Written by kirsikka
Huijsen in for Senesi, Araujo for Smith, and the return of Kepa in goal were the only changes from the match last time out v Chelsea. In a way, interesting that we made three defensive switches when it was our finishing more than anything that let us down last week.
Man of the match against Liverpool
Kerkez
Kepa
O. Dango
Zabarnyi
Cook
Sinisterra
Semenyo
Someone else
Twenty seconds in and Christie kicks high and connects with the Liverpool player’s armpit. He rolls on the floor clutching his lower arm in agony which isn’t even close to where the contact was made but the ref falls for it. Yellow card and we’re immediately on the back foot with our press as RC has to be extra careful for the rest of the match.
Meanwhile, Konate was allowed to stop more than one breakaway with cynical fouls before finally, the ref booked him. The name of the opposition once again seemingly influences the ref’s behaviour. Ho hum.
Let’s be honest, it wasn’t the worst refereeing performance we’ve seen it’s just when every 60-40 decision goes the way of the 40% because they’re a big club it gets tiresome.
The youth league is called Premier League 2, but instead, maybe they should start labelling the teams who get reffed as inferior club as PL2 teams just so there’s no confusion about what is going on?
We could have been ahead after a couple of minutes, but Semenyo didn’t quite hold his run and was marginally off when he slotted home. Given he was looking across the line and had ample space to run into, that was a little disappointing. Great work from Kluivert though.
The first half was 100mph stuff from both sides and we took it to them. Compared to the low block effort of the Notts lot who purloined the points at Anfield last week, it was a completely different ball game. It’s a sign of ambition to go somewhere like this and approach it in this manner, let’s not lose sight of that.
Liverpool were clearly targeting the Kerkez/Huijsen channel and it seemed their relative inexperience showed as neither was able to take charge of the situation and sort out the problem.
I understand AI may have been concerned with how often Senesi was done for pace last week, but he also made recovering challenges and blocks to save situations. This time we looked so vulnerable there. Any opposing scout will now know they should hit that channel if we ever play those two together again so work to be done. Although I expect Senesi will be back in place for our next match and I think it was an error that he didn’t start today.
Further forward, when we pressed high we were forcing mistakes and had them wobbling. Let’s not pretend we outplayed them but we went toe-to-toe and caused them all sorts of problems in the same way they caused us plenty of grief. It was quite something.
Now. We need to talk about Kepa, and that was a performance that could have been directed by Lynne Ramsey. Tragically culpable whilst also being good most of the time.
He started with a really sloppy clearance that could have cost us which had me worried, but then made solid saves until his rush of blood left us bleeding. There was no chance he was ever going to get there so you have to question his judgement, there was even a covering defender.
Simply put, that first goal came because of extremely poor keeping. Handed them the initiative in a match where we were competing and had them worried. And then two minutes later it was game over with the second. All so needless.
That one came when the midfield were completely missing as a break developed and the defence were left to be picked off. I’ll have to watch it back but it’s hard to fault the men at the back from what I saw, instead, I’d like to know where their support was on the pitch.
As for the third, well it was just exploiting our clear weakness. Even I could see it so I’m a little surprised that AI hadn’t done something about it. A long ball opens us up down our left and we’re 3v3. The defenders can’t delay the attackers enough, and a good finish makes it three.
After the break, we often controlled the match but that seemed as much down to Liverpool being comfortable with their lead and not wanting to bust a gut, happy to try and pick us off on the break, more than anything else. We created chances and some players put in notable performances but it’s a little like the GON era match where we suddenly looked good after a team was well ahead. More a sign the other team are relaxing than us completely turning things around.
It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if we had managed to get one back. Whether they could have simply moved up a gear again or whether that would have spurred us on. Yet, once again our finishing let us down. We’ve created chances but the goal column shows zero.
I haven’t checked the final stats but with fifteen minutes to go our goal attempts were similar to Liverpool, but from theirs, they had twelve on target whereas we had three. That pretty much describes the game.
The chance from the corner that hit the underside of the bar, and ricocheted off a Liverpool player only to be beaten out on the line by the keeper and land kindly for them is our season in microcosm so far (THAT ten minutes aside).
