If there was one concern to take from the 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Saturday, it was the lack of pressing and the deep defensive line which Liverpool adopted, especially in the second half. Although Liverpool struggled to establish themselves on Sunderland in the second period, utilising at times some aimless long passing, a big reason why the Reds lost control of the match was because of the team shape.
Certainly a lack of control of the ball in the second half was a main contributory factor in the Reds not pushing on from their first half display, but what was strikingly evident was how deep the Reds back line was playing at times. It was not only the backline which withdrew deeper though, the Reds midfield also began to stand off Sunderland which inevitably meant less possession and less opportunities for the Reds to attack further up the pitch.
No pressure on the ball allowed Sunderland back into the game, and when Larsson scored, Liverpool failed to grab back the initiative. Instead they continued to play pretty deep. This defensive line led to some of the problems Liverpool had in the attacking half of the pitch in the second period.
Rather than having the ball in more advanced areas, the Reds more often than not had the ball in the back four, and with the Reds not pushing up in midfield, there were very few options for the backline to pick out. It all began to go a bit ragged as the second half went on with the Reds resorting to long ball tactics, trying to pick out an increasingly isolated Andy Carroll. This inevitably led to the ball being given away which became part of a vicious cycle where the back four gave possession away, leading the backline to go deeper and deeper.
So what may have led to such a deep backline and to a lack of pressing in midfield? Would this have been a planned tactic by Dalglish and Clarke? Although there were times under Dalglish last season where the Reds didn’t press the ball very well (e.g v Tottenham), in most matches it was noticeable that there was marked return to higher pressing than there was under previous manager Roy Hodgson. Against teams such as Manchester United and Manchester City, this was very evident indeed.
Against Sunderland however, there was one big difference: personnel. The Reds team is still gelling together, and in the second half especially, the lack of communication was evident as the Reds gave the ball away a lot more. The Reds looked good with possession in the first half and had a lot more of it, but still they did look unconvincing off the ball. In the second half, with less possession, this meant more problems and it is clear that the likes of Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson are not used to pressing as much without the ball.
Again, I must reiterate, this is only one match and things will take time to get right, and I hope that on the training ground this week, Kenny Dalglish and Steve Clarke take measures to address this lack of pressing, which led to the backline moving deeper and deeper.
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Prozone tells us that Meireles and Kuyt are the two players who cover the most area in the team. Leaving both out and playing Henderson was the key mistake on Saturday. I am sure Clarke will instruct Kenny on the benefits of Prozone. On the plus side our left side with Enrique and Downing looked a real positive. Stevie G and Glen Johnson’s reutern should sort out delivery from the right flank!
no,we nid another striker,even etoo would do.lets get lavezi becoz carol is too predictable.once u shut him in theair the its over.get cahill too
Kuyt is the only player a LFC who matched Henderson’s regular km’s covered at SAFC.
Kuyt should be played where he is most effective anywhere across the front line – not at RM.
The players just were not fit enough to press a high linen 2nd half – probably a side effect of using preseason as a shop window…
Expect plenty of action similar to the first half once the team settles in…
High line in 2nd half*
excellent and accurate observations by the writer!!! Another thing,,,to all those people knocking comments of those who have been criticising the performance on saturday,,, the moment liverpool fans tolerate anything other than maximum points at home in the premier league will be the end of us!!
Barcelona press the opposition when not in possession of the ball. Liverpool don’t.
End of story!
For some reason most people focus on the movement and quality of Barcelona on the ball, but totally ignore the amount of effort that they put in off the ball.
Barcelona could probably get away with putting in less effort defensively and just depend on the technical ability of their team to carry them through matches. However they don’t, whereas far less able teams (such as ours) seem to think that they can get away with putting in a far more lax effort defensively. This has to change asap.
Playing a flat 4 in midfield just isn’t conducive to a high pressing game. Players don’t readily push out for fear of losing their shape and so instead retreat backwards until the ball has reached their ‘line’.
The team needs to stick to a 4231 or 433 and have 3 forwards pressuring the opposition defenders as soon as they receive the ball, with the midfielders ready to put pressure on any balls coming into the midfield. Once players notably tire from the effort, sub them and allow fresh legs on to continue the high intensity effort!