If anyone can, Emre Can - Analysing Can's performance vs United
Against United, we saw the perfect example of why player performance needs to be analysed from two sides - 'on the ball' plus 'off the ball'.
Emre Can's display at Anfield on Saturday was outstanding. If you don't believe me, then please read on.
On the Ball
Can had 72 touches against United. This was the 5th highest number of 'on the ball' possessions after Henderson, Lovren, Matip and Moreno. For all of his involvement, Can was only dispossessed twice …
Spurs 1 Liverpool 1 - Pressing Stats Analysis
Liverpool's third Premier League game of the season ended in a frustrating draw as the Reds rued missed chances whilst being on top in the first half and bemoaned poor defending once again which cost them the three points at White Hart Lane.
As always the Anfield Index Under Pressure team analysed the game covering at on-ball and off-ball statistics. They discussed the good and the bad from the game as well as the Daniel Sturridge predicament too. You can listen …
Arsenal 3 Liverpool 4 - Pressing Stats Analysis
Liverpool opened up the new season with an impressive victory at the Emirates Stadium beating Arsenal 4-3. Liverpool went behind after half an hour but provided more evidence that Jurgen Klopp is turning around this Liverpool side as they fought back to lead 4-1. Arsenal mounted a mini-comeback but it wasn't to be as Liverpool recorded a rare win against Arsenal away from home.
Here at the Anfield Index Channel we analyse each game with on-ball Opta stats, that available …
Illustrating Liverpool's Pressing vs Tottenham
We've been collecting Pressing Stats since 2013 on Anfield Index and after watching Liverpool draw with Spurs at Anfield I expected a really rough time when manually collecting these pressing stats. I wasn't wrong as Liverpool pressed the Londoners 239 times which is the second highest ever collected on AnfieldIndex. Whilst Liverpool will always miss Roberto Firmino in terms of his goals and assists output he is also the best this season at pressing the ball. In his absence it was Adam …
Illustrating Liverpool's Pressing Vs West Ham United
We've been collecting Pressing Stats since 2013 on Anfield Index and after two record breaking performances from Liverpool I expected a heavy drop in this loss at Upton Park, I was wrong! Liverpool's pressing effort was actually very close to the game against Leicester City. We analyse the pressing stats and on-ball stats on our podcast and you can have a listen to the full analysis of the pressing stats on the podcast embedded below. There are also supporting heat map/pressing map …
Illustrating Liverpool's Pressing Vs Sunderland
We've been collecting Pressing Stats since 2013 on Anfield Index and Liverpool's performance was a recording breaking one according to the numbers we collect! You can have a listen to the full analysis of the pressing stats on the podcast embedded below. There are also supporting heat map/pressing map combinations below so that you can understand what we are talking about in the podcast.
You can have a listen to the podcast via the embed option below or downloading via …
Jürgen Klopp's Midfield Unit
Hello again Anfield Index, it's been a while. Sorry I've taken some time since my last article, but apparently being in the final year of your degree is quite time-consuming. Moving on, in this piece I will be attempting to analyse what I consider the most important component of any Klopp system: the midfield. Most will tell you that Klopp's preferred shape is a 4-2-3-1, which I agree with, and I'll start by discussing what the manager tends to expect from …
Adam Lallana: Is His Pressing Enough to Warrant a First-Team Place?
Adam Lallana’s a funny one, isn’t he?
He throws in a sexy little Cruyff turn one minute and follows it up with a weak shot. He draws gasps from the crowd as often as he does groans. His Liverpool career to date has been the very definition of stop-start, as niggly injuries have struck just as he’s getting a run in the side.
However, Jurgen Klopp clearly sees something in the attacking midfielder, who has started in every game the …
Coutinho: Why Confidence and Pressing Matters
The struggles of Philippe Coutinho in recent weeks have been well documented on this website. The diminutive Brazilian hasn't had the best of times since his beautiful long-range winner at Stoke City on the opening day of the season.
So what has been the issue for Coutinho? Lack of options in front of him? Lack of players he trusts around him? External factors causing a loss of confidence? Or all of the above?
Let's look at the lack of options to …