gaps for Alexander-Arnold to put the ball into down the centre it would make sense. As it is, all it has done is shut down most of the available attacking options by allowing the opposition to just sit deep and within the width of the 6-yard box.
What is telling is that, despite having two keepers on the bench and a paucity of attacking options, Klopp chose not to include either Gordon or Doak in the squad. Neither have impressed when given chances, neither look anywhere near ready for the first team and that does look an area of the squad that will need to be looked at in the summer. Salah cannot carry on forever and there is no real alternative within the squad right now. It is going to be an issue during AFCON as well this January/February time.
United came with a game plan, and showed why they have such an excellent defensive record away from home. They kept compact and very rarely allowed Liverpool any chance to get through them at all, working hard and doing a good job of frustrating Liverpool by allowing no space for them to play through. Overall they will no doubt be pleased with their performance, especially considering they were not at full strength and going to Anfield where their recent record is poor. The only real black mark for them was the bizarre double booking for Dalot. The referee had been fairly lenient up until then, but flashed two quick yellows at Dalot almost before anyone had time to realise that it was two. It was almost like he had a bet on a certain number of bookings or a red in the game and wanted to make sure, with time running out, that it came in! I am sure Dalot said something, but players on both sides had been doing that all match to him and the ref never reacted to any of it until then.
It was a solid away performance from the Manchester side, with Mainoo impressing despite his youth and inexperience. At the other end of the age scale, Evans can always be relied upon to play well, when fit, and he helped marshal their defence. Their keeper Onana still looks dodgy as a week old kebab, but was not put under enough pressure in this game to cost them anything. What will disappoint Ten Hag is not taking the chances they got, as they got the better chances, despite rarely getting across the halfway line. This could have been a perfect smash-and-grab for the Red Devils on another day, with better quality finishing.
Quick notes on the players:
Alisson - while he was not exactly kept busy, other than dealing with back passes from the defence, when it matters he came up with the save. He is just so good that he makes it look easy.
Alexander-Arnold - started off brilliantly, getting forward out wide and torturing United with some great balls. Then he drifted inside and offered very little for the rest of the game in open play as there was so little space to play a pass into. I really do not understand why he did not continue to get down the flank and provide crosses, because that was causing United's defence problems. He did put in some good deliveries from crosses, which really should have seen at least one buried, but it is just such a waste of that ability to cross sitting him centrally in games like this. If Liverpool had scored and forced Man Utd to come out a bit, then it would make sense to move him central, but when they are just sitting deep, it makes absolutely no sense to have him there in the centre.
Konate - this is the kind of game where a Matip-style centre-back is missed. Konate is a better fit to the system, stronger defensively, quicker etc, but on the ball he just is not as good and far too often he is content to just slowly roll the ball back and forth between himself, van Dijk and Alisson. Defensively he was not really tested all that much until late on, even then it was quick breaks, rather than sustained pressure. While it is not really his job to score goals, he still should be hitting the target with the headers he got. They were very weak attempts.
van Dijk - in games like this, his calm, unhurried personality is a problem. When he is needed to be upping the intensity and playing the ball quicker, he stays calm and continues to roll the ball about. Also, he is fully capable of bringing the ball out as well, in fact probably better, than Matip, something which was required to give the United defence something different to think about. I woud like to know why he so rarely does it? He used to do it regularly when I watched him before joining Liverpool, the only issue with him doing it was the amount of time it would take him to amble back, as he would make little effort to get back if the opposition broke while he was upfield. I really think he should do it more often now. Especially if the system is to remain as an inverted full-back on the right, meaning the left full-back is sitting in as almost a centre-back, giving cover for him to bring the ball out. Defensively he is playing some excellent football once more, but there is more to him than simply being a great defender.
Tsimikas - he did not offer enough in this game in my opinion. It was there for him to attack down the flank all day and put the ball in, but he produced very little offensively. Certainly not as much as he should have done.
