Match data from WhoScored, except average position from the SofaScore app.
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Is the midfield or the front three more responsible for Liverpool's flagging attack, both (yesterday) and in other similar instances this season?
We've complained about a lack of creativity from midfield before. And, since Liverpool failed to score for a second successive match, in a match where Liverpool's midfield did next to nothing in attack, we're complaining about it again.
Passes in the penalty area from midfield would be a good start.
*Gulps, tugs collar*
Key passes would be helpful as well.
It takes a while to get to one of Liverpool's starting midfielders in this match. Milner's chance creation is often set play based, and there's the five or six games at full-back, but he's at least creating chances, and three of his five assists have come from open play. You and I both know that creation isn't necessarily Fabinho, Wijnaldum, or Henderson's job, but it'd be helpful. Especially in matches like this.
Saturday's midfield three combined for one key pass yesterday: Fabinho's layoff for Milner on that first-minute indirect free kick.
*Gulps, tugs collar*
There have been matches where each has been creative. Wijnaldum at Bournemouth, Fabinho against Palace, both Wijnaldum and Fabinho in the reverse fixture, just off the top of my head. But it's also telling that neither Wijnaldum nor Henderson has an assist this season, while Fabinho has two, albeit one from a set play and both while playing in a 4-2-3-1 system back in December.
City – admittedly built in a much different manner, with a very different playing style – have David Silva, de Bruyne, Gündogan, and Bernardo Silva well over 1.0 key passes per 90 minutes. Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Barkley, and Kanté all average more for Chelsea. Arsenal have Özil, Ramsey, Mkhitaryan, and Xhaka. Tottenham, probably the most similar to Liverpool in this regard, at least have Eriksen, Dele Alli, and Sissoko over 1.0 key passes per 90 minutes.
Of course, Liverpool's front three only combined for one key pass at United, so…
It's not as if the midfield is the only area suffering from a lack of creativity.
The dip in the earlier part of the season stems from both the switch to 4-2-3-1 and Mané missing a couple of games while both Salah and Firmino were subs in one or two others. But the averages rebounded, and Liverpool won more games, and the winter was pretty damned good. And for the most part, the shots, the shots have remained fairly consistent. The key passes have not. And then you add the lack of creation from midfield as well and you get Saturday.
You also get this.
The goals, there are fewer of them. Almost proportional to the fewer clear-cut chances as well. And it's been happening for a few matches now, as I suspect you're well aware. Whether Saturday was the culmination of that decline or just a new low remains to be seen.
And so we got just seven shots despite 65% possession, with five of them from set play, just one on-target from a very long way out, and neither a clear-cut chance nor a goal. We went from Liverpool's highest shot total – by far – in the reverse fixture two months ago to the joint-lowest in this. Yes, Liverpool still needed two deflected goals in the reverse fixture to win. Yes, Klopp's got a point about how United's injuries both slowed and disrupted Liverpool; you can see similar when a side goes down to ten men. Yes, in isolation, a point isn't a bad result at Old Trafford. Yes, a point returns Liverpool to the top of the table; here we are with problems, complaining about being ahead of one of the most impressive sides ever assembled.
But the trends continue, and not in a good way. Draws continue, this the fourth in five matches. And I remain worried.
2 comments :
Their performances are worrying. The training didn’t seem to help translate onto the pitch.
Their movements and smart play seemed to have vanished. Still not enjoying their football.
Hopefully their leaden feet will be banished next vs Watford. Yet another chance to right the wrongs in their playing.
No more dropped points please here on end. They never seem to want to grasp at the chances they are given to seal it.
Was it 11 draws during Rafa time. Too many then.
So mancity 0-0. Bayern 0-0 manu 0-0. The latter 2 a relatively poorer side than they can be. Although still with good players.
Those Draws like with chelsea were when we were suppose to be playing well. But they still haven’t gotten out of the blocks yet. Now is the time more than ever to get firing and being clever. Too nice perhaps with the lowest number of cards. Yet still battling ref issues and fan confidence. No pressure at all!
When I first saw the lineup Sunday morning I assumed it had to be 4-2-3-1 with Gini on the right and Fab-Hendo as the holding midfield. Was very surprised to see it played 4-3-3. A pragmatic approach to a game at Old Trafford when ManU are seemingly playing very well is not the worst game management approach, but it does feel like Klopp is being extra pragmatic all season.
Shaqiri's usage is a question. He almost literally checks all the boxes that we have been missing over the last month or so, and yet Klopp will not play him as a natural #10.
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