Toothless Liverpool Exit Champions League After Real Madrid Stalemate
Liverpool exited the Champions League after a 0-0 draw against Real Madrid at Anfield.
Trailing 3-1 from the first tie, the Reds battered the Spaniards for 90 minutes, but couldn't find a way to goal against the deep sitting and disciplined Spaniards.
Despite creating several good openings, the home team -- with Mohamed Salah particularly guilty -- will rue their poor finishing and, of course, the abject performance in the first leg.
Liverpool started the game with a breakneck tempo …
Analysis: Why Alexander-Arnold must stay at right-back for Liverpool
It is a yearly occurrence now. It doesn’t matter what Trent Alexander-Arnold does, talk inevitably turns to whether or not he should be doing whatever it is he’s doing from the centre of the pitch.
If he’s bossing things from the right, the narrative seems to be but imagine what he could do from centre-midfield.
Alternatively, when he’s struggling at right-back, people start to suggest that he needs to move into the middle third for his own good.
Alexander-Arnold’s omission …
4231 Formation The Next Tactical Port of Call For Liverpool
Ever since the beginning of the 2016/2017 season, Jurgen Klopp has almost consistently lined Liverpool up in a 433 formation.
The only exception came in the winter of the 2018/2019 season when the Reds lined up in a 4231 shape. In that reshuffle, Mohamed Salah played as the teams' focal point, with Roberto Firmino dropping into the number 10 role. Xherdan Shaqiri, meanwhile, in his most productive run at the club, added creativity from a right-wing berth.
Klopp soon reverted …
Tactical Breakdown: Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa
Premier League champions Liverpool won their first home game since Christmas, as they beat Aston Villa 2-1, courtesy of a late strike by Alexander-Arnold.
Systems
Liverpool played in a 4-3-3, with Roberto Firmino returning to the forward line in place of Sadio Mané. Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum retained their starting places and were partnered with James Milner. Otherwise, the team remained unchanged.
Dean Smith's Villa side also used a 4-3-3 structure, with Ollie Watkins leading the line, but in midfield …
Liverpool Miss Henderson Influence In Maximising Alexander Arnold Ability
After Liverpool's 3-1 Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat away to Real Madrid last week, many fans bemoaned Jordan Henderson's absence.
The club captain will be out for an unspecified amount of time after undergoing surgery on an abductor injury he suffered in the Merseyside derby in February.
In the Madrid loss, the Reds -- rather uncharacteristically -- lacked intensity in their press, which has been the tactical foundation stone that Jurgen Klopp built his Premier League and Champions League victories …
Tactical Breakdown: Real Madrid 3-1 Liverpool
…
Much Maligned Firmino Missed In UnIntense Liverpool Loss
Let's face it, Roberto Firmino -- at least in front of goal -- has regressed as a player over the course of the last two seasons.
From a record high 0f 15 Premier League goals in the 2017/2018 season, the Brazilian's numbers have steadily dropped and he finds himself on eight league goals this season, the same figure he registered last term.
Of course, anyone familiar with the Brazilian internationals game knows that his on-field role is about much more …
The Trent Alexander-Arnold Myth
It’s 2021 and people are still claiming that Trent Alexander-Arnold can’t defend. It is beyond boring now and is arguably one of the laziest narratives in world football.
It all stems from that match against Manchester United when Marcus Rashford scored twice.
People always overlook the fact that Dejan Lovren allowed Romelu Lukaku a free header after initially tracking him into the midfield area. They tend to ignore that Alexander-Arnold was left one-on-one with Rashford with a lot of space …
Liverpool away in Europe: Klopp's Achilles heel
All the greats have a weakness - nobody is perfect. You can apply that to any walk of life.
From a footballing perspective, you can look at any all-time legend and pick holes in their genius, whether it be Lionel Messi's curious inconsistency from the penalty spot or Alex Ferguson only winning the Champions League twice in 20-odd attempts.
Jurgen Klopp has grown into one of the most important and influential figures in the history of Liverpool Football Club, inspiring …
When did Liverpool's tactics become so predictable?
I’m sure I’ve written the start of this article about a million times this season – but here we are again.
Another game, another disappointment or so it seems with this Liverpool side that lulled us into a false sense of security with a convincing win over Arsenal last weekend.
Against Real Madrid however, it was a totally different story. A first half horror show saw the Reds fighting an uphill battle for the remaining 135 minutes of the tie, …