Mixed Blessings
How Liverpool won the tactics against Everton.
Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold graced the right side of the pitch under Jürgen Klopp for the best part of a decade. Two of the most dangerous players in Premier League history working in tandem on the same wing. Lovely.
The former has scored a billion times in red, while the latter developed a reputation for being the ultimate creator before packing up and moving to Madrid in the summer just gone.
A pair of generational talents. But their powers almost fostered tactical questions for Klopp on the defensive end. Salah was — and still is — that good that he was granted the luxury of not having to track back at Anfield.
And Alexander-Arnold, despite his conventional label as a full-back, was presented with a similar get-out-of-jail card, with Liverpool appointing Ibrahima Konaté as a pseudo-babysitter for the ex-Reds defender.
The duo represented Klopp’s biggest strength, but painted themselves as a weakness in the same vein. Fielding them on the same flank was a blessing and a curse for the Reds. Incredible on the ball, useless in defence.
Liverpool’s right side struck fear into most opponents, while also acting as a weird source of hope for them, too. A countless number of managers target Salah and Alexander-Arnold with the awareness that neither of them fancied getting covered in mud.
Klopp toyed with that double-edged sword for the entire duration of his tenure.
Well, on Saturday afternoon, Arne Slot highlighted Everton’s very own mixed blessing in the form of Jack Grealish, who I thought was great at Anfield. A huge danger for most of the bout.
Grealish created more shots than anyone else on the field, found the penalty box with the most passes, and posted more than twice as many progressive carries as anybody else. And that’s including Liverpool players.
His presence perhaps explains why Jeremie Frimpong failed to get on the pitch, with Conor Bradley tasked with showcasing his defensive ability for 93 minutes against the former Manchester City star.
Grealish was a menace for David Moyes. All of the good stuff generated by the Blues originated from his right foot, with the 30-year-old also playing a crucial part in Idrissa Gueye’s goal.
But as good as Grealish was, you could argue he was also the source of Everton’s downfall, having been presented with the same superstar status as Salah, albeit for a team that isn’t quite as good.
The Blues talisman isn’t the keenest defender. Ask Pep Guardiola. And when he does decide to track back, he’s not particularly quick, either. Superb on the ball, not great without it.
Liverpool knew what was coming.
Grealish was at the scene of the crime for every goal in the match, including the two scored by the Reds.
Let’s take a glance at the opener, with Bradley making an early run beyond him. Once doing so, Grealish passes on the responsibility of following him with a gesture towards his centre-back, shown below. Watch carefully.
Michael Keane tracked Bradley as instructed, resulting in a gap forming between him and his centre-back partner, James Tarkowski. Salah found that space with a delicate lofted pass, before Ryan Gravenberch found the net with a genius finish. Go back and watch it again.
The freedom presented to Gravenberch is something to monitor in the coming weeks. I saw tons of rotations and fluidity between Slot’s midfield trio in this game, more than usual. The kind showcased by Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz last term. We’ll keep an eye on it.
Alright, so once is a coincidence, cool. Twice isn’t. Let’s go again. Liverpool’s second goal of the clash followed a similar theme, with Gravenberch drifting into the space behind Grealish before playing a through ball into the path of Hugo Ekitike. Goal. Watch closely.
After the clash, Slot kinda admitted his team’s intentions in an interview with TNT Sports, stating: “Similar goals, both times we targeted the same area where we had players with higher pace to come into those situations. The first one, great finish. The second one, same area.”
Gotcha.
That’s tactics for you. Always about pros and cons. Highlighting strengths while masking weaknesses. Grealish was pretty capable throughout the contest to be fair to him, but fielding him inevitably leaves the door open somewhere.
Liverpool executed their plan twice with supreme precision. It just goes to show derby matches aren’t solely determined by passion, slide tackles and red cards. There’s always room for strategy.
Six wins from six. We’ll start playing well soon.
Great spot Josh. That’s why I’m subscribed here
This sort of stuff literally changes how o watch the game. I love it. Thanks Josh.