Gravenberch - it is not happening for him at the moment. He is not looking a good fit in the midfield right now, he runs well but with very little end product. It looks very nice what he does, but the important thing in football is the end product - if you beat ten men and then put the ball in the stand that is no better than just hoofing a loose pass into the stand in actuality. He has to learn to pick the right pass at the right time.
Szoboszlai - I was wondering if he had the right shoes on watching him in this game. He never seemed to be on steady footing and that is the only excuse/reason I can think of for his passing being so consistently off target. Even if he had the wrong ones on, that is on him too, as it is not like the old days and he has countless shoes available to him in various mould and stud patterns to pick from. Still, one thing you can never complain about is his effort. He may have lots more bad games in the future as well, but so long as he continues to put in the workrate he has done so far in his Liverpool career you would think he will have a lot more good games.
Endo - had a decent game, always there fighting for the ball when United had it. He may not be the greatest player in the world, but he does a good job and provides balance to the team with his defensive attributes.
Salah - not a vintage Salah performance, though he was probably the best of the front three.
Nunez - for all his hard work he is just not playing well right now. If only a break would go his way and a ball bounce in off his backside or something and maybe he can refind his form.
Diaz - drifted everywhere looking to get involved but did not do enough on the flank, where he could have had a lot more effect. Another who is way out of form, right now he would struggle to beat an egg, let alone an opposing full-back. He just seems to have lost the ability to dribble past players.
Gomez - on for Szoboszlai in the 61st minute. This season he has been very effective in the right-back position, showing much more forward drive than previously. If only he had the quality on the ball of Alexander-Arnold I am sure he would force himself into being a first choice player there.
Gakpo - replaced Gravenberch on 61 minutes. After Gravenberch got injured, his fellow Dutchman replaced him but had about as much end product unfortunately. He gets moved from position to position so much I am not sure he is fully confident in his role in the team right now.
Jones - took the place of Nunez in the 78th minute. Hard to judge his impact as the game was changing with the double substitution. Liverpool were throwing more and more bodies forward, using the width more but leaving themselves more open at the back, while lacking a big portion of their attacking players due to the substitution. Was that why he was not able to get as involved and create as much impact as he would have liked? It is difficult to say but it is worrying that even with those extra bodies getting forward, the team were still not creating anything of real value. He has the creativity and quick feet to make something happen, but he needs to be on the edge of the box to do that, and he was not getting on the ball there enough to make a difference.
Elliott - swapped in for Diaz, also in the 78th minute. He worked hard, got forward well, but was unable to make a meaningful contribution.
Liverpool Article 11 Dec 2023
Crystal Palace v Liverpool
Another poor performance. Another match with Liverpool starting off with an inverted full-back set-up, going behind and then changing the system and getting the win. It does make you wonder how long before Klopp sees sense and starts with a flat back four and changes to an inverted full-back system as the game goes on, if it is a workable tactic. The lack of width is killing the attack and allowing opponents to defend compactly and not get dragged out of position. If the width is used early, it pulls the opposition around and tires them out, making it easier to make chances late in games. It is particularly sensible against a team like Palace, who like to defend compactly and are quite happy to give up possession, plus Palace like to attack down the flank, so it also cuts off their out ball by playing conventional full-backs. It is not rocket science, there is no need to overcomplicate things all the time.
There were positives from the game though, the heart and desire that the players showed to keep going right until the end, as always, which is something Klopp has developed in his time in charge. It has kept Liverpool up there challenging for trophies season after season. It is too early to tell whether it will do so once again this season, but the early signs are promising. This is going to be a long, hard season, and a lot will depend on keeping players fit as the season goes on. The AFCON will throw a few spanners in the works soon as well.
Palace were their usual Hodgson style, defensively solid, hard working but bland. To be fair to Hodgson though, at the moment they are struggling to keep players fit, which really can affect a side like Palace with their lack of strength in depth. When a team starts with Clyne at left-back and Ward is their captain at right-back, then you know they are in trouble. To be fair to Ward, unlike Clyne, he has improved massively since arriving in the Premier League as a player utterly out of his depth and looking like a National League player at best. Now he has reached Championship level, but it is lucky Palace do not look to keep possession, as he has a tendency to lose it regularly. They are happy to give up the ball and sit in deep, keeping within the width of the penalty box and just hope to deal with any crosses put in, while all the while hoping to hit on the counter.
