In arguably the most crucial match of the current Premier League campaign, Liverpool and Manchester City were deadlocked, neither side able to gain a decisive three points. Klopp’s last hurrah (for now) against Manchester City will certainly go down as one of his proudest. Leaving Liverpool in the summer, the Reds manager may look back at this result with contempt or delight depending on how the season unfurls.
Currently, Liverpool sit 2nd, one point ahead of Manchester City in 3rd and trailing Arsenal only on goal difference. While drawing 1-1 with City on Sunday vitally keeps Liverpool ahead of the current Premier League champions, they will be disappointed not to have achieved more.
And rightly so based on the game they played. Manchester City took the lead in the first half, as both sides put pressure on their opponents goal. After the break, however, Liverpool were dominant, showcasing their class and allowing their opposition very few high-quality chances. On another day, Diaz may have scored from Salah’s sweeping forward pass, or penalty could have been converted following a controversial challenge from Jeremy Doku that wasn’t penalized.
The final match of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League rivalry certainly won’t be forgotten. It entertained from start to finish, and the stalemate reached is representative of what has been an almost inseparable duo at the top of the Premier League table over recent years.
The infamous “Pep-roulette” was on show yet again, as the Spaniard made a handful of surprising emissions and substitutions over the course of the match. Most notable - both on the teamsheet and the pitch - was the absence of Ruben Dias. Manchester City started the match in a 4-3-3, that morphed into a 3-2-4-1 when in possession.
This has been typical of Pep in recent times. In this shape, Stones starts in the defence but moves into midfield to create a pairing with Rodri. This allows Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne to push further forward, operating just behind the central striker.
Liverpool also remained tactically true to themselves. As is to be expected, Klopp set his side out in a 4-3-3, having displayed little tactical variation throughout this successful season.
Where Liverpool’s match strategy differed from their season standard was through the full-backs. With Trent Alexander-Arnold absent due to injury, Klopp was forced to invert the defensive structure when in possession. Connor Bradley played a high, wing-back role, while Gomez on the left side of the pitch played slightly deeper and more central. Typically, Trent Alexander-Arnold has played in this role coming from the right of defence.
Building From the Back
The build-up strategies of the two sides varied greatly and this in large part defined the flow of the match. Liverpool opted for a direct approach. Their defenders displayed no hesitation in progressing the ball forward with pace. The City starting back four attempted just 14 long-balls over the course of the match in comparison with Liverpool’s 28. The two Liverpool center-backs attempted 20 long balls in the match alone, and were successful in more than half of those.
The Reds’ ability to consistently find Darwin Nuñez from range allowed them to alleviate much of the pressure on their backline and enabled them to get into Manchester City’s half quickly. Darwin Nuñez won three more aerial duels than anyone else on the pitch, with a 71% success rate. His presence as an outlet in Manchester City’s half limited the capabilities of the high intensity City press.
This is where Ruben Dias was most missed for Guardiola. As a central defender, Dias averages 0.2 more aerials per 90 than Manuel Akanji and 0.3 more than John Stones. He is a more aggressive defensive option who may have been mores suited to the physical battle with Darwin Nuñez. Instead, the Uruguayan forward aided his side by providing a route for quick breaks or by holding possession in the City half.
Playing into expectations, City opted for a far more conservative approach when in possession. There seemed to be a refusal to play directly that in moments cost the visitors.
City persistently tried to play through Rodri and Stones at the base of midfield before breaking the lines and getting the ball into Bernardo and De Bruyne. Setting up with an M-shape when building out of defence, Manchester City played perfectly into Liverpool’s hands.
The below image illustrates this:
Here it is seen how Liverpool were able to match Manchester City 5v5 when out of possession. Manchester City’s crucial double pivot of Stones and Rodri were largely cut out of the game and were not able to be entirely effective. Liverpool’s two central midfielders (Mac Allister and Szoboszlai for much of the game) pressed high up the pitch creating a 5v5 scenario. Although this left Endo covering both Bernardo and De Bruyne, the narrow shape adopted by Liverpool allowed them to block off most passing lanes into these players.
Throughout the match, this led to various moments in which City lost the ball while trying to progress. In certain instances, players like Akanji and Walker were left without any passing options. By limiting City’s defensive midfielders, Liverpool dominated the midfield battle and cut off the link between the defence and City’s danger men.
This, combined with City’s reluctance to play long, served to leave their attacking players isolated in the match. De Bruyne completed just 16 passes on the night (far below his league average of 40), while Haaland was barely noticeable, taking just one shot in the game. City were allowed just 8.9 passes per defensive action, in comparison to Liverpool’s 14.8. This shows the effectiveness of the Liverpool press. Despite playing long less frequently, City maintained less possession and struggled to complete long chains of successive passes. Liverpool’s direct approach did not lead them to losing the ball but instead aided them in preserving possession in their opponents half.
