{"id":426,"date":"2016-04-08T13:20:53","date_gmt":"2016-04-08T13:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/?p=426"},"modified":"2016-04-19T13:56:46","modified_gmt":"2016-04-19T13:56:46","slug":"borussia-dortmund-1-liverpool-1-an-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/borussia-dortmund-1-liverpool-1-an-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Borussia Dortmund 1 &#8211; Liverpool 1 Match Report &#038; Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Confounding Expectations<\/h2>\n<p>In the build-up to the game it seemed as if Liverpool were only going to the Westfalenstadion to make up the numbers. Such was the sense of Dortmund\u2019s superiority over the Reds that it\u2019s a miracle the lads were even able to tie up their shoelaces before running on the pitch.<\/p>\n<p>In fairness, Dortmund\u2019s run so far this calendar year has been impressive. I say impressive, I mean terrifying. Seventeen games before last night had resulted in fifteen wins and two draws. Over two legs against Tottenham, a team likely to finish at least second in the Premier League, they scored five and conceded just one. They have been, for want of a better word, imperious.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">2 &#8211; Liverpool have won only two of their previous 17 away games in Germany (incl. East Germany). Struggle.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OptaJoe\/status\/718143860925407232\">April 7, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Even Klopp has spent the weeks since the draw was made talking about his old club as one of \u2018the top five teams in the world\u2019 and suggesting they were the runaway favourites for the competition, let alone the tie.<\/p>\n<p>But was there not a little bit of \u2018toffee\u2019 involved in Klopp\u2019s words? Such was the expectation surrounding Dortmund\u2019s dominance that even their fans were respectful of Liverpool before kick-off but thoroughly convinced that their side would win by several goals. Did this over-confidence trickle down from the stands onto the pitch?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\"><p>\nProper European away performance that. Well organised, well structured, kept their most dangerous players very quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ian Salmon (@IanRSalmon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IanRSalmon\/status\/718181758022328320\">April 7, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s perhaps a legitimate question to be asked about whether the performance from the German side was tinged with a degree of arrogance, but even if that\u2019s the case it shouldn\u2019t be used to downplay just how well Liverpool performed last night.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_257\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-257\" class=\"size-large wp-image-257\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-coach-of-the-football-team-Borussia_EUO_360b-shutterstock-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"360b \/ shutterstock.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-coach-of-the-football-team-Borussia_EUO_360b-shutterstock-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-coach-of-the-football-team-Borussia_EUO_360b-shutterstock-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-coach-of-the-football-team-Borussia_EUO_360b-shutterstock.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-257\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">360b \/ shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n<p>To emerge from Dortmund not only having not lost but having scored what could turn out to be a vital away goal is incredibly impressive from a team who have been inconsistent for most of the season. Given that the entire Liverpool team had managed to score 72 goals in all competitions this season and Reus, Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan alone had scored 75 for Dortmund before the game, stopping those three from finding the net was impressive in itself.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">When people ask &#8216;what difference has Klopp made to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/lfc?src=hash\">#lfc<\/a>&#8216;? That performance was one Rodgers was incapable of producing as manager.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 James Dutton (@jrgdutton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jrgdutton\/status\/718184751664918529\">April 7, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Defensive Improvements<\/h2>\n<p>Whisper it, but Liverpool\u2019s defence has improved almost beyond recognition since Jurgen Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers. Even with Moreno\u2019s brainlessness, Sakho\u2019s one good game, one bad game policy and Dejan Lovren\u2019s ability to have a breakdown when we\u2019re least expecting it, they have quietly gone about solidifying things at the back.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\"><p>\nSakho has been boss again. &#8220;Good Sakho&#8221; turned up tonight.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chris Maguire (@chrismaguire73) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chrismaguire73\/status\/718181366593155072\">April 7, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong, we\u2019ve still conceded 27 goals since the turn of the year so we\u2019re not exactly Mourinho\u2019s Chelsea team, but we\u2019ve got ourselves significantly more organised and of those 27 goals ten were conceded in three games against Southampton, Norwich and Arsenal. You wouldn\u2019t put your life on Liverpool keeping a clean sheet but there does appear to be a new found sense of organisation at the back nowadays.