{"id":1085,"date":"2017-11-01T22:40:05","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T22:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/?p=1085"},"modified":"2017-11-01T22:40:05","modified_gmt":"2017-11-01T22:40:05","slug":"liverpool-3-maribor-0-match-review-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/liverpool-3-maribor-0-match-review-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool 3 &#8211; Maribor 0: Match Review &#038; Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There was pretty much no way that tonight would turn out as anything other than an anti-climax. When you beat a team 7-0 on their own ground, setting your club team record for an away win in Europe at the same time, everyone expects the home game to be nothing other than a cakewalk. The expectations for Maribor were so low that most of the home crowd were surprised that they could tie their shoelaces. Their last visit to the UK ended in a 6-0 loss to Chelsea, with their six visits to these shores ending with an average scoreline of 13-2. Whichever way you look at it, Liverpool were expected to win this game comfortably.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en-gb\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">There must be about 2000 spares knocking about for tonight.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ian Ryan (@Ian1892T) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ian1892T\/status\/925703754669846528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">1 November 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>If you didn\u2019t already know that supporters were expecting us to batter the Slovenian side then a quick look at Twitter would have confirmed as much. Every other tweet on my timeline seemed to be someone saying that they had a spare ticket going. The manager might have wanted to tell everyone that we weren\u2019t going to be complacent, but at a time when money\u2019s tight it was hardly surprising to see so many decide their cash could be better spent elsewhere. The question was, would the players be like the supporters and fail to turn up? Or would it be a repeat of the game at the Ljudski Vrt Stadium?<\/p>\n<h2>This Was Good Practice<\/h2>\n<p>Despite the team\u2019s obvious and repeated defensive failings so far this season, Jos\u00e9 Mourinho showed that even the most experienced and moneyed of teams won\u2019t turn at up Anfield with all guns blazing. Perhaps only Manchester City will have the confidence to come at us on our home turf in a fully attacking manner, with pretty much every other team we\u2019re going to face likely to turn up and park the bus. Figuring out how to pick the locks of those deep-lying defences will be key to any success we\u2019ll enjoy this season. It might not have been fun to watch, then, but the defensive display from Maribor gave the Reds a chance to get some practice in against precisely those sorts of tactics.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-lang=\"en-gb\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This has been a theme of 2017. We must&#8217;ve seen it at least 15 times. And until we prove we can overcome it, opponents will keep doing it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dan Kennett (@DanKennett) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DanKennett\/status\/925824894092414976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">1 November 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The more that it works, the more teams will turn up and do it. We\u2019re at our best trying to counter those tactics when we move the ball quickly. This isn\u2019t a team that can play at half-pace, so I can only assume that J\u00fcrgen Klopp decided to let them save their legs in the first-half in order to turn of the pace in the second. In many ways the game was identical to the match against Huddersfield on Sunday, with a slow and measured first-half and a much more pacy second one. There was even a missed penalty to complete the comparison! Deep-lying defences won\u2019t be easily unlocked by slow football and it\u2019s bizarre that a side that so regularly took teams apart last season playing at tempo would play without it this time around.<\/p>\n<h2>We\u2019re Better When We Move It Quickly<\/h2>\n<p>Is it a tactic from the manager? We\u2019ve all seen the stats about the press being significantly reduced this season and we\u2019ve now witnessed two games in a row where we\u2019ve been slow out of the blocks. That\u2019s to say nothing of other games earlier in the campaign when we did exactly the same thing, with our draw against Seville in this very competition coming because of a lack of quick and intelligent movement. It\u2019s difficult to imagine that it\u2019s not a tactic, considering how often it\u2019s happening and the fact that the manager isn\u2019t doing anything to counter it.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en-gb\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I know it&#8217;s not easy playing against a side content with sticking all ten outfield players behind the ball but we&#8217;re not helping ourselves<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sam McGuire (@SamMcGuire90) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamMcGuire90\/status\/925823814126194688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">1 November 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It would have been an understandable choice tonight, of course. I\u2019ve already spoken about the extent to which this game was seen as a routine win before a ball had been kicked, so if the German had made a choice to save the legs of his players by asking them to start slowly and work their way into the game over time it would have made sense. Even so, the first two goals and the penalty came about because of quick, intelligent movement around the box. The second in particular was a delightful goal to watch, with the passing leading to James Milner\u2019s layoff for Can too much for Maribor to keep up with. If it wasn\u2019t a tactic then did Klopp get his starting eleven wrong?<\/p>\n<h2>Did The Manager Get The Team Wrong?<\/h2>\n<p>If you want a team to move the ball quickly and for players to add pace to your team then there\u2019s absolutely zero point playing both James Milner and Emre Can at the same time. They both have attributes that they bring to the side, but having them in the same midfield is never likely to make an opposition team quake in its boots. I\u2019ve been critical of Milner in particular recently, though the former Aston Villa and Manchester City man has only been doing what he\u2019s always done &#8211; putting in a stint but being unremarkable. Can, meanwhile, is obviously a player full of ability but with a change of pace more reminiscent of an ocean liner than a sports car.