TACTICAL ANALYSIS: Liverpool got the job done in their 3-1 away win at Crystal Palace - despite areas of uncertainty, the Reds are growing under Andoni Iraola
Iraola has nine wins, four draws and three defeats from his first 16 games in all competitions since taking over from Arne Slot in the summer
Iraola has nine wins, four draws and three defeats from his first 16 games in all competitions since taking over from Arne Slot in the summer(Image: John Walton/Press Association)
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When referee Tony Harrington raised the whistle to his lips after a nasty clash of heads between Milos Kerkez and Dario Osorio, most inside Selhurst Park expected a routine stoppage to assess potential head injuries.
What very few inside that stadium expected was for Crystal Palace to be awarded a penalty and for Eddie Nketiah to step up and score to deny Liverpool and goalkeeper Alisson Becker a hard-fought clean sheet.
In the grand scheme of things, it probably meant more to the Brazilian No. 1 than to Andoni Iraola, who heads into the international break having overseen a fifth league win since becoming Liverpool's head coach in the summer to see his side sit fourth after 10 games.
Ridiculous though the decision was, a 3-0 win would have been somewhat harsh on Palace. Despite putting up a battling performance, it is unlikely to be enough to see the under-fire Pierre Sage keep his job beyond the first quarter of the season.
Sage, who took Lens to a first-ever Coupe de France triumph and gave Paris Saint-Germain a rare title race last season, was one of the names mentioned by multiple journalists in connection to the vacant Liverpool job after Arne Slot was dismissed in June.
Ultimately, though, Iraola - who, at this stage of his Bournemouth career, had no league wins to his name - was the only manager ever approached to take the job.
With 10 league games under his belt now, it's safe to say the transition has been smoother than it was at his previous club, but this game nevertheless showcased several areas where things are yet to fully click.
"In the first half the game was quite open, chances for both teams and we had a save from Alisson that is key for us," Iraola said in his post-match press conference.
"The first goal was important, to go 1-0 up by half-time. In the second half we defended much better, we controlled much better the game. In the second half when we are ahead, we have spaces to attack and it becomes much easier.
"The first half was different, they had a lower block. We found good positions between the lines but we weren't giving the last pass properly."
Defence, midfield and attack: all three lines of Iraola's team so far this season have given cause for both excitement and simmering concern, as Liverpool's players adapt to a contrasting footballing philosophy to the one they were guided by under Slot.
How did these departments of the team get on against Palace - and what do they still need to improve on after the final international break of the year?
Defence: the single biggest improvement
As far as substantial improvements go, it's hard to look past the improvements Liverpool have made defensively since Iraola's arrival. The Reds have conceded four fewer in the league than at the same stage of last season, and have kept one more clean sheet - while they're yet to concede a single goal from a set piece having conceded six already this time last year.
Part of the credit for that has to go to the personnel in question. Ronald Araujo's seamless integration has made the right-back woes of last season feel like another lifetime, bringing a completely new answer to what felt like an impossible question for Iraola's predecessor, while Jeremy Jacquet has slotted in seamlessly as Ibrahima Konate's replacement.
On-loan defender Ronald Araujo's no-nonsense style of defending has swiftly made him a fan favourite since joining from Barcelona in the summer
On-loan defender Ronald Araujo's no-nonsense style of defending has swiftly made him a fan favourite since joining from Barcelona in the summer(Image: Getty Images)
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Up against the tenacious Yeremy Pino against Palace on Sunday, Araujo didn't quite hit the heights he has in other games this season, winning only five of his 11 duels, but only Jacquet competed in more.
Jacquet was also one of just two Liverpool players along with Alexis Mac Allister to make more defensive contributions than Araujo (Fotmob). Here, he won seven of his 10 aerial duels, largely up against the substantial heft of Jorgen Strand Larsen, also making a joint-highest seven clearances and winning three of his four tackles, the most for either side.
