Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid: Match Verdict
Liverpool earned a 2-0 win over Man City at the Etihad Stadium last season when Arne Slot used a new formation.
Arne Slot has admitted that the element of surprise has caught Liverpool out this season.
The Reds boss admitted the exclusion of Benjamin Sesko in the 2-1 loss to Manchester United impacted the result. Perhaps Crystal Palace’s decision to use a direct strategy in the 2-1 reverse also caught Liverpool off guard.
Eintracht Frankfurt lined up differently than expected and went a goal ahead before the Reds regained their poise to plunder five.
What can be concluded is that Slot seemingly believes teams deviating from their usual styles contributed to Liverpool’s run of six defeats in seven games in all competitions.
‘We can expect the playing style we always see’
However, that is not an issue that the Reds have faced in their previous two games to get back to winning ways. Aston Villa and Real Madrid set up and operated how Slot predicted. And when Liverpool face Manchester City on Sunday, he does not expect Pep Guardiola to diverge from his favoured mantra.
“It was helpful for us that the other team did what we expected them to do because in eight out of the 10 games I think we’ve played this season we faced a different playing style than all the games these teams played before,” said the Anfield head coach at his pre-match press conference. But Villa and Madrid did what we could expect and I think that’s always helpful.
“Then there is still a lot of work to be done by the players to get a performance like that, but it is helpful. Where I think we can expect from City is the playing style we always see, but the difficult thing in that is that they are very good at it and have very good players so that makes that challenge big again. But as I said every Premier League game and every Champions League game is a challenge.”
Guardiola’s possession-based philosophy has changed how football has been shaped across Europe and England. Since taking charge of City in 2016, teams have known what to expect - yet they have been unable to be repelled for the most part. Guardiola has led to six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and the Club World Cup. Every counterpart he has faced has known City’s strengths yet they have not been able to stop it.
Slot has rarely veered from the way of playing of advocates. Even after failing to keep 10 clean sheets in a row, the Dutchman eschewed the option of solidifying his defence by stationing Joe Gomez, a centre-back, on the right-hand side.
Slot’s surprise
Yet the one game that he did utilise a surprise masterplan proved highly fruitful. It resulted in Liverpool moving 11 points clear at the summit of the Premier League and being a memorable triumph en route to claiming a 20th English championship.
Last season’s 2-0 triumph at Man City saw Slot swerve his tried-and-trusted 4-2-3-1 system. He instead went with a 4-2-2-2 formation without a recognised striker. Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones operated as two No.10s, with Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota on the bench.
It was a game that Liverpool had just 34 per cent possession - their lowest amount since the 2003-04 season. But the decision reaped the dividends, with Mo Salah and Szoboszlai on target either side of half-time.
“That was the plan,” Szoboszlai said after the game. “We played with two 10s. They managed the game almost 90 per cent but the end result is for us and we’re happy to take the three points home.
“We were defending probably 30 metres from our goal but we gave everything because we knew that was going to happen. Sometimes it’s part of the game that you don’t have the ball, especially against City away.”
When Liverpool prepare for their latest showdown against City, it must be in Guardiola’s mind that Slot could copy the tactic - and therefore be harder to plan for. Florian Wirtz is regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe despite a soft launch to his Anfield career.
The Germany international is not just a quintessential playmaker, though, and is prepared to put in hard graft. He clocked 11.37km against Real Madrid, which was more than any other player. Wirtz and Szoboszlai’s quality in the final third would be potent, while both would harry and press relentlessly.
Or perhaps Slot might have something else up his sleeve. Maybe to quell Erling Haaland, Liverpool will play with three centre-backs in a 3-4-3. Gomez would be a candidate to come in, although Wataru Endo is an option or Andy Robertson could tuck inside to allow Milos Kerkez to be stationed as a left-back wing-back with Conor Bradley on the opposite flank. At his press conference, Slot did mention that Wirtz operated in that formation at Bayer Leverkusen.
Maybe Slot will instead keep to his winning formula from the 1-0 triumph against Real Madrid. After all, it was Liverpool’s best performance of the campaign.
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