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Photo by Marc Atkins - AVFC/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
After the Reds stumble to an uninspiring draw, we take a look at some of the winners and losers on the night.
They missed two sitters and hit the crossbar once, but the underlying performance was not the convincing display of dominance that fans have been asking for to prove that the recent drop in form is merely a mirage. Aston Villa scored their two big chances, but were in control for significant portions of the match, and looked more likely to win it in the end, as Liverpool failed to register a single shot in the final half hour of the game.
A pass completion rate of just 68% in the last 20 minutes of the game well matches the eye test of witnessing a team losing cohesion when the game was on the line, failing to implement the instructions of the manager with any sort of success.
Whether this is down to mental or physical exhaustion — Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones in particular looked done by about the hour mark — is as of yet unclear, but something went badly wrong with the game to be won, and Arne Slot and his crew need to figure out what and how to fix it if they’re going to finish this season as strongly as they started it.
Below then, a quick discussion of some winners and losers on the night.
Winners
King of Goals: It’s bordering on repetitive, but we really do need to keep talking about the season Mohamed Salah is having. With a goal and assist — the 12th game this season in which he’s managed both — the Egyptian took his total tally to 49 in all competitions, maintaining an average of a goal involvement every 64 minutes.
It’s a preposterous return for a player still in the last year of his contract, and if the Reds do end up lifting any silverware at the end of the campaign, there can be absolutely no doubt which player will have been the foundation upon which that success has been built.
The Challengers: With a chance to go ten points up and put real pressure on Arsenal with less than a third of the season to go, the Reds put in a leggy, uninspired performance that, had chances been taken, would still have been enough to collect all three points.
Instead, Arteta’s men have the chance to narrow the gap to five points when they take on West Ham on Saturday, before Liverpool travel to Manchester for what — at least ahead of the season — would have been considered the toughest fixture on the calendar.
They say it’s the hope that kills you, but this writer would rather we put things out of reach when given the chance.
Losers
Finish!: Darwin Núñez missed an open goal, while Diogo Jota sliced the ball wildly off target when left completely alone with Emiliano Martinez in the first half, and had either of those chances been converted, we would still be talking about the deficiencies of the underlying performance, true, but we’d be doing so from a place of points-induced confidence. Instead, we’ll get whatever happens in the comments below.
Questions for the Head Coach
Just a couple of queries for the man currently in charge of the tactical and strategic principles of Liverpool Football Club.
Why did Liverpool play almost the entirety of the match without a left winger? Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota appeared tasked with alternating, but instead both drifted infield constantly, leaving the flank wide open for Villa to exploit. Why do we only ever send one runner in behind against a side that invites the long ball so often, and why are our attackers spaced so far apart that any second ball is lost by default? What is the point of pressing three or four players against six, when your fullbacks are pinned by the opposition winger? The end result is either A) an easy pass to a wide open fullback or B) a central midfielder hustling to get wide, leaving a gaping hole in the middle. Why do we insist on being cute and trying to anticipate passes after closing a player down instead of making a challenge? Our refusal to either make a tackle or at least get goalside of the player sees us consistently give up huge progressive carries both down the flanks and through the centre.No rush, a reply at any time will be fine.
What Happens Next
The Reds take on 4th place and recently eliminated from the Champions League Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday, as they look to bolster their lead at the top of the Premier League table, before they attempt to avenge their injury time draw with Newcastle, as they host the Magpies next Wednesday.