Kerkez, a former favourite of Iraola at Bournemouth, has continued to struggle at times over at left-back, but has also - unsurprisingly perhaps - shown the most suitability of any of Liverpool's defenders to springing the kinds of pressing traps the new head coach demands.
Here, he made the joint-second-most interceptions (three) alongside Araujo, and no player won possession more often in the final third (PWFT) than the Hungarian (twice).
While the press has noticeably improved since the start of the season - Liverpool as a team are now up to seventh for PWFT per game (4.0), ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea (Fotmob) - gaps have appeared more regularly than the scorelines have necessarily suggested.
Though the Reds are fourth for goals conceded (10) and third for clean sheets (four), they sit seventh for xG conceded (13.2) behind the likes of Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Tottenham and Leeds (Fotmob).
That kind of overperformance can't just be attributed to the keeper. Alisson was immense on Sunday, but it was only the second time he has been required to make five or more saves (he made six) in a league match this season - Liverpool actually ranking 13th for saves per match (2.5: Fotmob).
Last-ditch defending, too, can't account for everything. Despite some valiant interventions from the likes of Araujo and Jacquet so far, the Reds are only ninth for clearances per game (26.7: Fotmob) and eighth for blocks (Premier League), suggesting their 3.2-expected-goal overperformance in defence might have been boosted by wasteful finishing from their opponents.
Of course, this is an intangible, too. Liverpool, at least when defending deeper, have been noticeably more compact than they were last season, which in some cases could well be contributing to their opponents snatching at chances. But the Reds' Champions League form suggests there is still plenty of work to do on the defensive side of the game.
Palace, as Fenerbahce did in midweek, found space on the right side of Liverpool's defence with regularity. Pino finished the game with the most passes into the final third (13/20), as Tyrick Mitchell flew forward from left wing-back at every opportunity.
Palace pass map and average positions (Opta): Pino's (10) movement inside created a gap between Araujo and Gakpo for Mitchell (3) to get forward into
Palace pass map and average positions (Opta): Pino's (10) movement inside created a gap between Araujo and Gakpo for Mitchell (3) to get forward into(Image: Opta)
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With 11 touches in the opposition box, six shots, two on target, 75 touches, three chances created and eight crosses, Pino was top for Palace in virtually every metric, drifting as he was into an inside left position with Mitchell providing the width to his right.
That wasn't down to a poor game for Araujo, but rather an ongoing issue Liverpool are having with shoring up the press on that side, as well as wingers not effectively tracking back.
When Iraola swapped Barcola and Gakpo at half-time, the Frenchman replacing the Dutchman on the right, Palace's xG from open play actually increased from 0.65 in the first half to 0.79 in the second - but with the added pace of Barcola to worry about, which was key in setting up Florian Wirtz's goal, Palace could take fewer risks over on that side and looked to build from settled possession rather than hitting the space on Liverpool's right.
That first-half goal, then, was key in terms of giving Liverpool's attackers the space to add a second and third in the second half as they allowed Palace to commit bodies forward - and it was made by the player whose place in the team was most contentious prior to the game.
Szoboszlai or Nyoni?
Liverpool's team sheet got chins wagging when Dominik Szoboszlai was listed to start ahead of the in-form Trey Nyoni, who started each of the Reds' last three games - including the defeat to Arsenal at Anfield.
Such a show of faith in the 19-year-old from Iraola was obviously influenced by Szoboszlai's recent injury concerns, but many Liverpool supporters would have preferred to have seen Nyoni keep his place.
The main accusation levelled at Szoboszlai is the balance - or lack thereof - he brings to the midfield, but there is no denying the No. 8's quality.
Somehow only clocking his first assist in the league this season when he teed up Mac Allister to head home - yet again - from a free kick, Szoboszlai created more chances than any other player on the pitch (six) - largely from his set piece delivery.
