Match data from WhoScored, except average position from the SofaScore app.
It is more than fitting that we end this campaign with a defensive masterclass.
2016-17, 2017-18, Liverpool sides defined by the heights hit in attack. Salah, Mané, Firmino just tearing' shit up. Liverpool sides that were tremendously fun. But Liverpool sides which won fuck all.
That ain't this Liverpool side.
It has been a long process getting Liverpool's defense to the level where an early goal can mean 88 minutes of defensive shell and that defensive shell actually holding firm for said minutes.
Yes, yes, Premier League only, because that's what I've got on-hand, but the Champions League has seen similar. The shots allowed this season have been vastly less threatening, the opposition are putting fewer on-target, and Liverpool's goalkeeper has saved more of them. This shouldn't be news to anyone who's seen Liverpool this season and last.
There's Virgil van Dijk. Alisson Becker. But, again, team. Joël Matip starting the season as fourth choice but finishing with an admittedly half-fit Harry Kane in his pocket. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, in attack but also at the back. Fabinho. Gomez for the first half of the season, Lovren when fit and needed.
On Saturday, there's Van Dijk's last man tackle on Son's break in the 75th minute. Alexander-Arnold's crucial block on Dele Alli in the 54th minute. Alisson's eight saves, all of them after the 65th minute. Liverpool may well not win without those moments. There are a lot of defensive moments like that we can point to all season long, whether Napoli in the group stage or Barcelona a few weeks ago or etc etc etc.
There have been multiple reasons for the defensive improvement. Here's one.
Alisson Becker, Liverpool 18-19 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE radar and shots faced. pic.twitter.com/DlsmCRnvav
— StatsBomb (@StatsBomb) June 3, 2019
Otherwise known as the guy who made eight saves between the Tottenham's first substitution and Liverpool's second goal.
And while we've seen the most statistical improvement in the Premier League, Liverpool's defense has been better in the Champions League this season as well. A bit. Just nowhere near as much compared to the league improvement.
I'm more than willing to credit that to the opposition. Liverpool's run last year was easier, even if easier is very much a relative term. The group included a side which ended up seventh in La Liga, a side which finished third in Russia, and the second-placed Slovenian side; the knockout rounds had Manchester City, but also Porto (1st in Portugal) and Roma (3rd in Italy). We had Liverpool's goal-average insanely boosted by 7-0 wins over Spartak and Maribor, but there were more impressive five-goal performances against Roma and Porto.
This year, we had the mega-rich runaway Paris St-Germain, Italy's second best side in Napoli, and Serbian Champions Red Star Belgrade in the group; the German winners, Spanish winners, and Portuguese runners-up in the knockout rounds. No European fixture is truly easy, etc, but that's an awful lot of league winners that Liverpool had to beat to lift this trophy for the sixth time.
There isn't a ton to analyze from Saturday's match because of Liverpool's early penalty. It truly defined the game, and led Liverpool to play quite a bit differently than I expect they would have without scoring in the first few minutes. Had Liverpool's attack played like *that* in a match that stayed 0-0, who knows.
But that penalty also led to a match which demonstrated just how far Liverpool have come at the back. And that's more than good enough for me.
So Saturday was and wasn't in keeping with a lot of what we'd already seen this season. Sure, that was Liverpool's least possession and lowest passing accuracy in a match this season. We saw few dangerous opportunities on the break, no shots or key passes from Mané, probably not helped by a disjointed and not match-fit Firmino. We got far more shots from distance, in proportion and in total, than is usual this season.
It was also very hot, very humid, and there had been three weeks since either team played a competitive fixture, and it showed.
But we got a fairly lucky Liverpool goal and a Liverpool set play goal. An early goal and a late goal. And some very good defending in between. Yep, this season's Liverpool does that.
Liverpool scored first and shut up shop. Tottenham couldn't break through until making substitutions, starting by sacrificing midfield for attack with Moura for Winks, with just six shots for the opening 65 minutes then ten in the final 25, including all eight on target.
But Liverpool had already made its substitutions. Klopp, more proactive than usual in the heat and after a three-week layoff, brought on Origi for the counter that was always coming and Milner for fresh legs and pressing and midfield compactness and experience.
And, yes, Tottenham could have equalized with better finishing or worse goal-keeping. Lucas Moura did have a clear-cut chance, put off-target rather than needing to be saved. We've seen shots from where Eriksen's free kick was taken beat previous Liverpool goalkeepers. Tottenham are a good side and Pochettino's no fool. But Liverpool were prepared for what was coming, planned accordingly, and saw everything out. Unlike the meeting at Anfield two months ago, where Liverpool were pushed back and back and back by Tottenham's changes and were lucky to stay at 1-1 and somehow even got 2-1 at the death. It is good to be lucky, better to be good, and best to be lucky and good.
This Liverpool side did it. Thankfully, because I don't know if I could have taken another "so close, yet so far" moment.
This was Liverpool's fourth final. Losses in the League Cup and Europa League in Klopp's first season, the loss in last season's Champions League. They'd yet to lose in a two-legged European tie, whether 2015-16, 2017-18, or 2018-19. This was the first time that Liverpool had been favored in a final. And Liverpool were coming off a league campaign where they'd scored the third-most points in Premier League history and only finished second. And had three weeks to think about it. Liverpool were in dangerous of becoming 1970s Netherlands at best – bridesmaids rather than brides, remembered for fun sides and beautiful football and not winning with it. And that's seemingly a best case scenario.
But that did not happen.
This Liverpool side deserved far, far more than nearly. This Liverpool side is far, far better than nearly. Promised finally fulfilled. And you can't help feeling that it's only just begun.
3 comments :
NATE!!!!!! Thanks as always for this post, and another year of good reading. It's a genuine pleasure to follow this team along with you. Here's to another great year in 19/20!
Hi Nate, I want to thank you for making me a Liverpool fan. I was just learning about the existence of club football around the 2010 World Cup and I read an interview you had with Marc Faletti. It was probably a downer about the current state of the club, but something about your humor and analysis made me want to learn more about this crazy club. So cheers to our journey from near-bankruptcy and the Hodge to the Champions of Europe!
somewhere, paul konchesky is smiling down at us.
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