Liverpool’s Quick Transition
Another function of Liverpool’s direct gameplan was to allow them to capitalize on City’s defensive transition. Liverpool wasted no time on the ball, bypassing the midfield and finding Nuñez or one of the wingers quickly. This allowed them to catch City out.
With Stones moving into midfield during possession phases, Akanji was left alone at the heart of the City defence. With the ball, Stones maintained a high central position, while Ake and Walker on the City left and right held their positions near the touchline. This left Liverpool a brief window of time after winning the ball back in which they could play Darwin Nuñez in one-on-one with Akanji.
Nuñez’s strength and speed allowed him to be successful in retrieving balls both played down the channels and balls played into him to hold up. His impact on the match and strong aerial performance was congruent with the fact that he was competing with just one center-back for the ball.
By operating so quickly, Liverpool managed to exploit the City defensive transition and create chaos for their defenders rushing back.
The images above illustrate how this lead to one of Liverpool’s biggest chances on the night. In the first image, Liverpool gain possession as a wayward City pass finds Harvey Elliot. Here, Nuñez is positioned crucially. He is stationed in behind defensive-midfielder Rodri and left-back Ake, while keeping his distance from John Stones.
Elliot plays a quick ball to Salah who releases Nuñez down the channel and in behind Ake. His lateral avoidance of Stones gives him just enough distance from the Englishman in order to incite a chase, but Stones is always second-best. In order to avoid giving Nuñez a simple run at goal, Akanji is forced to shift leftwards and close down his route, which in turn leaves the central area of pitch entirely vacant. Walker is caught too wide in transition and Diaz receives the pass. In just four passes, Liverpool should have scored.
Liverpool were able to cause confusion for the City defence throughout the match by playing the ball forward quickly. With Manchester City’s two central defenders essentially on top of each other, operating vertically as opposed to horizontally, Liverpool players had space in central areas while the City players were often left ball-chasing, unaware of their defensive roles and responsibilities.
The Endo Role
While Liverpool’s tactical shape largely determined their dominance in this match, big games require big individual performances. The man tasked with the most difficult job on the pitch was undeniably Wataru Endo. The Japanese defensive midfielder had both Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne to watch out for, as the other two Liverpool midfielders pushed higher up the field.
In the first half, Endo struggled slightly with this, as the two City players received the ball frequently in their roaming roles. However, in the second half, a minor tactical adjustment and a superb Endo display helped to nullify their threat.
Throughout the first period, Endo could be seen stepping up trying to stay almost in line with his midfield partners. This way, he was in advance of Bernardo and De Bruyne, giving them plenty of space in which to operate.
The two images above illustrate a situation early in the game in which Man City were able to create a chance. In the first image, Bernardo and De Bruyne are clearly evading Endo by holding high and wide positions. De Bruyne receives the ball into feet and plays a quick pass. Just a few moments later, Haaland slips De Bruyne the ball in a position where he is entirely in advance of Liverpool’s Endo.
This was the biggest threat to Liverpool in the first half and in particular in the first moments of this match. As the game went on, Liverpool became more comfortable in dealing with this. The below image highlights the defensive changes that Klopp enforced during the second half that ultimately allowed his Reds to be more defensively successful.
Most importantly, Endo dropped deeper. In the second half, he led his side in an anchor role, just in front of the two center-backs, shifting left and right to cover gaps. At the same time, the Liverpool full-backs Bradley and Gomez took on more aggressive defensive responsibilities.
In the photo, Gomez can be see charging forward from left-back in order to intercept a ball played in to De Bruyne. Endo in this case is not in advance of the Belgian midfielder but instead trails and covers him from behind. His concern is no longer on keeping a compact midfield three but instead on shielding his defensive line.
With Bradley and Gomez playing higher and more centrally, De Bruyne and Bernardo weren’t able to operate in the same gaps that they did in the first half. The positioning of the Liverpool full-backs pushed City’s attacking midfielders more centrally, and closer to Wataru Endo.
In the second half, Klopp’s midfield warrior completed 100% of his attempted tackles and passes in what was a controlling display. In a sweeper role, covering for Liverpool’s flying full-backs, Endo shone and was able to constrict two of the best midfielders in world football.
Endo’s strong performance at the base of midfield was emulative of Liverpool’s control and confidence in the match. Although they couldn’t come out on top, they showed the passion, composure and confidence of title challengers. Their direct gameplan helped them exploit City when transitioning, while their press was set up well to counter their opponents M-shape when building.
Now, Liverpool and Manchester City, separated by just one point, look forward to an enthralling season finale. With just ten matches left to play, every game is title-defining.
Citations:
Whoscored.Com, 2024, https://www.whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/Seasons/7811/Stages/17590/TeamStatistics/England-Premier-League-2023-2024. Accessed 11 January 2024.
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