Liverpool’s Formidable Strength: Why Halting Their Progress Will Be Challenging

For competing teams, Liverpool, currently leading the Premier League, appears to possess no significant vulnerabilities. Following their victory over Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, which left City 11 points behind, Arne Slot’s team likely eliminated the defending champions from the title contention. This raises the question of which other team could realistically challenge Liverpool if Manchester City cannot. Arsenal is currently performing well, particularly with Martin Odegaard’s return to fitness. Bukayo Saka, with Odegaard back, seems formidable, and their partnership is noted as highly promising. Chelsea also shows strength, benefiting from Enzo Maresca’s strategy of fielding a distinct squad for European matches, ensuring freshness for weekend fixtures. Despite this, Liverpool already holds a substantial lead over both Arsenal and Chelsea. Observing their performance, it is unclear where they might falter. The Reds have maintained an almost perfect record in both the Premier League and Champions League, demonstrating comprehensive strength across all areas. Initial questions arose regarding how Slot would succeed Jurgen Klopp upon his summer arrival. However, Slot has proven exceptionally impressive to date, and his team is clearly poised to be extremely challenging to overcome. While the demanding Christmas schedule will be crucial, the initial four months of the season suggest their squad possesses sufficient depth to manage it. Liverpool had already commenced the season with an extraordinary performance. In recent days, they convincingly defeated both Real Madrid and Manchester City, teams that have long been dominant in European football. Against City, Liverpool demonstrated superiority in every position. Their midfield notably outplayed City’s, and the 2-0 final score did not fully reflect the extent of their dominant performance. Liverpool had opportunities to score four or five goals in the first half alone and missed another clear chance post-break when Mohamed Salah shot over after breaking free. Defensively, Liverpool was solid and well-organized. Despite injuries to Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley, sustained against Real, their defensive performance remained unaffected. This consistency extends throughout the entire squad. Alisson, recognized as one of the world’s top goalkeepers, has been absent since late October. However, his absence is rarely noted due to Caoimhin Kelleher’s strong performance. This extensive quality in depth provides Slot with various options and the flexibility to rotate players, especially in midfield. Initially, this position was a perceived weakness before the season, following an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. However, it has since become a remarkable strength for the team throughout the season, regardless of who plays there. Curtis Jones, despite his recent excellent form, began Sunday’s match as a substitute, with Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, and Alexis Mac Allister starting in midfield. This change had no discernible impact. All four players exhibit exceptional energy, which aligns with Slot’s pressing strategy, and the team’s execution of his tactical plan is commendable. Liverpool demonstrates defensive solidity and operates as a cohesive unit, yet they also generate numerous scoring opportunities and are effective from set-pieces. In all aspects, they embody the ideal characteristics of a football team. Arne Slot stated that Liverpool’s performance in their victory over City was “close” to perfect. Conversely, Manchester City’s performance over their last seven matches suggests a significant decline, appearing as a diminished version of their former selves. While much discussion has focused on City’s defensive vulnerability—evident in their openness during turnovers at Anfield—it is also apparent that their offensive strength has waned. Liverpool dominated City early in the match. Even during a 15-minute period in the second half when City maintained greater possession, there was no indication they would score or regain control of the game. This situation must have been particularly frustrating for Erling Haaland, who had minimal goal-scoring opportunities. Haaland recorded the fewest touches among all starting players and registered two shots on goal. Haaland has scored only twice in his last eight league matches, yet he remains the Premier League’s top scorer this season, having also netted two goals against Feyenoord midweek. Therefore, removing him from the team is not the solution to City’s issues; rather, they must improve the quality of service provided to him. Phil Foden and Matheus Nunes struggled to impact the game against Liverpool. Even after Savinho and Jeremy Doku were introduced and successfully bypassed defenders, they showed reluctance to deliver crosses into the box for Haaland. The author expresses personal frustration imagining waiting for such a cross that never materialized. Another observation from Sunday was that when City built play from the back, they only attempted long balls over the top twice throughout the match. Haaland consistently moved short, towards the ball, instead. This approach simplifies defending compared to forcing defenders to turn and retreat towards their own goal, as Liverpool compelled City’s defense to do in the first half. Even Manchester City occasionally requires such an “out-ball,” as a striker consistently dropping short can invite pressure upon losing possession—a situation particularly undesirable given their current defensive vulnerabilities. Alan Shearer conveyed these remarks to Chris Bevan of BBC Sport. Guardiola stated that Manchester City must identify solutions following their defeat to Liverpool. © 2024 BBC. The BBC disclaims responsibility for content on external websites. Information regarding their external linking policy is available.