At the end of it all we can say is this is no longer Klopps Liverpool, and Darwin showed the evolution that has already taken place with them. It was very often his movement that was the origin of the spaces being exploited today.
Selected Player Watch
— Huijsen ––
Welcome to the Premier League. Exposed by the tactics and the combined inexperience of him and his left-back partner. Should have been subbed at half time, but we got lucky in Liverpool taking their foot off the gas.
— Kepa ––
Undid all his good work and decent saves with a terrible misjudgement that handed the lead to Liverpool and changed the course of the game. Mistakes happen but when you’re a keeper their importance is amplified. In matches like this, at a club like ours, we don’t have leeway for brain farts of that proportion. And that was one noxious air biscuit.
— Semenyo ––
Very often the player around which a lot of the more positive stuff revolved. Hasn’t really been connecting with his shots, including today, but he at least looked very dangerous. Thought he should have stayed on and Tavs come off.
— Dango ––
Not perfect but caused problems. Surely due a start soon? Has definitely stepped ahead of Sinisterra in the ‘next in line’ winger stakes.
— Kerkez ––
He was a Duracell bunny out there, never stopping. Felt sorry for him that he was so often ignored for the overlap, with players preferring to use him as a decoy. Defensively he was exposed. Still made some good challenges but I think he was a victim of the tactics today rather than his ability.
AI and Tactics Watch
I’m mainly judging today on the first half because Liverpool were on cruise control in the second, happy to just try and catch us on the break since they knew we had to commit men forward. And that first 45 is… a conundrum.
We matched them in almost every department and caused them far more problems than they would have been expecting. In many respects, it was one of our best away first-half performances at one of the Sky Six. The main difference was the repetition that we aren’t taking our chances when they come, unlike our opponents. The main difference was the repetition that we aren’t taking our chances when they come, unlike our opponents. The main difference was the repetition that we aren’t taking our chances when they come, unlike our opponents.
Gets annoying, doesn’t it?
It’s harsh to look critically at what happened but you could argue after the first went in, AI should have asked Cook to sit back a bit more. When Liverpool broke and he was in position, he was often the man to break up the attack with his bustle, breaking ranks by getting to the ball carrier and harrying them into an error.
At the same time, is the reason we were putting Liverpool under so much pressure because of this desire to get Cook further forward giving us an extra body? Could we have done one without the other? I don’t know, but if I wanted to be hyper-critical, I’d say AI could have tweaked things with Cook sitting far deeper immediately after the first goal just so we could take stock. Even if it cost us a little attacking impetus for a while.
Ultimately, we often play a high-risk system, and when it comes off, AI looks like a genius. When it fails, we look naive. Today we sort of looked the latter.
I’d still say there was a lot to like about us out there. We have things we clearly need to address, and I don’t only mean our finishing, but the positives still outweigh the negatives.
On the balance of the match, I don’t think we could claim Liverpool didn’t deserve the win, unlike in some other games we’ve seen recently, but they’ll also know they’ve been in a game. And played against a team that won’t just sit in a low block and hope to snatch something.
That’s something to cherish. Under this manager, we’re more than we’re meant to be in how we play the game. Greater than our perceived status as perennial relegation battlers looking to eke out 35 points.
However, we need to start turning the chances we’re making into goals. The next match is the perfect one in which to do it since Russell Martin’s possession for possession’s sake style is built for exploiting by a fast and effective press. Let’s hope we turn in a similar high level of performance and don’t spurn the opportunities when they come.
Your say…
AFCBade wrote…
Another comfortable win at Anfield and although we have a good account of ourselves we looked far too open at times. The number of times Kerkez was left one-on-one with Salah was troubling.
I posted after Chelsea that I would swap Huijsen and Senesi but need to give Huijsen time to get used to the prem – just as Senesi did.
The first goal is often critical at Anfield and you have to question whether Kepa was the right signing if we want an upgrade on Neto.
Decent response second half – Liverpool did relax a bit but they were also forced back by our attacks. Felt similar to last season’s 3-1 game and harsh to get nil this season.
Another cameo by a ref keen to give the benefit of the doubt to Liverpool’s challenges and book ours.
Long day and just got home after a drive through thunder and lightning storms with a heavy heart as these days out at Liverpool are becoming a bit repetitive. – To join the conversation, click here.