Football News: Liverpool v Fulham

Liverpool v Fulham

I feel like I should start off by apologising to my neighbours for the noise during this game. It was just an insane game. How do you even review a game like that? It made no sense. One thing it did show up is just how much of a miss Alisson is going to be while out injured. Also how much less exciting the game would have been with him in goal, as he would have saved all three goals and it would have been a stroll! Instead it was a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions, despite Liverpool not actually playing that well. They should have had more than enough to win comfortably over this Fulham side anyway, but the gaps due to the system that is being used gave Fulham chances that they took. Against teams that use the wide areas less, it works well, as soon as you come up against a team like Fulham, who focus on the flanks anyway, it becomes a liability defensively. But I am fed up of pointing out its deficiencies and we all also know how it aids Liverpool in maintaining possession by putting an extra body in midfield, so it is time to talk about something else.

Though, before I do that, I feel I have to point out how much better the team looked in the final minutes going forward when Endo and Trent played in midfield and Gomez stayed out wide. It just provides so much better balance and attacking threat. What has to be talked about is the quality of those four goals Liverpool scored. Yes, Liverpool should not need to score four goals just to squeak a win, but it was so exciting and what goals! I mean if you are going to need to score four, you would struggle to ask for four better ones in one game. Such a shame it looks like the first one is going to go down as an own goal, which seems harsh to say the least. The team looked so much better going forward, the biggest issue being the three forwards could not have finished a fish supper last night. That made it much more difficult than it needed to be.

Fair play to Fulham, they came in and gave it a go, rather than just sitting back and looking to keep the score down in the hope of snatching something. They did struggle to get the ball, but when they did they were positive and always looked to drive forward and attack. It will be interesting to see how that result affects them. It could be the catalyst to boost their confidence and help them move up the table or losing in that way can hit their morale hard and be the beginning of a run of poor form. Marco Silva has a job on his hands making sure the players see the positives from the defeat and feel energised from pushing Liverpool so hard and coming so close to a victory. One thing is for sure, they look to have more than enough to be safe this season.

Quick notes on the players:

Kelleher – this is the problem with having Kelleher on the bench. It is adversely affecting his career because he simply is not getting enough games to keep him from getting rusty and lacks the experience to deal with being on the sidelines for such long periods. Yes, he had a disaster, all three goals would have been saved by Alisson, but it is difficult for him to be at his best. He needs more regular football to get going. I am sure he will improve but he will still be finding his feet when Alisson returns. Then he will be back to barely playing. This is the issue for back up keepers, they are on a hiding to nothing because each error is so costly and they are going to make errors as they are not playing enough to be at their best.

Alexander-Arnold – another excellent performance from Alexander-Arnold, particularly when given the chance to play as a midfielder (at last). After years of conjecture about whether he would eventually end up playing in midfield, this might actually be the time for him to prove whether it is for him. The half-way house of the inverted full-back role has shown that he has the ability on the ball to play there, but it has not left him able to showcase whether he is capable off the ball of being in midfield. He is far too busy having to get back across to the right-back position to actually show an understanding of a midfield role. This game finally gave him a decent amount of time to play in there and he looked very good. Even better when Endo came on to give him a proper partner in the centre, rather than Gomez just drifting in. And, to top it off, he scores a late winner of such quality from that position to enhance his claim. I would certainly be interested to see more of him in there.

Matip – while he was very good in the main in this game, it did showcase his two huge weaknesses. Firstly, his lack of awareness was once again on show as he had no idea what was going on and just raced out to close down at a setpiece, leaving 2 or 3 players free deep in the box. Matip had no need to rush out, there were other players charging down the ball, but he did not notice that and, even worse, had no idea that there were players right next to him that he should have been looking to mark. It is hopelessly bad schoolboy stuff, something that he does in every game. He never looks around and gets caught out time and time again. Secondly, he once again gets injured. The only thing you can rely on with Matip is to get injured if he plays a run of games. It is telling that this was just his 150th appearance despite being Klopp’s favoured choice at centre-back since he arrived in 2016. That is 3 seasons’ worth of games that he has managed in his 7 years at Liverpool. It is a shame as he is very good on the ball and, if just given one man to worry about, he is very good at shutting them down.

van Dijk – he is still ticking along at his imperious best, once more he was the rock in that defence. Added to that, his passing was mostly good and caused Fulham no end of problems with the long passes out from the back. That ability made it impossible for Fulham to press. There is no point when it just opens gaps for a long, raking pass to Salah.