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_285\" style=\"width: 543px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-285\" class=\"size-large wp-image-285\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mamadou-Sakho-Takes-A-Breather-533x400.jpg\" alt=\"Sakho\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mamadou-Sakho-Takes-A-Breather-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mamadou-Sakho-Takes-A-Breather-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Mamadou-Sakho-Takes-A-Breather-65x50.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-285\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sakho<\/p><\/div>\n<p>That organisation was seen more clearly yesterday than at any other time since arguably the halcyon days of Rafa Benitez\u2019s defensive mindset was in charge at Anfield. The tackles from Lovren and Sakho to stop what looked to be almost certain Dortmund goals were both world-class. You get the sense that if Matip is half the centre-back he appears to be and we\u2019re able to add a top-drawer goalkeeper in the summer then that defensive solidity will become even more apparent.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I know Lovren&#8217;s not perfect, but that half at Southampton aside he&#8217;s been broadly excellent in the last couple of months.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Andrew Fanko (@afanko) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/afanko\/status\/718197544795422720\">April 7, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>All of the talk before the game was about how patient Dortmund are, how they pass and probe and wait for a decent chance to present itself. Whilst Klopp had installed the Bundesliga side with the ability to press relentlessly and hit teams on the counter-attack, Tuchel has taken that further and added a possession based game that helps his team to create better chances, often waiting until they\u2019re inside the area before getting their shots off.<\/p>\n<p>Last night Liverpool stopped that tactic dead in its tracks. The forward players put pressure on Dortmund\u2019s defence and goalkeeper to mean that they had to go long more often than not, meaning that the midfield could probe as much as they do in league matches. It also limited the ability of the German teams\u2019 front three to deliver the quality they\u2019ve managed in recent times.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\"><p>\nLiverpool had 9 shots in the box to Dortmund&#8217;s 6. The home side equalised in the 48th minute but didn&#8217;t have a shot in the box thereafter.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Andrew Beasley (@BassTunedToRed) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BassTunedToRed\/status\/718334096724856836\">April 8, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It was a tactical masterclass from the German against his former team, with his new players working hard to limit the threats against them. Klopp hasn\u2019t got everything right tactically since his arrival on Merseyside, with the Reds\u2019 recent collapse against Southampton almost exclusively down to the bespectacled boss\u2019 poor substitutions. But yesterday got everything absolutely spot on and should be commended for producing one of the best European away supporters we\u2019ve seen from a Liverpool team since 2009.<\/p>\n<h2>Origi Was The Right Choice<\/h2>\n<p>When the team was released night there were more than a couple of Liverpool fans whose heads fell off. \u2018How can he drop Sturridge?!\u2019, was the shout. \u2018Origi\u2019s a good runner but he can\u2019t score\u2019, said others. Indeed the immediate narrative from the press was that Klopp had indeed \u2018dropped\u2019 Sturridge, rather than felt Origi was the more appropriate choice for the game in front of us.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Sturridge *DROPPED.<\/p>\n<p>*Not starting due to tactical reasons that&#8217;ll become abundantly clear from the start.<\/p>\n<p>Defo dropped though.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sam McGuire (@SamMcGuire90) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamMcGuire90\/status\/718135861620113408\">April 7, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Depsite Jurgen Klopp being considered to be the best possible option for Liverpool, with his magnetism and the \u2018cult\u2019 of his management seeming to chime perfectly with the Anfield crowd\u2019s need to put their manager on a pedestal, some still think it appropriate to question his every decision. It\u2019s perhaps easy to forget that he\u2019s not even working with his own team at the moment.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s forget about Origi for a second and talk about James Milner. Let\u2019s be honest, he\u2019s probably had more poor games than decent games in a Red shirt since his much heralded arrival from Manchester City in the summer. Some fans were furious when he was once again named in the starting XI last night, as though there was a chance the club\u2019s Vice-Captain was going to be dropped for a game of this magnitude.