Liverpool will be aiming to stay top of the Premier League this weekend with a victory over Manchester United, but Jurgen Klopp’s side are facing something of a defensive injury crisis.
Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all been ruled out, meaning Klopp has some important team selection decisions to make.
Klopp has predominantly lined up with a back four made up of Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson this season, but he will have to make two changes to that defensive line on Sunday.
That could hurt the Reds, who have the best defensive record in the Premier League so far this season, conceding just six goals in 16 matches. Across all competitions, they have shipped only 15 goals in 23 games.
Manchester United are currently 16 points behind Liverpool but Jose Mourinho’s side can make up some ground by exploiting the hosts’ absences, and a few lingering defensive weaknesses.
How exactly will the Red Devils go about doing that? We’ve had a look at every goal Liverpool have conceded this season and created a blueprint for United to find the net.
Exploit room on the flanks
Mourinho would be wise to instruct his players to feed the flanks – areas Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial should be constantly occupying – as quickly as possible whenever the ball is recovered.
When Liverpool attack, their full-backs push high up the pitch, leaving plenty of room in behind. If United’s central midfielders – possibly Ander Herrera, who Mourinho often calls upon in big games – can get the ball into those gaps instantly, Rashford and Martial should have room to exploit.
Feeding the wide attackers while the Liverpool full-backs are up field should also drag the centre-backs out of position.
Liverpool were caught out in this way against Napoli in the Champions League away from home. Robertson was up-field, so Van Dijk took it upon himself to deal with a pass out to the right flank. The Dutchman was beaten and Gomez couldn’t track Napoli’s central runners alone (Alexander-Arnold was also up-field).
United’s chances of utilising the above approach should be aided by the absence of Gomez and Alexander-Arnold. The defenders set to step in – Nathaniel Clyne and Dejan Lovren – aren’t as sharp or quick respectively to get back into position following attacks.
Early through balls
Two goals Liverpool have conceded this season stand out in that they resemble the common idea of ‘poor defending’, but in fact represent clever attacking play from the opposition.
Eden Hazard’s opener in Liverpool’s 1- 1 draw at Stamford Bridge looked preventable. However, it was an example of how to catch out Liverpool’s high-line: play through balls early rather than patiently building up play.
This is actually how Liverpool themselves often attack, playing instant passes through to Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to catch the opposition unaware. Chelsea played the Reds at their own game when Mateo Kovacic released a quick through ball to Hazard, who made no mistake with an unerringly accurate finish.
The same thing happened against Arsenal at the Emirates. Van Dijk failed to track Alexandre Lacazette’s early run, and the through ball came surprising early, leaving Liverpool’s back line – including Alisson – in chaos before Lacazette finished from a tight angle.
What’s more, as mentioned above, the absence of Alexander-Arnold and Gomez means Liverpool will lack the pace and sharpness to recover in these situations down their right side. Rashford, take note.
Low crosses
Swinging high crosses into Liverpool’s penalty area from open play is a fool’s errand. Virgil van Dijk has won 4.42 aerial duels per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, while only Cardiff’s Sean Morrison (6.91) has won more than Dejan Lovren (6.25).
For that reason, United should produce low crosses, something Liverpool have struggled to deal with at times lately. Napoli, Cardiff and PSG have all scored from low crosses against the Reds this term.
Van Dijk has become an elite centre-back since moving to Anfield, but he isn’t always perfect at adjusting his feet, as we saw for Juan Bernat’s goal for PSG at the Parc des Princes. And it’s common knowledge Lovren has a mistake in him.
Mourinho might consider playing Juan Mata in an advanced role to left – or at least giving him permission to roam into that area – so United have a creative outlet to produce low crosses without having to cut inside.
Flood the box at set pieces
Liverpool have conceded three goals from set-pieces this season, which isn’t a huge amount, but the way in which those goals were scored is noteworthy.
Two of them were corners swung to the back post. Erik Lamela crashed in a half-volley for Tottenham, and Alexander-Arnold was beaten in the air against Burnley, eventually resulting in Jack Cork slotting home a rebound after an Alisson save.
Sending deliveries to the pack post eliminates the chance of Van Dijk or Lovren getting a head to the ball. Mourinho should consider utilising one of his most effective players, Marouane Fellaini, at the back post to head the ball back into the danger area.
Chelsea’s set-piece goal against Liverpool in the EFL Cup, scored by Emerson Palmieri, was the result of a near-post header. Simon Mignolet was forced into a save, just as Alisson was at Burnley, and Liverpool couldn’t deal with the rebound.
If United flood the box at set-pieces, they will have a better chance of scoring from similar rebounds, and there will more players to latch onto Fellaini’s knock-downs. They must, however, be wary of the Liverpool counter-attack.
The post How can Man Utd exploit Liverpool’s defensive “crisis”? appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2PEw0aT
No comments:
Post a Comment