Tsimikas – he is improving with every game, no longer is he playing safe and just passing back or sideways the moment he gets it. At times he is even driving forward and attempted to take on his opponent. Tsimikas is starting to once more look like the player that originally joined, the one that seemed capable of actually pushing Andy Robertson for his place in the team. He is not there yet but he is improving with every game.

Mac Allister – he is much better defensively now, but still getting forward when possible, as evidenced by that beautiful goal he scored. Also showed a good turn of speed to chase Iwobi down the flank, giving a lie to all who have said he is too slow to play the role. I still think he would be much better with a proper midfield partner next to him, but Mac Allister is beginning to look like he can do this role after all. Admittedly it was only Fulham, who are not the strongest team LFC have faced, but each performance like that will only improve his confidence ready for the more difficult teams to come.

Szoboszlai – plays with so much more maturity and responsibility than most players of his age. He covers almost every blade of grass and drags the opposition all over the pitch trying to keep him quiet, allowing the others to do the damage when he is not able to. Despite not getting on the scoresheet, he was one of the better players on the pitch.

Gravenberch – I have to admit he worries me. A couple of times he pulled out of challenges, though he did get stuck in afterwards, it is a worry for me that he did not immediately go out to put a foot in and show he would not be bullied. I do love the way he drifts past players with ease, but his passing is poor. Yes the stats will not show it, because the passes are often hitting the target, but far too often it is the back of the legs of the target, when they need it played in front of them. Or they have to check back or stop their run to pick up the ball that should have gone into their path. Cruyff said that a good pass is not one that reaches its target, but one that reaches the correct foot of the receiver with the right weight to enable them to use it immediately. Gravenberch rarely, if ever, plays a pass like that. He is also very suspect positionally. All are things that can be worked on for the future, but it does explain why he is so much better when coming on as a substitute with more time and space against tired legs. I was very surprised he was not the first player to be brought off to be honest.

Salah – not his best game. He seemed to be trying too hard at times not to think about his 200th goal and passed when he should have shot. Other times he was snatching at things. But he is still always a threat and his passing and playmaking is visibly improving.

Nunez – Klopp has to keep picking him because he causes so many problems for the opposition and does so much work for the team that he is very much a positive in the team, but I do wish he could just sort out his finishing. I am sure it will come, he is just so busy trying to place it in the corners that it comes with the risk of missing at the pace he moves. But when he does start hitting the target more regularly, putting them into the corners will make most unsaveable, so I would not want to ask him to change. The most impressive thing about Nunez is his work for the team and his attitude. Yes he can be fiery, but when he loses the ball or makes a mistake, there is never any hands thrown in the air or complaining, standing around expecting others to rectify it. No, the minute he makes a loose touch or pass he is chasing after the ball trying to put it right. When others are caught forward, he is always there chasing back to provide cover as well.

Diaz – he was trying too hard and had a poor game. He kept trying to do too much on the ball and lost it. His finishing was worse than Nunez’s and Salah’s as well. It feels like he just needs to settle back down and stop overdoing it. I wonder if having his dad there at the games is actually putting pressure on him to show his dad just what he can do?

Gakpo – replaced Szoboszlai in the 64th minute. Played in the midfield at first, then moved out to the right wing when there was a reshuffle which moved Salah central and saw Liverpool go to what was basically a 4-2-4 after Endo came on. He did some good things, always looks strong and controlled on the ball, but struggled to make any meaningful impact. The game was so end to end and messy that it really did not give him much chance to get involved in midfield.

Gomez – also came on in the 64th minute but in place of Mac Allister, to allow Alexander-Arnold to move into midfield. Gomez is having a really good season and it is such a shame that he has been so in and out of the side, but it is understandable that he is unable to displace Alexander-Arnold.

Konate – was brought on in the 69th minute when Matip once again picked up an injury. His greater pace allows him to cover across in the full-back area much better than Matip, but he is just not as good on the ball, so it is a swings and roundabouts issue. What you lose in one area, you gain in another. For me, his big problem is a tendency to grab and pull needlessly. He needs to learn to keep his hands to himself.

Endo – he took the place of Gravenberch and the team switched to a flat back four and looked so much better for it. And his goal! The composure to come on and do that so late on is not expected from a defensive midfielder. Hard to tell whether his arrival changed the game, if it was the switch to a back with two proper central midfielders, or if Fulham just dropped in to try and hold their lead, but the game did change when he came on. I would think it is probably a combination of the three, but his play makes such a difference in midfield. Mac Allister is much better than he was, but he is still nowhere near as competent as Endo is at shutting the opposition down and at providing forward momentum the moment he gets the ball.

Written by Tris Burke December 05 2023 13:23:53