I know Hodgson is upset about the second yellow for Ayew, but they were deliberately pushing things, it could have been any one of about 8 players of theirs that ended up getting sent off the way they play. What is more astonishing to me is how few yellows they actually got, when they are constantly doing all the things that referees are instructed to dish out yellows for - the deliberate take down to stop breaks, the stopping of quick free kick, time wasting and so on. Instead of his moaning, Hodgson really should try teaching his team how to actually play some football and attack, rather than just look to spoil all the time.
I have to mention VAR. Not so much the decisions themselves, but the absolutely interminable amount of time it took to reach each decision. Compounded by the referee, when asked to go to the monitor, needing a ridiculous amount of time and replays to see a blatant foul for himself. I have absolutely no idea why he needed a lengthy discussion to understand what was clear on first viewing, especially as he is supposedly trained how to spot these things. It is not exactly exciting though, having these long stoppages constantly and there is always the possibility that players are getting too cooled down standing around waiting for these decisions and that could be contributing to the spate of hamstring injuries that are going around. While there is no proven link, it is certainly not healthy for it to be so stop start in a sport known for its long, flowing passages of play. If you want something stop start, there are always American borefests like baseball and American football to follow. Football is not meant to stop unless absolutely necessary.
Quick notes on the players:
Alisson - once more he comes up with a crucial save, one that very few goalkeepers could have made. He is just so good he makes the difficult look easy and the impossible possible.
Alexander-Arnold - his performances are so good these days that even his doubters are having to accept he is a top class player. He has already produced more assists in his career than Paul Scholes and is just two away from setting a Premier League record for the most ever by a defender - and he is just 25 years old! He does look good at the base of midfield as well, though it will be interesting to see how he gets on when put under real pressure.
Quansah - struggled a little, especially with his passing. Endo got blamed for losing the ball at one point when it was simply a bad pass from Quansah that put the Japanese in trouble. He does have everything required to become a top class defender and this match will have hopefully taught him a lot. One thing he still really needs to work on is positioning. He is far too keen to look to edge in front of a forward to intercept a ball, leaving the way open to goal if the right ball is played. Quansah needs to remember that the most important thing is to stop the opponent getting a run at goal.
van Dijk - once again played well. This season has been a return to the van Dijk before the injury. Forwards are already trying to avoid him when possible, which did not help Quansah to be fair to the youngster. It is not an easy role to partner him, as almost every attacker will look to work off the partner and avoid having to battle van Dijk when they can.
Tsimikas - he is settling back into the team nicely now, offering good width going forward and defending well. He dealt with Palace's physicality very well. The more he plays, the better he is getting.
Gravenberch - had a stinker. He lacks effort defensively and his passing is poor so is not much help offensively either. There is a lot he needs to learn, not least to get stuck in when the team loses the ball, rather than float around. Definitely offers more as a substitute at the moment.
Szoboszlai - he is always everywhere, breaking up play, getting on the ball and attempting to make things happen, but it was not really working for him against Palace. I am not sure I would blame him for that, it seemed more that the front three offered little in terms of movement for most of the game.
Endo - had a poor game, Palace targeted him, getting right on him and usually fouling him when he had the ball. While he has a right to be annoyed that the referee missed a number of fouls on him which caused him to lose possession, and it took him a ridiculous amount of time to see one of them on replays, Endo has to deal with the pressure better. As the half went on he did improve, but he has to learn to release the ball quickly early on in the Premier League. You can start to take an extra touch or so once the opposition has begun to tire and the press is not so intense.
Salah - other than his goal he had an average game, but the goal made up for it. Hopefully he will relax a bit more and stop trying too hard now he has goal number 200 (and 150 in the Prem).
