Liverpool were given the runaround in midfield at Wembley - but should that mean Arne Slot rips up his masterplan?
Comments
Sport
Joelinton of Newcastle United and Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool battle for the ball during the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on March 16 2025
Joelinton of Newcastle United and Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool battle for the ball during the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on March 16 2025
(Image: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
It has forever been the area of the pitch that so often determines major final. And so it proved once again at Wembley on Sunday.
The forward line may have horribly misfired but losing the midfield battle did more than anything to ensure Liverpool's hopes of earning the first silverware of Arne Slot's reign ended in massive disappointment, the Reds well beaten by a hugely-motivated Newcastle United side desperate to secure the club's first domestic trophy in 70 years.
Article continues below
Where Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and, before the closing quarter, Dominik Szoboszlai all floundered, so the Magpies triumvirate of Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali for the most part flourished.
READ MORE: Liverpool contracts situation is coming to a head - Arne Slot needs answer nowREAD MORE: What the ECHO thinks about Liverpool atmosphere after Wembley arguments
It was this area of the field to which Slot was implicitly referring when he pointed out his team had lost too many duels in allowing the game to be played in the manner Newcastle had wanted.
The Liverpool starting midfield made only four tackles, none of which were by Mac Allister. By comparison, Newcastle's triumvirate thundered in with nine successful challenges. In terms of mathematics, it makes slight sense given the Reds had double the possession of their opponents during the game. If you have the ball, you don't need to make tackles.
But the optics were clear - Newcastle dominated the physical battle. And they were backed up by the fact the Magpies won 57% of all duels and 58% of aerial duels during the final. Joelinton and Guimaraes won nine duels each from 13 and 14 attempts respectively, while no Liverpool midfielder won more than three.
And it isn't the first time it has happened in recent weeks. Privately Liverpool were impressed by the physicality of the Paris Saint-Germain midfield after a first leg in which only the brilliance of Alisson Becker prevented the French side from inflicting a heavy defeat the Reds' overall below-par performance merited.
Liverpool weren't caught out again in the second game, when they largely dominated the engine room before waning considerably during extra time. Sunday's final clearly came too soon for that weariness to not be fully eradicated.
There, then, is the rub. Under Slot, as was similar to their approach with Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool place much stock in pressing and when it works, such as at Old Trafford early in the season, it is difficult for opponents to cope.
But hunting in packs requires physicality. And the Reds just didn't have the legs at Wembley to do the job for the most part, particularly in the key midfield area.
How much the Newcastle engine room put into the game was evident during the final 20 minutes when many of their players started to feel the effects. Telling, then, that it was Guimaraes who was dispossessed by Harvey Elliott to set up fellow substitute Federico Chiesa for Liverpool's late goal.
It all comes back to Slot and his unwillingness to overly rotate in the centre of the field. Besides the triumvirate that started at Wembley, Curtis Jones is the only other midfielder to have started a Premier League game this season. It was the same in the Champions League with the exception of the dead rubber at PSV Eindhoven in January.
Wataru Endo Endo was largely overlooked during pre-season and Liverpool pursued Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, Slot's preference for possession over raw power soon became apparent.
That the Reds are 12 points clear at the Premier League summit suggests they don't need to rip up such an approach. Not every style of play is bulletproof, and they aren't often going to encounter a team with the players to put Newcastle's gameplan into action.
Article continues below
And it must be remembered the Reds drew against the same opponents away and beat them at home in the Premier League in the previous four months. Ask yourself this - Newcastle's midfielders would most certainly make the Liverpool squad, but would any get into the first-choice starting XI? Joelinton has the best chance.
With question marks over so many key areas, Liverpool's squad is likely to have something of an overhaul in the summer. The midfield, though, won't be part of that.
But if Slot is reluctant to utilise his current fringe players, it's obvious the engine room needs a little extra assistance in the forthcoming transfer market.