By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
ACLSportsACLSportsACLSports
9
Notification Show More
CompetitionFootballNewsNPFL
CHAN2024: Super Eagles B depart for Zanzibar
3 hours ago
FootballNewsNPFL
NPFL: Evans Ogenyi becomes Pillars head coach
9 hours ago
Age-Group FootballFootballNews
U20WAFUB: Flying Eagles beaten by Cotê d’Ivoire in final
9 hours ago
CompetitionFootballNews
CHAN2024: Defending champions Senegal announce squad
1 day ago
CompetitionFootballNewsNPFL
Champions Remo Stars provide 9 players for CHAN 2024 squad
1 day ago
BasketballCompetitionNews
D’Tigress AfroBasket Women 2025 roster announced
1 day ago
NewsNWFLWomen's Football
Bayelsa Queens ramp up WAFU prep with friendly wins
2 days ago
#YourSportsMemoBlogsNewsSuper FalconsWomen's Football
WAFCON 2024 Semifinal Preview: Nigeria vs South Africa
2 days ago
#YourSportsMemoBlogsNewsSuper Falcons
WAFCON Diary Six: hotels, hot showers and suspicious pepper soup
3 days ago
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • Football
  • Naijaheroes
  • Grassroots
  • Basketball
  • Athletics
  • News
  • More
    • Laughter, Leather & Losses
    • #YOURSPORTSMEMO Podcast
    • Blogs
    • Competition
Reading: Liverpool Defending Stifled United At Anfield
Share
Font ResizerAa
ACLSportsACLSports
Search
  • Home
  • Laughter, Leather & Losses
  • Football
  • Naijaheroes
  • Grassroots
  • Basketball
  • Athletics
  • News
  • #YourSportsMemo
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
ACLSports > Blog > Blogs > Liverpool Defending Stifled United At Anfield
BlogsFootball

Liverpool Defending Stifled United At Anfield

Sola Egunjobi
Last updated: October 20, 2017 2:43 pm
Sola Egunjobi
Published: October 20, 2017
Share
As featured on NewsNow: Sport news
Sport News 24/7 

I’ll get straight to the point: not enough has been said about Liverpool’s defensive solidity against Manchester United at Anfield last week.
I know. It’s not a popular view. Not for a team that has a well-earned reputation for conceding soft goals.

But the clean sheet on Saturday wasn’t just down to Man Utd’s pragmatic approach. All the talk has centered on another defensive “masterpiece” by Jose Mourinho, and it’s fair to say United defended resolutely and made it really tough for Liverpool – as they should.
Mourinho was happy to sit deep and take the point – just as he had last year when he was rather self-congratulatory after another goalless draw. But what’s been lost in all the analysis is that United did not plan to sit back and defend quite as much as they ultimately had to.

Emre Can was part of LFC’s stifling pressing tactics

Why do I say that? Well for one thing, United pushed forward early on and appeared to target Alberto Moreno at left back, looking to double Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young on the Spaniard. The game’s first probing attacks came down that flank, with Dejan Lovren twice clearing Young crosses and Jordan Henderson having to track back to block another. Even the peripheral Romelu Lukaku whipped one cross over from that flank after outwitting Lovren.

United’s other ploy was the long ball from the back, either towards the towering Lukaku, or again down Liverpool’s left flank in attempt to take advantage of Moreno’s height disadvantage. This didn’t work out quite as planned; Lovren stifled Lukaku competently and Moreno proved rather adequate against Young.

- Advertisement -

Mourinho had deployed a similar plan last year, when he gleefully explained how he had given Liverpool nothing to press, but without the injured pair of Paul Pogba and Maroune Fellaini, there were fewer targets to hit, and for all his height and bulk, Lukaku isn’t quite as adept as Ibrahimovic with his back to goal.

Still, United have already shown this season that they can pass the ball when they want to, and their one chance of the game came when a rapid passing combination involving Anthony Martial and the otherwise anonymous Henrikh Mkhitaryan carved an opening for Lukaku that was well saved by Simon Mignolet.

Paul Pogba. United claim his absence informed tactics Photo Credit: Manchester United

So, Liverpool in the first half, found answers to United’s early threat down their left flank, took care of the long ball to Lukaku down the middle, and Joe Gomez kept Martial under wraps on the other flank. Defending isn’t only about hasty clearances, timely tackles and blocks on the edge of the penalty box.

Klopp’s Liverpool prefer to do their defending higher up the field, pressing quickly after losing possession and denying opponents the time and space to progress up the field. There were signs of this in the first half – like when Moreno chased back to halt a Lukaku break, or when Joel Matip and Henderson halted Lukaku’s progress down the left – but this really came to the fore in the second half when, after an early flurry down that left flank, United could hardly muster an attack of note. And it wasn’t for lack of trying. Liverpool just wouldn’t let them out of their own half.

The best example of this came when Nemanja Matic, after winning possession and looking to progress play, was quickly chased down and dispossessed by Roberto Firmino, Henderson and Phillipe Coutinho. Later, Emre Can’s timely tackle snuffed out an attempted counter in the center circle, and when Martial chased down another promising loose ball, Gomez and Matip stepped in to nip it in the bud.

Even when Moreno went flying forward and Young tried to take the ball down that flank, Henderson was quick to step in and put paid to that. Not one of those interventions was within 20 yards of the Liverpool box – most were in United’s half – but it was good defending nonetheless.

Mourinho, at the end, alluded to his expectation that Liverpool would ultimately gamble more as the game wore on – that is, take off one their midfielders – and allow his team a bit more room to hit them on the break. Klopp wouldn’t bite though.

He chose to maintain the balance that had given his side control, if not the lead they desired and deserved even. Perhaps on another day, without the World Cup qualifying travel of the previous week, and without Champions League three days later, he may well have risked more and left his first choice strike force in the game longer. Who knows?

It wasn’t the most ambitious of games plans from Mourinho and Man Utd, but whatever limited ambition they had was very well stifled by Liverpool’s impressive defending all over the field.

“We will be happy again” – Enyimba star Victor Mbaoma
NWFL: Rivers Angels, Sunshine Queens stay top
NWFL: Queens, Amazons win as Super 4 battle heats up
2018 World Cup: Nainggolan missing from Belgium squad
Kenyans’ CHAN fate
TAGGED:BlogsEnglish Premier LeagueFootball
Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Previous Article Roma charged for alleged racist chants at Antonio Rudiger
Next Article Ordega joins Atletico Madrid on loan
Leave a Comment

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Categories

YourSportsMemo

Latest News

CHAN2024: Super Eagles B depart for Zanzibar
Competition Football News NPFL
NPFL: Evans Ogenyi becomes Pillars head coach
Football News NPFL
U20WAFUB: Flying Eagles beaten by Cotê d’Ivoire in final
Age-Group Football Football News
CHAN2024: Defending champions Senegal announce squad
Competition Football News

Stay Connected

FacebookLike
XFollow
InstagramFollow

Archives

Latest News

WAFCON 2024 Semifinal Preview: Nigeria vs South Africa
#YourSportsMemo Blogs News Super Falcons Women's Football
WAFCON Diary Six: hotels, hot showers and suspicious pepper soup
#YourSportsMemo Blogs News Super Falcons
CAF GS Mosengo-Omba impressed by CHAN 2024 Readiness
Competition Football News Super Eagles

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 14.8K other subscribers
ACLSportsACLSports
Follow US
© ACLSports. All Rights Reserved.
adbanner