Nunez - had a very poor game. He does still play an important role, like Salah, in just simply occupying defenders and keeping them focused on them, but he needs to do better in front of goal. It is not like he is incapable of scoring, it was not that long ago that he was scoring regularly for club and country.
Diaz - an improved performance over the last few games, but he is still not at his best. There were signs of him edging towards better form though.
Gomez - on for Endo at half-time. Came on at right-back and provided drive and attacking thrust down the flank, particularly in the latter stages. Had a really good half of football, even his delivery was good.
Gakpo - replaced Gravenberch on 57 minutes. Once more deployed in midfield and he did decent, certainly an improvement on his fellow Dutchman's performance. However, he still looks a little laboured in there, it is clear it is not a natural position for him and he needs to think about what he is doing, rather than just doing it instinctively.
Konate - came on as part of a double substitution with Gakpo in the 57th minute, replacing Quansah. Mostly solidified the defence but there are always those rash moments that create huge risk for the team. He needs to calm down a bit. And wear mittens so that he cannot grab anyone.
Jones - took the place of Nunez in the 74th minute. Along with Elliott, his arrival really changed the game, even though he was not as visibly effective as his teammate. He brings better control of the ball when playing well, and he also has desire and work ethic along with it these days. If only he could just stay fit!
Elliott - swapped in for Szoboszlai, also in the 74th minute. As is rapidly becoming normal now, Elliott comes off the bench and has a major positive effect on the game. Even if he had not scored such a nice goal, he would have been able to be pleased with his performance after coming on. His comments about feeling like a kid at Christmas every time he pulls on the Liverpool shirt show in his play. He really plays like it means everything to him. What a goal as well.
Liverpool Article 09 Dec 2023
Sheffield United v Liverpool
After such an exciting game last time out, this one was very disappointing, mostly in terms of its lack of intensity from both teams. Not such a surprise from Liverpool, who had very little time to recover and reset after the 4-3 win over Fulham. What made it disappointing was the lack of genuine control over the game that Liverpool had, despite having 80% possession in the first half. Even with the ball almost solely in their possession, Liverpool never managed to shut down the game and control the play. Sheffield United were still in it until right until the end when Szoboszlai killed it off with the second goal. Overall I think this would be what would usually be called an efficient performance, the team played within itself and won without really moving out of second gear, but it still had its cost. The horrible challenge on Mac Allister, which cut open his knee, was somehow not even considered worthy of a yellow by the incomepetent Hooper, who has to be the worst of a very bad bunch of officials in the English leagues right now. Hamer, who I do think is a good player, does have a history of these nasty challenges designed to hurt opponents. Make no bones about it, that was what that was about - leaving one on Mac Allister early doors, knowing that a weak referee like Hooper would be too scared to punish him.
I do feel that Liverpool's tactical approach played directly into the Blades' hands. The lack of width, which is a major issue with the inverted full-back system, increased by using Gomez on the left when he is right-footed, just allowed them to stay compact and they were never really dragged out of position to open up any space centrally. Added to that, there was little danger of quality delivery from the flanks to give them much to defend there either. If the tactics are going to continue with this way of playing, flooding the centre like this, then there needs to be more danger from wide areas to create space there. Otherwise it is going to be tough going all season.
Following the harsh sacking of Heckingbottom before the game, Sheff Utd were a bit of an unknown quantity going into the game, even though Wilder had been in charge of them before. I still am a little confused by the treatment of Heckingbottom, even though I do think he is not a particularly good manager, his feat in getting them promoted deserved better. Especially as they sold his best players in the summer out from under him. I am not sure what the owner expected him to do in the circumstances. Certainly I do not see how Wilder can do anything other than making them harder to beat, because they are simply not very good and it is hard to see anything short of a miracle keeping them in the league. About their only chance will be if Everton's appeal ends in them being deducted a lot more points and Man City and Chelsea are also given massive point deductions this season too. Other than that, they are highly unlikely to survive the season.
