Liverpool 4-1 Norwich: A Tactical Breakdown
Liverpool's Premier League game against Norwich was the first genuine test Jürgen Klopp's men have faced since becoming European Champions. This was the first occasion in which points were at stake, the team would be able to set a marker and display their intent for the season.
The scoreline indicates a strong performance, and the side picking up from where it left off. Yet there were a number of signs that indicate both change and qualitative variance compared to last …
Liverpool 0-0 Bayern Munich: A Tactical Breakdown
There are very few clubs with the prestige and history of Bayern Munich. Irrespective of their current form or standing, when a club such as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona are set to visit, everyone sits a little straighter. These fixtures are precisely what makes Europe's premier competition the best club competition in the world, in any sport.
Yet when Bayern Munich were drawn against Liverpool, it was one of the few occasions that they were not immediately considered …
Liverpool 1-1 Leicester City: A Tactical Breakdown
With a number of injuries and a suspension to deal with, even after the team sheets were announced, it was unclear exactly how Liverpool would set up. Initial reports indicated Gini Wijnaldum would fill in at right-back, in Alexander-Arnold's absence, but instead, it was club captain, Jordan Henderson who would feature there, and Naby Keïta who would function as one of the pivots in the 4-2-3-1 system.
Liverpool's setup
Henderson and Robertson played as the Liverpool full-backs, and functioned tactically as the …
Manchester City 2-1 Liverpool: A Tactical Breakdown
The beautiful game, and two of its best proponents in a tête-à-tête. Manchester City, the Emirati bankrolled behemoth, against Liverpool; the old kid on the block, desperate to reclaim lost territory. Guardiola, the purist football scholar versus Klopp, an underappreciated genius.
It was supposed to be a tight game. It wasn't. One team was clearly better than the other, and it was Liverpool.
However, it was literally decided by fine margins - two stellar pieces of individual skill by Manchester …
Liverpool 4-0 Newcastle: A Tactical Breakdown
Liverpool FC vs. Newcastle United FC; it's one of the most historic games in the Premier League, supposedly always meant to be a toe-to-toe, all-action, enigmatic thriller. Add in the magic of Boxing Day - a day which Liverpool have not lost a league match on for over twenty years - and the return of Rafael Benitez, and there was a recipe for something fantastic.
Newcastle are not the force they once were though, and despite their manager, on a …
Wolverhampton 0-2 Liverpool: A Tactical Breakdown
Wolverhampton Wanderers have been a breath of fresh air to the Premier League. They may have been bankrolled by Jorge Mendes, but their enthralling style, talent-filled roster, and seriously cool manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, have rightfully garnered the praise of pundits and fans across the country.
Wolves are no pushover side though, in games against Arsenal and Spurs, they outscored the opposition in xG, and were extremely unfortunate to draw and lose in those respective games, whilst they also managed …
Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United: A Tactical Breakdown
There is no other game which manages to unnerve me like playing Manchester United does. Irrespective of form or quality, as matchday approaches, I fill with dread. On the morning of a match, I can barely eat. Perhaps it's the years of torment at school after losing, and unexplainable events which always seem to favour United that has caused this. Nonetheless, despite Liverpool's greatest ever start to a Premier League season, and mere minutes before the teams were announced, all I …
Liverpool 2-0 Fulham: A Tactical Breakdown
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Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool: A Tactical Breakdown
As expected for Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp elected to revert to the 4-3-3 system with which he has enjoyed a great deal of success with against Liverpool’s top six rivals and Champions League competitors too.
It made sense: Arsenal have a renewed impetus to play out from the back and did not have a particularly quick midfield, or backline, and in both regards were not technically gifted in either area. Arsenal’s threat lay with their forwards and stopping the supply into …
Analysing Liverpool's 'Packing' Performance
Liverpool are currently enjoying their best ever start to a Premier League season, with their ten-match unbeaten run positioning The Reds level at the top of the table with last season's champions, Manchester City. Despite being tied with City on 26 points though, the vast majority of data behind the results suggests that Pep Guardiola's men are in a league of their own, certainly in the realms of xG. However, there is one analytical metric that rates Liverpool extremely high …