How did this end up a draw? It was as one-sided as it could get, with Spartak only having two shots of note (one ended up as the goal against the run of play, and the other one was on target but scarcely threatening.) But this seems to be the story of the season so far, with Liverpool dominant against "lesser" sides (though keep in mind these are the Russian champions, albeit somewhat depleted by injuries and poor form) that adopt highly defensive stances.
Once again it appeared to be the kind of game where Liverpool needed to be at their very best to get a win, and they failed to hit that level, despite playing very well. My guess is that, disregarding the fragile defending from set pieces, the mixed bag of results over the last week and a half is due to the fulcrum of our attack not playing anywhere close to his best.
When Firmino, as the focal point of the attack, doesn’t play well, the whole offensive setup creaks. That may be the main thread running through the games (with the exception perhaps of the City game and the first half of the Sevilla one) since after the international break. This is more so than other teams that don’t use a false-9 because of Firmino’s heavier involvement in the buildup and comparatively bigger role in providing assists. Not only does the team suffer from the direct loss of goals that he would have contributed through better shooting, but from his poor passing or ball control resulting in chances not quite coming off. His movement is still first rate, which is probably why our chance creation has been pretty solid through the last two weeks, but the situations he found himself in today would likely have resulted in goals or assists on another day.
It must be said that this happens to all players and hopefully he and Klopp sort it out soon – obviously, we need him to be at close to optimal levels. The pertinent question is whether you can slot another attacker in his place while he works his way out of such a rut. Maybe Solanke could have done a better job, though his movement and passing don't seem to be as good yet at this point (even when compared with off-form Firmino; in any case he wasn’t in the squad). Sturridge showed a slight regression compared with the last two games, in terms of not really progressing with his sharpness - his shots seemed scuffed and hurried yet he was laboured when he needed to be quick. He displayed good movement and control on the ball but the decision-making was not optimal.
In any case, neither player is a false-9 like Firmino. Therein lies what may be problem with Klopp’s first-choice system: it’s too dependent on one player, unlike say another system that plays a striker and you can just interchange strikers when they are lost to injury and suspension. Taking Firmino out will probably necessitate changing the system, such as going to a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 diamond, which Klopp may be reluctant to do.
During the game, it was a surprise to see Mané making way for Sturridge as I felt he would have stretched the opposition much more than Firmino (who was having a turgid time) as the game wore on, and who didn’t seem to be in any difficulty or particular need of a rest. It may be that Klopp felt Mané’s defensive contribution was weaker than Firmino’s and the addition of Sturridge could have left more gaps for Moscow.
Can’s displays this season have overall been very promising but performances like today’s and against Leicester show why he shouldn’t get ahead of himself (apparently, the rumour why he continues to hold out on signing a new contract is because he wants to be assured his place in the first team, and Juventus is apparently willing to make such “promises” [one wonders how credible such promises can be, since once the player signs a contract the manager can do what he likes, particularly if you’re signing a comparative unknown with no constituency amongst the fans]). He still lacks the consistency and focus that are expected of someone playing in his position or of someone that would be automatic first-choice. Granted, even Hendo was not playing at his best in the first few games of the season, but I think what seemed to help Hendo through that difficult period was keeping his focus and keeping his play tidy and simple. Can probably needs to do the same.
Having said all that, I still think the team is playing well, just not at close to their full ability yet. The frustrating thing is that the recent run of games (with the exception of Leicester away in the league) required them to be playing at their best to win, which doesn't happen all the time even with championship-winning teams that are far more experienced or have more depth than Liverpool.
No comments:
Post a Comment