Sport
Liverpool Title Credentials Will Be Defined In ‘Smaller Games’
Liverpool’s expansion of Anfield was completed last month, but perhaps the club should have considered relocating to London instead. Jurgen Klopp’s men have already made three trips to the capital in the early weeks of the 2016/17 campaign, with Friday’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea making it seven points from a possible nine at the homes of three of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
Liverpool Title Credentials Will Be Defined In ‘Smaller Games’
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Liverpool’s expansion of Anfield was completed last month, but perhaps the club should have considered relocating to London instead. Jurgen Klopp’s men have already made three trips to the capital in the early weeks of the 2016/17 campaign, with Friday’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea making it seven points from a possible nine at the homes of three of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
Liverpool were excellent in the first half at Stamford Bridge, moving the ball around sharply and winning it back quickly against a Chelsea team who were overwhelmed by their opponents’ energy and endeavour.
Dejan Lovren gave the visitors the lead in the 17th minute, firing home at the back post after Philippe Coutinho’s cross had evaded the Blues’ defence, before Jordan Henderson doubled their advantage with a long-range screamer that arrowed past Thibaut Courtois and into the top corner of the net. Chelsea threatened to mount a comeback when Diego Costa halved the deficit just after the hour mark, but Liverpool ultimately held out for their third triumph of the season pretty comfortably.
The Reds were also the better team when they faced Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium (a 4-3 victory on the opening weekend) and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane (a 1-1 draw which should have been more), with a thumping 4-1 triumph against Leicester City at Anfield only strengthening the view that Klopp’s charges are title – rather than merely top-four – contenders.
The only blot on their copybook so far this term was a highly disappointing 2-0 defeat by Burnley, the type of opponent who could have the biggest say when it comes to Liverpool’s championship chances. Indeed, the opening month of the season has demonstrated that the Merseysiders’ style of play is better suited to matches against the division’s elite outfits, who are more likely to build from the back and play through midfield – thus giving Liverpool the opportunity to press high and regain possession in advanced areas.
Burnley’s approach last month was different: Sean Dyche’s men, who frequently bypassed the centre of the park by playing long balls forward to the strikers, were perfectly content to sit deep and narrow and allow Liverpool over 80 per cent of possession. The Reds may have had plenty of the ball but they did not have enough ideas about how to break Burnley down, and there could be little disputing that they deserved to leave Turf Moor empty-handed.
The question for Liverpool, then, is whether they have the tools to consistently overcome those sides who pack men behind the ball and opt against pushing high up the pitch. Klopp once described gegenpressing – the act of attempting to win back possession as soon as it has been lost – as “the best playmaker there is”, but when opponents bypass the collective closing-down by playing long balls forward, Liverpool will need to find other sources of creativity.
There were signs of that in the first half against Chelsea and throughout the thrashing of Leicester, and Liverpool have certainly shown a huge improvement so far in 2016/17. Their performances and results against the big boys have alerted people to their potential, but it could be the clashes with the so-called smaller sides that define how successful a season this is.