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_275\" style=\"width: 543px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-275\" class=\"size-large wp-image-275\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Divock-Origi-533x400.jpg\" alt=\"Origi\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Divock-Origi-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Divock-Origi-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Divock-Origi-65x50.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-275\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Origi<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Yet this was a game built for a player like Milner. He might not be the most spectacular player and he rarely changes games on his own, but he\u2019s the definition of a grafter and last night was a game that needed graft above all else. It comes through in his numbers, too, with the England man making seven tackles and four interceptions &#8211; more than any other Liverpool player.<\/p>\n<p>Back to Origi, then, and were the pre-match worries of some supporters justified? The Belgian is the forward section equivalent of Milner at the moment. He works incredibly hard but doesn\u2019t necessarily produce killer moments. Again, though, working hard was arguably the most important factor for the team last night, and Origi brings hard work in buckets.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\"><p>\nStill only 20, Origi. So much potential. Bulked up a bit, but has pace and skill. Just needs confidence, and it\u2019s been coming since November<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Paul Tomkins (@paul_tomkins) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/paul_tomkins\/status\/718163222881312768\">April 7, 2016<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"\u201cutf-8&quot;\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s also young enough to improve immeasurably in the coming months and years. For all that the British press might be acting as if Manchester United\u2019s Anthony Martial is the best young player ever to grace the Premier League, Divock Origi actually has better numbers than the Frenchman. His numbers aren\u2019t as good as Daniel Sturridge\u2019s, obviously, but they\u2019re heading in the right direction for a 20-year-old with limited game time.<\/p>\n<p>Sturridge is the better player, of that there can be no doubt. He is a world-class striker who can put the ball in the back of the net with relative ease when he\u2019s fit and firing. But for all that he\u2019s clinical in the final third he doesn\u2019t offer the work-rate that Origi does. Perhaps that\u2019s because he\u2019s not yet trusting his body after such a long time out, or perhaps it\u2019s because he just never has. Whatever the reason, Origi was the right choice for the match that was in front of us and the sooner everyone starts trusting Klopp\u2019s decisions the better.<\/p>\n<h2>All Still To Play For<\/h2>\n<p>The hope of most Liverpool fans before kick-off was that the Reds would still be in the tie when Dortmund head to Anfield next Thursday. A 1-1 draw means we\u2019re not only still in the tie but it\u2019s entirely possible that we might just be considered favourites.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest thing for me, though, is that last night\u2019s performance shows that Dortmund are fallible. We went to the Westfalenstadion as underdogs going up against the biggest of Goliaths. We return to Merseyside having humbled the mighty and shown them they need to worry about us just as much as we need to worry about them.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_272\" style=\"width: 543px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-272\" class=\"size-large wp-image-272\" src=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Banners-On-The-Kop-533x400.jpg\" alt=\"The Kop in full flow\" width=\"533\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Banners-On-The-Kop-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Banners-On-The-Kop-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Banners-On-The-Kop-65x50.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-272\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Kop in full flow<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Klopp\u2019s got some more key decisions to make before the second leg of this tie gets underway. Whatever choices he makes, though, we need to get right behind him and right behind the match\u2019s starting XI, because whichever you look at it we\u2019ve got everything to play for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Confounding Expectations In the build-up to the game it seemed as if Liverpool were only going to the Westfalenstadion to make up the numbers. Such was the sense of Dortmund\u2019s superiority over the Reds that it\u2019s a miracle the lads were even able to tie up their shoelaces before running on the pitch. In fairness, Dortmund\u2019s run so far this calendar year has been impressive. I say impressive, I mean terrifying. Seventeen games before last night had resulted in fifteen wins and two draws. Over two legs against Tottenham, a team likely to finish at least second in the Premier [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":275,"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\/426"}],"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=426"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":441,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions\/441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}