Football News: Liverpool v Bournemouth - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

Liverpool v Bournemouth

This time I will try and keep it quick! I did get a little carried away last time out, but the whine gums are truly put away right now after the weekend's results have put the shine into the sun. This was a much improved performance once the first ten minutes were out of the way and Alexander-Arnold drifted infield much less. It was also noticeable that when he did drift inside or charge up the wing, Szoboszlai was dropping in to cover as Milner and Henderson used to do. It meant that there was much more width to the attack and that Salah was able to drift inside to where he can be a danger. In those first few minutes though, it was noticeable that Bournemouth created most of the danger they were able to produce. What was worrying is that almost all the danger they created was down to poor play out from the back by Liverpool, who really struggled to build play through the defence. Even when Bournemouth's press died off after their early whirlwind start, Liverpool were loose with their play at the back, poor touches, poor passes, lack of options all caused problems.

What really stood out was how much better the team's shape looked when it reverted to a proper back four after the sending off. I really hope Klopp was able to see that and understand it. Normally you would expect a top class coach like him and his team of assistants to spot these things without difficulty, but last season and the start of this has made me wonder if they are actually watching what is happening on the pitch at times! Now if they can just spot that Jota is not the right man to start up top as well, things will be looking a lot rosier at Anfield. What did worry me though was signs that the players ran out of steam towards the end of the game. While I understand that playing with ten against eleven is harder than having a full-strength team, the fitness still looks a bit off where you would want it to be.

Bournemouth have a lot of work to do, they struggled badly when pressed and lack a cutting edge. They scored because of a poor piece of play by Liverpool trying to play out from the back, rather than because they worked a chance. It was just a sloppy touch by Alexander-Arnold, in a sloppy period for the entire team, followed by a very weak attempt at a challenge by Robertson. It took them over 90 minutes to even win their first corner! They were also unable to defend basic corner kicks, leaving Liverpool players to get free headers time after time and were lucky that they were not on the end of a heavier defeat due to it. That was something that Iraola has to learn to improve on, defending set pieces. You simply cannot let the likes of van Dijk get free header after free header in your box and expect to get away with it every week. It is the kind of thing a coach can fix on the fly during a game by reorganising. He also had the whole of half-time to make changes there and failed to do so. That weakness on set pieces will be exploited by other Premier League managers and that could be the difference between staying up and going down if not sorted.

Quick notes on the players:
Apologies Ed77 did not provide me his ratings for today.

Liverpool:

Alisson: he did make an early mistake rushing out needlessly, luckily it was offside and then looked a bit lethargic for a while afterward, but he woke up and made a couple of really good saves late on. The one from Traore that he palmed wide of the goal was particularly good as he made sure to push it clear and towards the wing, rather than straight back out where a forward could follow up and tap it in.

Alexander-Arnold: there was a huge difference between the way the team played with him staying wide and when he was drifting inside. When he stays out wide, the team looks so much better and creates so much more with the width dragging the opposition out. The insistence on him immediately moving inside the moment Liverpool get a goal kick is making it very difficult for the team to build anything as it removes options and condenses the space. It also frees up Salah when Alexander-Arnold is wide. It was nice to see him delivering quality from wide areas once more - hopefully a sign of things to come this season.

Konate: showed an ability to bring the ball out of defence early on, when Bournemouth had removed the options as Alexander-Arnold was narrow and no one was showing for a pass. Konate just ran it up field but the lack of options for him to pass to is a worry as it has been happening a lot with the new system. He did not really have a lot to do defensively.

van Dijk: he is looking like something approaching the old Virgil now and came close to scoring with a header, only to hit the bar. Having him back in good form will make a huge difference this season, especially if we use a system that suits the team and does not expose him so badly.

Robertson: when able to get forward and involved in the play he looks good, this game he was able to do so much more often than he had been. Still looks a little lost when defending at times, as he struggles to come to terms with the new set up but looked so much happier when it was just a standard back four.

Mac Allister: I am still not convinced by him in the deeper role, he does not offer much protection to the defence, but he was not really needed in that respect in this game as Liverpool controlled the play after the early going. Then he was sent off in a decision which was at best harsh. I get the referee missing it at full speed with just one look, but how does VAR miss it? There were worse tackles both before and after in that game and in all the games over the weekend that never even resulted in free kicks, let alone cards. No wonder Liverpool are appealing.

Szoboszlai: he was excellent in this match, popping up all over the pitch, sometimes dropping in to cover at right-back, sometimes in the opposition penalty area as he did when he was awarded the penalty. I have to say that this was also a harsh decision. He went down far too easily and I am not convinced he was even touched. Other than that he was showing strength and skill in abundance, as well as powerful non-stop running. Man of the match in my opinion.

Gakpo: showed an ability to resist pressure while on the ball and get himself out of trouble but I do not like him in midfield. For me he needs to be higher up the pitch linking with Salah and Diaz and being in position to hit shots. His shooting is exceptional and it seems silly to play him where he gets less chance of using his strongest attribute.

Diaz: a mixed game, some good, some sloppy moments and some errors. Early on he was looking lethargic, like most of the Liverpool team, but did improve. Did well to finish off his goal as it was not an easy ball to deal with. Also linked well at times with Robertson when he got forward. It is not the same level as Mane's understanding with Robertson yet, but there are signs there that (if Robertson is allowed to get forward as he used to) they work well together. However he really needs to cut out the sloppy moments when he gets caught dwelling on the ball.

Salah: once the set up changed to see Alexander-Arnold spend more time out wide, his performance improved. He really is not as happy or as good when left isolated out wide. Once he is able to cut in at will he looks so much better. Early on he was being caught on the ball, though good to see him chase back to try and win it back when he did lose it. Could (should?) have scored more, but his finishing was poor. The big question is whether it is time to examine his role as the team's penalty taker? I never feel totally confident when he steps up to take them.

Jota: he is so frustrating to watch. He messes up the simplest passes and shots so often, but then he will do something brilliant or score and it is all forgotten. However, for me he is just too hit and miss and his passing and link up play is just not good enough to be leading the line when there are Nunez and Gakpo as alternative options. Yes he scored and played the ball for Diaz's goal (though it was a poor ball to be honest) but he gives the ball away far too much and spends far too much of the game just running round chasing his own tail like a puppy. And, for all the goals he does score, he misses far too many good chances for my liking to be a starter. He did score but, like Salah, he probably should have scored more.

Endo: the new man had a baptism of fire replacing Gakpo in the 63rd minute as Klopp looked to shut up shop following the sending off and with Liverpool leading 3-1. While it was clear that he had not even had a training session with the team yet and it was by no means a great performance by him, Liverpool as a whole looked much better for having a proper defensive midfielder in place. It allowed the full-backs to get forward and the team to be able to utilise the counter to stop Bournemouth dominating the game.

Gomez: replaced the limping Alexander-Arnold in the 75th minute. Did get involved in some nice build up play and allowed Konate to concentrate on staying central.

Elliott: came on for Jota at the same time as Gomez entered the play. Got involved in attacking play but also made sure to work back when needed.

Tsimikas: was brought on in place of Diaz, who had been caught on the ball as he was carrying a knock, in the 86th minute. Never really had much time to do anything particularly.

Nunez: also came on in the 86th minute, instead of Salah. Worked his socks off but at times he was chasing after his own loose touch. He does not seem suited to a substitute role as he always appears to need time to grow into a game, but he always puts work in and always causes the opposition defence problems with his pace and movement.

Written by Tris Burke August 22 2023 12:54:17