What Wilder has done is made them more compact and more physical. They always had a tendency to kick opponents to try to level out their lack of quality, but Wilder has immediately made them snide and dirty on top of that. After almost every ball goes, they arrive late and leave something on a player, something which went completely unpunished, even when it happened millimetres away from the referee's nose. That will not be enough on his own to make them competitive, it will be up to Wilder to develop tactics to suit his players. Perhaps the return of his famous overlapping centre-backs is in prospect, or perhaps he has something new in mind? It will be interesting to see their development over the next few months. I have to say though, I really hope they get relegated because their fans are as moronic as fans come, chanting about scousers while Jack Robinson, a scouser, is producing an excellent performance for them. He even turned to them and pointed out he is scouser as well! Football fans really are imbeciles at times. Added to that the way their owner undermined Heckingbottom so that he could bring back Wilder was just plain wrong. They deserve nothing but contempt right now. It will be a blessing to have them and their fans out of this division again.
Quick notes on the players:
Kelleher - a much better performance by Kelleher, actually making saves rather than letting the ball go through him. It just shows how difficult it is for a player to just step in to a team and be expected to be at their best right away. It takes time to get the rust out of your system and become sharp. Like any skill, you improve it through repetition and your reactions quicken, enabling you to make saves that you miss when you are rusty.
Alexander-Arnold - bang on form right now. Not just attackng well, but also defending well too. Showing he is truly the best right-back around currently. And an excellent midfielder at the same time! This dual role is asking a lot of him though and it is putting a strain on the team to try to fill in all the gaps that are left. Also, I just wish someone would explain to me how it benefits the team, or him for that matter, to be receiving the ball in his own half (admittedly centrally) rather than 30 yards or so further up the pitch where he is when playing full-back. His balls from wide areas are just as capable of doing damage, more so if anything now Nunez is there to use his aerial ability, so how is it a gain for the team to play this ludicrous overcomplicated inverted full-back system that is so in vogue? If he is in midfield and there is someone wide to put quality balls in from wide areas, then that would be different. But right now all that is happening is that the team loses one of its main sources of goals - crosses from wide areas - as neither full-back is now getting forward down the flanks. Just because the other Pep, Guardiola that is, does it, it should not mean everyone else has to copy it, especially Liverpool's very own Pep. Surely a tactical 'genius' like Lijnders can come up with his own way of playing, rather than a poor copy of the City system?
Konate - he offers more solidity defensively, due to his greater awareness and pace over Matip but his tendency to grab is going to cost if he does not stop it. It is stupid to constantly keep making the same mistakes. You have to learn Ibou! The basics are all there to be a top class defender (especially as these days staying fit seems to be a thing of the past for players) but he seems incapable of just sticking to the basics and keeping his hands to himself. Though, judging by the manhandling Sheffield United were able to do in their own penalty box, not limited to just grabbing as rugby tackling is also apparently now not a penalty, maybe he is just ahead of the game?
van Dijk - in imperious form at the moment, though I do wish he would look to engage an attacker higher up the pitch rather than backing away into the penalty box! What a finish for his goal. Showed the supreme technical ability he has.
Gomez - while he can play left-back when required, it is clear he is not comfortable out there. The constant cutting back on to his right foot kills any attacking potential down his side. I have seen a lot of claims he had a mare due to one mistake and then a misunderstanding when Diaz started a run and then decided to stop running just as Gomez played the ball. Yes that pass looked stupid, but that was on Diaz not Gomez. Both the run and pass was on. Overall, he was decent enough, but it makes little sense to play him there while there are youngsters who need games who are comfortable there. If Sheffield United is not the time to give them a chance, then I do not know when is.
Mac Allister - he looked so much better further forward, while still able to get involved in defensive duties. It is such a shame he was taken out, his form had been steadily improving as the season went on and this injury was the last thing he needed.
Szoboszlai - an excellent performance once more by the Hungarian. He was once more everywhere. Whether he is scoring, assisting or not, he is always a key component of the team. What a signing he has been this season and his goal killed the game off. It is also a big plus that he can play so many roles, moving to the left to take Diaz's place after Nunez came on and he looks natural there as well.