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en-gb\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Exactly the kind of game we could do with Coutinho in midfield. Henderson, Can and Milner all too safe and static at the moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Joel Rabinowitz (@joel_archie) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joel_archie\/status\/925824940334567425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">1 November 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The manager would no doubt point to the injury to Gini Wijnaldum early in the first-half as being problematic, but the reality is that we looked far too slow and ponderous before that happened. Without Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana J\u00fcrgen Klopp\u2019s choices are limited, of course. Even so, I would have liked to have seen Klopp throw his 4-3-3 out of the window for once and play a side that made the most of the players he had available to him. It would have been nice to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain start in midfield rather than the front three, for example, with Daniel Sturridge up-front alongside Dominic Solanke.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1010\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0436-533x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0436-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0436-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0436-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_0436-65x50.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This might seem a bit churlish after a 3-0 win, but I\u2019m starting to get a bit concerned about what, if anything, the manager\u2019s learning from our poor performances. Seeing the same line-ups play the same formations against teams that will play in the same way feels like it will backfire at some point. Selecting players that have a natural inclination to move slowly and try to unpick a lock rather than force it might cause trouble on a day when things don\u2019t click moving forward. Hopefully I\u2019m wrong and we continue to rack up the wins like we have in our last two games. Unlike some supporters, I\u2019m more than happy to be wrong if it means Liverpool are winning!<\/p>\n<h2>We Can\u2019t Complain About Regulation Wins<\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s be honest, we can\u2019t turn our noses up at two regulation wins in a row. Under previous managers these became so common they were boring, but they\u2019ve been so rare in recent times that we\u2019re now not used to them. Such is the surprise, in fact, that it\u2019s actually worth celebrating racking up two back-to-back regulation 3-0 home wins. I said after the Huddersfield game that it might take a while for Liverpool supporters to get used to boring first-halves but victories coming at the end of the end of it all. It might take the manager just as long. He\u2019s used to heavy metal football and going hell for leather, so it\u2019s going to be against his nature to play in this more conservative style.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en-gb\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Feels a lot like Sat. First half of toil and then goal early-ish in second half. Now can <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a> make it as regulation as Huddersfield became?<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Andy Kelly (@AndyK_LivNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndyK_LivNews\/status\/925827904256331776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">1 November 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>As long as we keep picking up victories then it really doesn\u2019t matter whether we\u2019re slow, quick or somewhere in the middle. I\u2019ve got a suspicion that the manager is so panicked about the amount of games we\u2019ve got to play in December and January that he\u2019s doing his best to save his players\u2019s legs. After all, that was the point last season at which the wheels fell off our campaign, when losses in the FA Cup and League Cup combined with disappointing draws in the league to leave us off the pace in all three.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_928\" style=\"width: 543px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-928\" class=\"size-large wp-image-928\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_9709-533x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_9709-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_9709-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_9709-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_9709-65x50.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-928\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Before A Big Game<\/p><\/div>\n<p>He\u2019ll want to avoid a similar thing happening this time around, which might explain away our more cautious football. Again, though, regulation wins are nothing to complain about and if Klopp, his backroom staff and the players themselves are getting used to picking up some standard wins then I don\u2019t think anyone will be complaining.<\/p>\n<h2>Oxlade-Chamberlain &amp; Salah<\/h2>\n<p>Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain finally got his Anfield start and he took his chance with both hands. He was particularly impressive in the first-half when plenty of the other players were lacking drive and decisiveness. He was a bit quieter in the second period, though he still played some brilliant balls into the box that no one was there to get on the end of. If he was playing well enough to justify his price tag, Mohamed Salah continues to be the signing of the summer. His goal today was his tenth of the season and he is absolutely on fire at the moment. For all that the manager made some mistakes this summer, a huge amount of praise is deserved for the arrival of the Egyptian.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en-gb\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A 10th goal already for Liverpool for Mo Salah. A magnificent signing, and a bargain.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HenryJackson87\/status\/925828181206228993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">1 November 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>This is a stat I\u2019ve mentioned before, but Liverpool conceded 21 goals in the first-half of last season and were second in the league. During the second-half of the campaign we conceded another 21 goals, yet we barely scraped our way into fourth. What changed from one part of the season to the next? The loss of Sadio Man\u00e9 for a long period of it. Man\u00e9 is out again right now, but we\u2019re not missing him because of our new number eleven. His goal was well taken from a brilliant ball in by Trent Alexander-Arnold, unlocking the Maribor defence and sending us on our way to three points. We\u2019re not just one more win away from qualifying for the knockout phase, which is exactly where we should &#8211; and want to &#8211; be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There was pretty much no way that tonight would turn out as anything other than an anti-climax. When you beat a team 7-0 on their own ground, setting your club team record for an away win in Europe at the same time, everyone expects the home game to be nothing other than a cakewalk. The expectations for Maribor were so low that most of the home crowd were surprised that they could tie their shoelaces. Their last visit to the UK ended in a 6-0 loss to Chelsea, with their six visits to these shores ending with an average scoreline [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1085"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1086,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1085\/revisions\/1086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}