Something to be Excited About
Amid debate from both sides of the isle the bottom line is that we played the match as essentially a new squad. Liverpool that has remained largely unchanged since obtaining 97 points last season. Klopp has them sharp and compact. They know where each other are under pressure and how to close down as a unit.
The tactics hurt us mostly in the midfield. The three central midfielders were pinned back to defensive roles and the gap between Aubameyang and Pepe and the midfielders was too large to release pressure. This was a strategic error from the manager and it allowed the starting lineup’s heads to drop after conceding. The team held their resiliency after the scramble at the start of the second half. The late substitutes gave the team the positive possession that was required for a lift in confidence and should’ve been introduced earlier.
It is clear that we were playing against a very prominent and fit side with players who are just stepping into Premier League starting roles. Pepe and Willock came out very brave and hopefully learned the speed of thought that is required on the pitch. I would say that Willock grew into the game, which is very exciting. Pepe closed down ferociously, but also made decisions on the ball that hurt the team. Again, I will attribute this mainly to league adaptation and expect him to find Aubameyang or Lacazette in the future. Even Ceballos was caught on tackles from behind before releasing the ball.
I hate to be the eternal optimist, but I fully believe that we have something to be excited about this season. To note, I actually watched until the end of the match with hope. In previous seasons we knew exactly how the team would spiral down into the final 30 minutes of a match. Next week will tell us a lot about the studies and risks that Emery was testing on the pitch today.
A couple of last season’s posts on Emery, let’s see how they age;
Leave a comment