1 week ago
21 
Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
With a victory over Manchester City in the books, we take a closer look at what it all means for the Reds.
Liverpool came into what some fans might have felt was the match that brought up the most anxiety. Yes, it’s a Manchester City side that’s on the ropes, but you can’t fault fans being on edge given the recent history between the two clubs. And with City’s form over the last few weeks looking like Pep Guardiola had found a way to right the ship coupled with the Reds’ own mild dip in form having been bounced out of the FA Cup and with a pair of frustrating draws in the Premier League, it felt like the result was very much up for grabs. With the opportunity to go 11 points clear of Arsenal with 11 matches left in League play after the Gunners’ loss yesterday, and a bonus chance to pin City back to a 20 point deficit, a win would do a lot of good for Liverpool’s aims in this campaign.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Arne Slot: Tactical Genius
Tough to say with certainty that the line-up against Villa was made with these tactical shifts in-mind, but Slot once more opted to go without a traditional striker in his formation. Instead, he ran Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai in dual 10s at the top of the pitch, with Luis Díaz and Mohamed Salah providing the threat from the wide areas. What we saw over the duration of the match was a compact and crowded midfield, which dared City’s wide-players to break them down. Without a clear target like Erling Haaland, who was out injured, it worked to perfection as Liverpool picked up another cleansheet. With the caveat, though, that Salah’s countryman Omar Marmoush did look threatening when on the ball. It wasn’t the type of watch that Liverpool fans coming out of the Klopp Era would have been used to, but it was a professional and assured one. Put differently, the type you might find in all title-winning campaigns.
Mohamed Salah
A note on the match itself is that Salah was torching Nathan Ake so badly that Guardiola was forced to put Joško Gvardiol out wide and move the Dutchman inside. While Salah did not get another goal after that move, he remained a threat. And, to be quite clear, we’re running out of ways to describe just how special this season really is and with another goal and assist to his name. Right now Salah is looking quite likely to etch his name deep into footballing lore. He sits at 41 goal involvements for the season, one behind his scintillating first season at Liverpool and only 6 behind Alan Shearer’s record - which was accomplished in a 42 match season. Salah has reached this mark in 27 matches. With 11 more to go, it feels more a question of when, rather than if, he’ll reach that mark. We are, at present, watching perhaps the single greatest attacking season in the history of English football. What a time to be alive.
Dominik Szoboszlai
The Hungarian Bobby Canavale, as he is known in my household, put on another imperious performance, with his power and movement being vital in keeping City’s players completely off-balance. The entire midfield deserves credit but Szobo’s performance stood out as he covered so much ground over the course of the match, essentially driving the overall play. Which is a weird thing to say in a match where Liverpool ultimately saw so little of the ball, but when you consider that this match required effort, it does make sense that Szobo might be the one that stands out.
Talking Tactics
Liverpool’s tactical flourish in this match likely had a lot of folks surprised. I know I certainly was taken aback when, as the match unfolded, we’d set-up in a 4-2-2-2 with Szobo and CuJo at the top of that formation. But it should a clear understanding that there was a need to get a positive result - one that prioritized getting all three points. It also reveals that Slot understood that Guardiola’s City still prefers to play through the center of the park. And while Jeremy Doku may have had moments that looked bright when isolated against Trent Alexander-Arnold, there was ultimately very little joy on City’s part against this Liverpool defense.
More important than that, perhaps, is that Liverpool managed to really dig in and focus while having so little of the ball. It was not a typical Liverpool match at all and Slot deserves credit for finding a way to encourage the team to put in the graft to take the full complement of points. The team also deserve credit for working hard - though, not physically as much as mentally - and dealing with the threats from City so well. It is meaningful to see a City side so utterly dejected with players no longer interested in pressing and no real belief or urgency in turning the tide. That is maybe the most lasting memory of this match, really: City looking a complete shell of themselves, bereft of ideas.
Dissecting the Narrative
Liverpool were on a downward slide and some of the more knee-jerk end of the fanbase were already proclaiming the title race done. Here, Slot was able to direct the club towards not just a well-earned three points, but revealed that this club have an identity that underscores a desire to do whatever it takes to win. Can they outclass a team and overwhelm them with great attacking play? Sure. Can they play solidly and force some teams to shift their attacking shape? Yes. And, now, they have shown that they can roll up their sleeves and focus over the course of 90 minutes and dare you to break down a stubborn and compact defense. If Klopp’s side was a performance-level truck, Slot’s is a bit of a chameleon.
What Happens Next
Liverpool next face Newcastle in the league, rounding out the last of what was a very tricky set of fixtures for them. There is also a return to Champions League play with a two-legged tie against Paris Saint-Germain awaiting. And by the time we close out March, Liverpool will have a chance at lifting their first trophy under Arne Slot with the Carabao Cup Final. We are most definitely in the business end of the season. Strap in, we’re in for quite the ride.