Endo - another good performance. Endo provides more solidity and also aids the team going forward by constantly looking forward with his passing. I just do not understand why he has not played more, every time he plays he impresses. It is reminiscent of Minamino, makes me wonder if the Japanese politeness the two men have is something Klopp finds difficult to understand and deal with. Perhaps he feels that players who are that nice and polite are willing to just accept things and roll over? I am just guessing here, because it makes little sense to me that Endo has had so few opportunities. It would make sense as Klopp loves players like Mane, who could start an argument with their own shadow and Robertson, both of whom are very vocal and outgoing.
Salah - his form is not the best at the moment, added to the system forcing him out wide into positions where he is not as much of a goal threat as normal. He looks in need of a break, in terms of a lucky break of a shot going in off his backside or something. Nothing is quite falling right for him right now and he is snatching at things, I think that 200th goal is weighing heavy.
Gakpo - I really like Gakpo as a player. He is physically strong, technically adept, quick, intelligent and works hard for the team. But, and it is a big but, the team just seems to play better and offer more threat at the moment with Nunez in the central role. If Diaz's poor form continues, I would be tempted to try him off the left, where he did most of his best work in the Eredivisie. He looked better dropping into midfield after Elliott and Nunez came on.
Diaz - he is really struggling right now, no doubt emotionally and physically drained after the ordeal his family went through. If it was not for the injury to Jota, I would have thought it would do him good to have a few days off with his family to recover from it all. It is clearly affecting him and he is not looking anything like the player he can be. Hopefully he will find his form quickly.
Jones - replaced the injured Mac Allister in the 59th minute. He is not at his best right now, the sending off has really disrupted his season and then he managed to get injured again. I hope he can find a way to sort out these injury problems before they ruin his career, you simply cannot miss so many games for a big club and hope to hold down a place in the long term.
Nunez - took Diaz's place in the 66th minute, though Szoboszlai moved to the left rather than him. He immediately made a difference. His intensity changed the game. His workrate lifted everyone and woke up the home crowd. And what a tackle! I am shocked to see there are people who are questioning it. The game is already too soft, but now people are against good, clean tackles like that, rather than celebrating that a player has just shown desire for his team. Personally, I want to see more of that in the game. I love to see a good tackle, it is as exciting as a goal or goal-line clearance when a good tackle goes in and wins the ball cleanly. That is why you so often hear a crowd respond when a tackle is made.
Elliott - replaced Salah at the same time as Nunez came on. His impact when coming on as a sub has been excellent recently, and it was once again in this game. He offered more than Salah did on the right, though his time on the pitch was not as much. In part that is down to Salah, who is out of form, but in large part it is down to Elliott, whose energy and drive, along with Nunez's, gave the team a boost just when it was needed.
Gravenberch - only came on for the dying minutes as he replaced Gakpo in the 86th minute. Never really had time to do much.
Liverpool Article 05 Dec 2023
Liverpool v Fulham
I feel like I should start off by apologising to my neighbours for the noise during this game. It was just an insane game. How do you even review a game like that? It made no sense. One thing it did show up is just how much of a miss Alisson is going to be while out injured. Also how much less exciting the game would have been with him in goal, as he would have saved all three goals and it would have been a stroll! Instead it was a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions, despite Liverpool not actually playing that well. They should have had more than enough to win comfortably over this Fulham side anyway, but the gaps due to the system that is being used gave Fulham chances that they took. Against teams that use the wide areas less, it works well, as soon as you come up against a team like Fulham, who focus on the flanks anyway, it becomes a liability defensively. But I am fed up of pointing out its deficiencies and we all also know how it aids Liverpool in maintaining possession by putting an extra body in midfield, so it is time to talk about something else.
