
Liverpool 5-1 Arsenal: A Tactical Breakdown
The Times’ David Walsh called Liverpool’s 5-1 deconstruction of Arsenal “their best performance of the season”. Liverpool barely pushed themselves. This was a clinical, ruthless and efficient dismembering of Arsenal, and precisely why Pep Guardiola said Liverpool are "the best team in the world right now". To thoroughly outplay Arsenal, score five goals, and create opportunities for at least two more, are doing so without breaking a sweat, and while needlessly opening up space for Arsenal to exploit was intimidatingly …

Liverpool 4-0 Brighton: A Tactical Breakdown
What a season. Liverpool have qualified for their second consecutive Champions League campaign by securing automatic qualification for the first time since 2008/09. They have also have finished with 75 points, one less than last season's tally (76), which is also the record for fourth spot. Mo Salah has broken the all-time Premier League record for goals scored with his 32nd of the season whilst his teammates in the front three - Mané and Firmino - have notched themselves 10 …

Liverpool Tactics for United: Out-Manoeuvring Mourinho
With the nervous energy ticking over as we approach Saturday's game, what follows are some musings on the United game. We drew with United twice last season and struggled to create chances against them, such is Mourinho's mastery at controlling and limiting space against top quality opposition. We continue to struggle against the parked bus, and the fact that United are stronger than us following the transfer window means, in our current form, getting anything out of Saturday's game will …

Tactical Analysis - Roberto Firmino Liverpool's master of space
In July 2015 Liverpool football club made a significant move in the remodelling of their squad with the signing of Hoffenheim attacker Roberto Firmino for a reported £29M fee. Reaction was mixed amongst the Liverpool fan base with many questioning the acquisition of a player that was perceived as being not top four quality and who was coming from a club that did not play in regular European competition.
These criticisms were not immediately allayed as the Brazilian gradually started …

Liverpool's Midfield Balance Without Gerrard
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers reached new heights during his second season at the club, seeing his team finish 2nd in the league, just 2 points behind eventual winners Manchester City. After several seasons of disappointment, the Liverpool team looked rejuvenated under Rodgers, striking 101 goals over the course of the campaign and doing so in the most attractive of fashion; Suarez and Sturridge leading the line with 19-year-old Raheem Sterling operating at the peak of a diamond represented arguably the …

Reviewing Liverpool's imbalance & openness in the 1st half vs Villa
"It’s (the Premier League) less tactical, with more space, and more physical than in Spain. You don’t have to wait until the second half here for a game to open up and that is good for me." MichuTraditionally, people think of English football as direct, as physical, as high intensity and sometimes a battle. But there's another aspect that is traditional to English football. And that's the openness within games. Whereas abroad, teams traditionally concentrate more on …