Mikel Arteta went for the same formula that got the best of Manchester City last season: some pressing, some great buildup play and a whole lot of defending in a deep 5-4-1 formation. Though losing a final is never a good thing, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp might be even more worried about how easy Arsenal […]
Defensive miscues ruled the day, as both Chelsea and Liverpool struggled to find consistency in their backline. Despite a number of clever tactical decisions made by Frank Lampard, his side was once again undone by its lack of attention to detail. While no manner of lack of conviction in their own third was going to […]
A match dominated by Liverpool ended in defeat as costly errors from Virgil van Dijk and Alisson handed Arsenal the victory at the Emirates Stadium. The win boosted Arsenal’s hopes of securing European football for the upcoming season, and stripped away Liverpool’s aspirations of crossing the 100-point record established by Manchester City. Tactical analysis and […]
Manchester City performed a guard of honour for Liverpool before the game, but there was no title procession for Liverpool once the game began. City had an attacking scheme designed to find weaknesses in Liverpool’s compact 4-3-3 system and overwhelmed Liverpool to take a 3-0 lead in the first half, with Kevin De Bruyne being […]
The 236th Merseyside derby was already historic, for circumstances we are all aware of. The match itself, however, will go down as a fixture worth forgetting in this famous matchup. Both club’s rusty returns were showcased in a serve lack of chances, Everton’s poor buildup play and Liverpool’s control on the ball, without the penetration […]
Top teams’ ability to progress the ball becomes increasingly scrutinized in modern football due to the continued improvement of the defensive systems they face. This analysis outlines the buildup strategies of seven of Europe’s elite teams, and briefly discusses some of the trends observed within. Written by Josh Manley. Defending and pressing in modern football […]
The game played out largely as most predicted it would, with Atlético in a low block 4-4-2 shape fending off Liverpool wave after Liverpool wave. Strong goalkeeping and emergency defending from Atlético kept them in the game, but Liverpool were able to take it to extra-time thanks to Georginio Wijnaldum’s goal. Chaos then descended as […]
Liverpool were trailing early on thanks to Willian’s powerful strike and some questionable goalkeeping. They were then handed the majority of possession, in which they were relatively well structured and put together a few decent sequences, but were ultimately unable to make it count in the final third. Chelsea sealed their win with a counterattacking […]
Saúl’s fourth minute goal set the scene for the rest of the game as it allowed Atlético Madrid to do what they do best – defend in a low block. Liverpool were unable to find the solution to crack Atlético’s compact 4-4-2 shape as the home side cleared almost everything that came into their penalty […]
The world’s most watched competition is back, with a splendid series of knockout matchups. In this piece, we preview the first two ties of the most important tournament in club football: the Champions League. Article by José Pérez and K.T. Stockwell. Atlético Madrid – Liverpool Liverpool Tyrannical dominance of the Premier League, current Champions League […]