Though, before I do that, I feel I have to point out how much better the team looked in the final minutes going forward when Endo and Trent played in midfield and Gomez stayed out wide. It just provides so much better balance and attacking threat. What has to be talked about is the quality of those four goals Liverpool scored. Yes, Liverpool should not need to score four goals just to squeak a win, but it was so exciting and what goals! I mean if you are going to need to score four, you would struggle to ask for four better ones in one game. Such a shame it looks like the first one is going to go down as an own goal, which seems harsh to say the least. The team looked so much better going forward, the biggest issue being the three forwards could not have finished a fish supper last night. That made it much more difficult than it needed to be.
Fair play to Fulham, they came in and gave it a go, rather than just sitting back and looking to keep the score down in the hope of snatching something. They did struggle to get the ball, but when they did they were positive and always looked to drive forward and attack. It will be interesting to see how that result affects them. It could be the catalyst to boost their confidence and help them move up the table or losing in that way can hit their morale hard and be the beginning of a run of poor form. Marco Silva has a job on his hands making sure the players see the positives from the defeat and feel energised from pushing Liverpool so hard and coming so close to a victory. One thing is for sure, they look to have more than enough to be safe this season.
Quick notes on the players:
Kelleher - this is the problem with having Kelleher on the bench. It is adversely affecting his career because he simply is not getting enough games to keep him from getting rusty and lacks the experience to deal with being on the sidelines for such long periods. Yes, he had a disaster, all three goals would have been saved by Alisson, but it is difficult for him to be at his best. He needs more regular football to get going. I am sure he will improve but he will still be finding his feet when Alisson returns. Then he will be back to barely playing. This is the issue for back up keepers, they are on a hiding to nothing because each error is so costly and they are going to make errors as they are not playing enough to be at their best.
Alexander-Arnold - another excellent performance from Alexander-Arnold, particularly when given the chance to play as a midfielder (at last). After years of conjecture about whether he would eventually end up playing in midfield, this might actually be the time for him to prove whether it is for him. The half-way house of the inverted full-back role has shown that he has the ability on the ball to play there, but it has not left him able to showcase whether he is capable off the ball of being in midfield. He is far too busy having to get back across to the right-back position to actually show an understanding of a midfield role. This game finally gave him a decent amount of time to play in there and he looked very good. Even better when Endo came on to give him a proper partner in the centre, rather than Gomez just drifting in. And, to top it off, he scores a late winner of such quality from that position to enhance his claim. I would certainly be interested to see more of him in there.
Matip - while he was very good in the main in this game, it did showcase his two huge weaknesses. Firstly, his lack of awareness was once again on show as he had no idea what was going on and just raced out to close down at a setpiece, leaving 2 or 3 players free deep in the box. Matip had no need to rush out, there were other players charging down the ball, but he did not notice that and, even worse, had no idea that there were players right next to him that he should have been looking to mark. It is hopelessly bad schoolboy stuff, something that he does in every game. He never looks around and gets caught out time and time again. Secondly, he once again gets injured. The only thing you can rely on with Matip is to get injured if he plays a run of games. It is telling that this was just his 150th appearance despite being Klopp's favoured choice at centre-back since he arrived in 2016. That is 3 seasons' worth of games that he has managed in his 7 years at Liverpool. It is a shame as he is very good on the ball and, if just given one man to worry about, he is very good at shutting them down.
van Dijk - he is still ticking along at his imperious best, once more he was the rock in that defence. Added to that, his passing was mostly good and caused Fulham no end of problems with the long passes out from the back. That ability made it impossible for Fulham to press. There is no point when it just opens gaps for a long, raking pass to Salah.
Tsimikas - he is improving with every game, no longer is he playing safe and just passing back or sideways the moment he gets it. At times he is even driving forward and attempted to take on his opponent. Tsimikas is starting to once more look like the player that originally joined, the one that seemed capable of actually pushing Andy Robertson for his place in the team. He is not there yet but he is improving with every game.
Mac Allister - he is much better defensively now, but still getting forward when possible, as evidenced by that beautiful goal he scored. Also showed a good turn of speed to chase Iwobi down the flank, giving a lie to all who have said he is too slow to play the role. I still think he would be much better with a proper midfield partner next to him, but Mac Allister is beginning to look like he can do this role after all. Admittedly it was only Fulham, who are not the strongest team LFC have faced, but each performance like that will only improve his confidence ready for the more difficult teams to come.