Szoboszlai's set piece delivery is a unique weapon in Liverpool's squad, but finding the ideal position for him has proved a conundrum
Szoboszlai's set piece delivery is a unique weapon in Liverpool's squad, but finding the ideal position for him has proved a conundrum(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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The Hungary captain swung in 10 deliveries from dead ball situations, accumulating the highest expected assist score (0.49 xA) for Liverpool during his 69 minutes on the pitch and contributing to Liverpool's huge 1.59 xG from set pieces in this game.
With Palace creating more from open play (1.44 xG to Liverpool's 1.05), that proved to be the difference in a first half that could've easily gone the other way for the Reds.
As we've touched on, that advantage opened up more space for the Reds to counter-attack in the second half; it is no exaggeration, then, to suggest that Szoboszlai played at least as big a role in securing these three points as anyone else in red.
But if Nyoni had started, would Liverpool even have struggled as much from open play to begin with? The youngster's efficiency on and off the ball, his ability to read the game and pass it quickly through the lines, has been a major feature of Liverpool's performances in the No. 8's absence.
Against Palace, that was clearly missing - and herein lies without a doubt the biggest selection dilemma Iraola has yet had to face as Liverpool boss.
If it were a question of purely system fit, Nyoni would be starting every game alongside Mac Allister. Yet to be dispossessed in the league and in the top 10% of midfielders for interceptions and line-breaking passes (Fotmob), Nyoni has shown maturity above his years and brings much-needed structure to what can at times be a chaotic style of play.
In the bottom 45%, 25% and 65% for these metrics, Szoboszlai is a completely different kind of midfielder - but there is still a strong case to be made that he is Liverpool's best player.
The best midfielder in the league for xA and successful crosses per 90, and in the top 5% for chances created and xGOT (expected goals on target) per 90, Szoboszlai is a creative weapon the likes of which the Reds don't possess in any single other player.
Szoboszlai player traits (Fotmob): Szoboszlai is a near-unrivalled threat from deeper positions but is his defensive game damaging Liverpool's balance?
Szoboszlai player traits (Fotmob): Szoboszlai is a near-unrivalled threat from deeper positions but is his defensive game damaging Liverpool's balance?(Image: Fotmob)
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Liverpool rank just 18th in the league for big chances created this season (17), but racked up five on Sunday, Szoboszlai contributing one of them and creating further problems from his whipped deliveries from the corner spot.
Put simply, Liverpool are more of a threat with him in the team - but Liverpool were also more of a threat with Philippe Coutinho supporting the likes of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah in the latter half of 2017.
That, famously, was a short-lived experiment, and those lads didn't get on too badly without him. It is both possible that Szoboszlai can be a standout player in the team but that his inclusion - at least in a double-pivot role - might not be the best thing for the team's balance.
Rather than creativity and goal threat, it is the other side of his game where Szoboszlai often falls short. He didn't lose a single duel on Sunday, but he only competed in three - no other starter for either side competed in fewer - as well as failing to attempt a single tackle or make an interception.
It is not so much a lack of work rate, but rather a lack of intelligence to his pressing game. Ultimately, whereas Nyoni is a player who sits at the base and reads the game, Szoboszlai is a much more attacking, free-roaming player who usually has eyes only for the ball and rarely exhibits positional discipline in the centre of the park.
This doesn't necessarily mean he should be dropped. The fact of the matter is that Nyoni played 13 games last season. He will not be playing 50-60 this season, whether supporters want him to or not.
Time is on the youngster's side, and if current trajectories continue he may very well be among the first names on the teamsheet next season - but, for now, he must be managed carefully.
The challenge for Iraola is to, ideally, keep both players happy while utilising their completely contrasting strengths as and when it suits Liverpool best.
Attackers stepping up?
Liverpool are just 18th for big chances created (17) - only Hull and Coventry have created fewer - and, despite five of them in one game plus a first three-goal haul in the league under Iraola on Sunday, there were still concerns to be had over their creativity against Palace.
