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Match Day

Tactical Analysis: Liverpool v Fulham (22 December 2012)

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LIVERPOOL put the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa behind them as they romped to a dominant 4-0 win over Martin Jol’s Fulham side. The London team had won just 9 of their 41 top flight games against the Reds while Liverpool had previously enjoyed a 50% success rate, winning 21.

Brendan Rodgers fielded a few surprises for the match with midfield stalwart Joe Allen and Raheem Sterling, who earned himself his first professional contract being rested.

Rodgers had spoken about the need for Liverpool’s full-backs to run forward, using their attacking skills to provide a double whammy for the opposition defence. This tactic was clearly in mind with Suso and Downing playing on the wings, drifting inside, providing space for the overlapping Johnson and Enrique.

Liverpool dominated the early exchanges completing over 70 passes in the first 10 minutes to Fulham’s 11. Their wing play earned them a corner which led to the opening goal after just 7 minutes.

Daniel Agger and Luis Suarez sucked in their defenders leaving Skrtel unmarked on the penalty spot. The Slovakian centre-back made no mistake with his finish as he rifled a volley into the roof of the net to give the home side a much needed early goal. Any striker would be proud of that finish.

The Reds were Barcelona-esque in their attempts at winning back the ball, pressuring the Fulham defence high up the pitch giving them no time to find a pass. Shelvey would break from midfield to mark the remaining defender as either Downing or Suso closed down the ball carrier on their side of the pitch, meaning that Suarez was free to claim any pass back.

This high intensity meant that the home side retained the ball deep into the Fulham half and gave them the opportunity to create far more chances than their opponents. Liverpool’s dominance, like against Villa, had almost double the amount of shots as their rivals. Their 56% possession shows that their quick passing style paid off, allowing them to make the space for these shots. The team had 23 shots, 9 of which were on target. Liverpool had an 87% pass success rate and a 74% aerial success rate.

Here’s an example of how Liverpool’s fluid passing attack prevailed in the course of the match:

Gerrard, Shelvey and Suarez linked up well to create space for the likes of Downing, Johnson, Suso and Enrique. Here, Shelvey is on the ball just beyond the centre-circle having received a short pass from Gerrard. Meanwhile, Suso has seen the vacant space in the hole between midfield and striker, drifting infield and attracting the Fulham right-back. This has left a clean run into the box for a sprinting Jose Enrique, who was more than a match for the Fulham midfielder tracking him back.
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Shelvey spots Suarez’s run on the shoulder of the last defender and threads the ball through, meaning the Uruguayan would be one-on-one. The support from Enrique gives the Red’s top scorer the option to square the ball for an easy goal or go himself and add to his 11 league goals. In reality, Liverpool squandered the chance and couldn’t capitalise, but it’s clear to see that the players were all on the same page when it came to movement.

Steven Gerrard got his second goal in two matches and this time it was no consolation. The Liverpool captain capped off a colossal display in the centre of midfield in the 35th minute and once again it was the play of Johnson and Downing that created the space for the strike.

Johnson took the ball high up the pitch before cutting inside, something he has done so effectively this season. However, Fulham’s defence had cottoned onto the ploy and defended narrow cluttering he edge of the box with white shirts. Downing then picked up the ball just inside of Johnson and played in Gerrard with a perfectly weighted pass. The Liverpool number 8 took the ball in his stride and slotted the ball into the bottom corner of Schwarzer’s net with a powerful drive, giving the Reds a well-deserved 2-0 lead.

Downing has been deployed in the left back position as of late, although against Fulham was a different story as he was let loose on the right wing, somewhere he became more than familiar during his time at Villa, where he won Player of the Season for his exploits.

The winger capped off arguably his best performance in the red shirt with his first Premier League goal for the club. It’s no surprise that it came when he cut inside onto his favoured left foot. Downing picked up the ball on the wing and used his skill to turn towards the box. Just as he got sight of goal he let a powerful shot loose which rocketed beyond the goalkeeper and into net, 3-0.

Another stand out performer in the romp was Jose Enrique. The Spanish left-back has come in for some criticism during his time at Liverpool but there will be no complaints about his performance. The manager had spoken in his pre match press conference about how much of an impact he could have in an attacking sense if given the space down the left wing.

Enrique and Suso linked up well in the first half and when the younger of the two Spaniards made way for Raheem Sterling after 70 minutes, Enrique continued his hard work. The former Newcastle player was on hand for an assist for Liverpool’s fourth and final goal in the closing minutes.

The Reds won a corner after some good work from Sterling on the left wing. It was taken quickly to Enrique who turned the defender and fired a square ball towards Suarez. The Liverpool forward made easy work of his first time finish, firing past Schwarzer to complete the rout.

Liverpool exorcised some demons in this match after such a disappointment against Aston Villa. The result was key but every Reds fan will be delighted with the performance which didn’t see Fulham get a look in all game. Brendan Rodgers would have been ecstatic to have seen his tactics pay off and his side play in such an entertaining fashion. A fully deserved three points.

Follow me on Twitter @MRSSG
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I am a lifelong Liverpool supporter from Huyton Liverpool just like Stevie G and go all over the world supporting my team I go the games in my wheelchair as I suffer from Cerebral Palsy however that does not stop me having a ball cheering on the World’s Best Team.
I write a weekly column talking about various topics whether that is tactical analysis of matches, opinion pieces, looking through the archives of previous matches, former players and current articles on Brendan and the first team.
It is great being part of the first class writing team at Live4liverpool.com and bucking the trend in being the first woman to write for the site.
Follow me on Twitter @MRSSG to keep up to date with my articles. Y.N.W.A