Szoboszlai - plays with so much more maturity and responsibility than most players of his age. He covers almost every blade of grass and drags the opposition all over the pitch trying to keep him quiet, allowing the others to do the damage when he is not able to. Despite not getting on the scoresheet, he was one of the better players on the pitch.
Gravenberch - I have to admit he worries me. A couple of times he pulled out of challenges, though he did get stuck in afterwards, it is a worry for me that he did not immediately go out to put a foot in and show he would not be bullied. I do love the way he drifts past players with ease, but his passing is poor. Yes the stats will not show it, because the passes are often hitting the target, but far too often it is the back of the legs of the target, when they need it played in front of them. Or they have to check back or stop their run to pick up the ball that should have gone into their path. Cruyff said that a good pass is not one that reaches its target, but one that reaches the correct foot of the receiver with the right weight to enable them to use it immediately. Gravenberch rarely, if ever, plays a pass like that. He is also very suspect positionally. All are things that can be worked on for the future, but it does explain why he is so much better when coming on as a substitute with more time and space against tired legs. I was very surprised he was not the first player to be brought off to be honest.
Salah - not his best game. He seemed to be trying too hard at times not to think about his 200th goal and passed when he should have shot. Other times he was snatching at things. But he is still always a threat and his passing and playmaking is visibly improving.
Nunez - Klopp has to keep picking him because he causes so many problems for the opposition and does so much work for the team that he is very much a positive in the team, but I do wish he could just sort out his finishing. I am sure it will come, he is just so busy trying to place it in the corners that it comes with the risk of missing at the pace he moves. But when he does start hitting the target more regularly, putting them into the corners will make most unsaveable, so I would not want to ask him to change. The most impressive thing about Nunez is his work for the team and his attitude. Yes he can be fiery, but when he loses the ball or makes a mistake, there is never any hands thrown in the air or complaining, standing around expecting others to rectify it. No, the minute he makes a loose touch or pass he is chasing after the ball trying to put it right. When others are caught forward, he is always there chasing back to provide cover as well.
Diaz - he was trying too hard and had a poor game. He kept trying to do too much on the ball and lost it. His finishing was worse than Nunez's and Salah's as well. It feels like he just needs to settle back down and stop overdoing it. I wonder if having his dad there at the games is actually putting pressure on him to show his dad just what he can do?
Gakpo - replaced Szoboszlai in the 64th minute. Played in the midfield at first, then moved out to the right wing when there was a reshuffle which moved Salah central and saw Liverpool go to what was basically a 4-2-4 after Endo came on. He did some good things, always looks strong and controlled on the ball, but struggled to make any meaningful impact. The game was so end to end and messy that it really did not give him much chance to get involved in midfield.
Gomez - also came on in the 64th minute but in place of Mac Allister, to allow Alexander-Arnold to move into midfield. Gomez is having a really good season and it is such a shame that he has been so in and out of the side, but it is understandable that he is unable to displace Alexander-Arnold.
Konate - was brought on in the 69th minute when Matip once again picked up an injury. His greater pace allows him to cover across in the full-back area much better than Matip, but he is just not as good on the ball, so it is a swings and roundabouts issue. What you lose in one area, you gain in another. For me, his big problem is a tendency to grab and pull needlessly. He needs to learn to keep his hands to himself.
Endo - he took the place of Gravenberch and the team switched to a flat back four and looked so much better for it. And his goal! The composure to come on and do that so late on is not expected from a defensive midfielder. Hard to tell whether his arrival changed the game, if it was the switch to a back with two proper central midfielders, or if Fulham just dropped in to try and hold their lead, but the game did change when he came on. I would think it is probably a combination of the three, but his play makes such a difference in midfield. Mac Allister is much better than he was, but he is still nowhere near as competent as Endo is at shutting the opposition down and at providing forward momentum the moment he gets the ball.