Obviously, creating nearly a third of all your big chances for the season in one game suggests an improvement, and that wasn't entirely misleading.
xG map (Opta): Liverpool (purple) and Crystal Palace both generated high-value shots but the bulk of Liverpool's xG came from set pieces
xG map (Opta): Liverpool (purple) and Crystal Palace both generated high-value shots but the bulk of Liverpool's xG came from set pieces(Image: Opta)
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Barcola and Wirtz both bagged their third assist of the league season against Palace, and while it wasn't perfect they were both certainly effective.
As against Brighton, it was Barcola's pace that got him his assist, bursting free behind Mitchell after a smart through ball from Araujo. The £123m man from PSG had the joint-most touches in the box for Liverpool (six), and took the second-most shots (three), but will be disappointed not to have bagged his first league goal after smashing a big chance over the bar.
Wirtz, meanwhile, was probably the most influential member of the Reds' front four. The German international had the most shots (four), also managed six touches in the box, and no Liverpool player attempted or succeeded with more dribbles than his two from four.
The No. 7 is beginning to show more ambition and confidence on the ball, and took his goal brilliantly with a composed finish before calmly laying it off for Isak to score the third late in the game.
But despite decent individual performances - and the importance of a goal and assist cannot be understated for Wirtz in particular - Liverpool created just 1.05 xG from open play, and only 0.27 xG in the first half, when the Reds had the majority of possession.
A lack of big chances from open play remains a massive issue for Liverpool domestically, but they are also 17th for big chances missed (11 - a higher position is more misses).
Put simply, while they haven't consistently been creating huge opportunities to score, they're putting them away more than most - and a massive part of that has been Alexander Isak.
Isak took his goal expertly, putting the otherwise perfect Chris Richards on the floor before slotting home with the help of a deflection, and the Swede has scored seven league goals from just 4.86 xG so far.
While the attack is still gelling, this has been absolutely vital in terms of keeping Liverpool in touch with the upper echelons of the table. Take Isak's goals away (he's scored exactly half of the team's goals this season) and Liverpool are the lowest scorers in the division - an injury would be unthinkable.
Cause for concern, then - but there is no reason to think that the attack won't improve with time. Wirtz and Barcola's respectable assist numbers suggest that chemistry is improving, though both expensive signings have not quite figured out yet how to get into positions to increase their own goal tallies.
Florian Wirtz can take confidence from his goal and assist against Palace, which proved vital to wrapping up the three points
Florian Wirtz can take confidence from his goal and assist against Palace, which proved vital to wrapping up the three points(Image: Getty Images)
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Cody Gakpo, meanwhile, who had an anonymous showing against Palace, was in blistering form prior to his injury in the last international break, and has assisted three of Isak's goals already.
In the attack and across this Liverpool team, we as supporters must accept that this season will be a work in progress as the players adapt both to each other and to a new playing style - steadily becoming something different and, hopefully, continuing to improve.
That doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves - after 10 games, the Reds are fourth (who knows, they could be third pending a potential points deduction for one of the teams ahead of them) - and, after all, Manchester United are in the relegation zone.
In fact, a season out of the limelight while things steadily come together in the background might be exactly what Liverpool need after one of the most emotionally challenging and disappointing seasons in the club's recent history.
There may well be difficult times ahead - the Reds still need to go away to City and Arsenal in the second half of the season having already lost to both at Anfield - but if they can still get results when playing far from their best, as they did against Palace, that bodes well for the remainder of the campaign.
Ultimately, this version of Liverpool is still an unknown quantity to their own fans, never mind other teams. But the pieces are beginning to click into place.
The main challenge now for this squad, and particularly its stars, is to better understand their respective roles and use that as a foundation to express themselves more.
If Iraola can now build on the defensive improvements and create a more free-flowing attack, there should be plenty more good days than bad ahead.
*All statistics used are from Opta unless otherwise stated.