Liverpool v Nottingham Forest Liverpool’s perspective
Illaura certainly showed he is willing to make big decisions, not only dropping fan favorite Ngumoha but also Gravenbeh who had an underwhelming performance against Newcastle, and moving Gakpo from his usual left-wing position to the right. Overall, the first half wasn’t a great performance, with Forest being the better side, but the team’s performance did improve as the game progressed and the substitutes started to make an impact and take control of the game. There are some other telltale signs of change.
I guess I should start with the media. This starts from the front, which is a problem because Isak is an extremely weak link, he is the slowest to press and exerts extremely weak pressure, leaving an easy ball out. In midfield, the combination of Szoboszlai and Mike Allister was more disciplined than they were against Newcastle last week. Mac Allister spends most of his time in the seat and Szoboszlai is usually about 5 yards in front of him, but they don’t get pulled out together so there’s usually always one guy on the cover. Unfortunately, this is often the case with Mac Allister, who does lack the agility to move around the pitch and provide cover for the full-backs when they attack. Neither Jacquet nor Van Dijk wanted to be pulled wide to cover the defense, which left gaps for counterattacks that Forest could exploit. The main improvement came from the centre-backs who, rather than simply constantly dropping deep, tried to hold their line and attack the ball with a bit of aggression.
On the defensive side, the set piece defense has also changed. The set piece defense last season was very poor. Frimpong is now the furthest forward, looking to use his speed to break through counter-attacks without letting his height limit clearance opportunities. The only problem is that the rest of the team has to adapt and someone needs to step in. Mainly Szoboszlai, but Forest’s first goal went unanswered, leaving room for a simple goal. This is something that requires effort. Someone had to fill in before Frimpong returned to the station.
There were some better signs next and the players spotted some early runs but unfortunately most of the passes ended up going to Isaac who was unable to give up possession or failed to catch the ball after being overtaken by defenders. There were some better signs, certainly on the right, with Gakpo and Frimpong causing problems, although they didn’t exactly make a pair. Often, Frimpong’s runs with the ball end up causing him to lose possession in traffic.
nottingham forest
Forest were the better side in the first half but tried to sit back and defend in the second half, giving up control which cost them almost all the points but the penalty was controversial. But overall, they can go home satisfied that their performance level has improved tremendously and that they got a deserved point. They do have a lot of work to do, and the addition of a transition coach (James Holland) could have a big impact as their offense relies heavily on transition. It’s all about breaking the ball and moving forward quickly and staying forward. They have a lot of runners and will look to exploit any space left by Liverpool players forward.
They do have issues, with Williams on the left being the main issue. I like his enthusiasm and work rate, but he’s not the best defender and it’s no coincidence that the right wing is where Liverpool create most of their danger. His defense of Liverpool’s first goal was particularly shocking. He gives himself away too easily. Frimpong had done the same thing earlier when he was spinning in the penalty area, he was lucky to have cover as he had poor defense there as well, and earlier in the second half Gakpo had spun him. He is too reckless and if one day, his defense will lead to more goals. Ndoye is another weakness as well, as he shares the same annoying trait as Mike Allister, constantly throwing himself to the ground in an attempt to win games when unchallenged or when fouled. If he just stands up, he’s often in a dangerous position with the ball. He did finish the goal well which is all the more annoying because if he hadn’t fallen he would have had so many chances to shoot!
In central midfield, Schrager performed well but was limited on the ball, leaving the main creative influence to fall on McCarty, who started well but faded from the game before being substituted. What they really need is another Gibbs-White playing there. Actually there are two, so one can also replace Ndoye! That’s a player who is by no means a weakness, Gibbs-White is their best player. They have a solid defense and the talent of Gibbs White (how on earth was he not named in the England squad in the summer?), which gives them a platform to develop and when they fully adapt to Glasner’s system, they will be a tough team to beat.
liverpool
Alisson -Shows he’s still a top goalkeeper who can not only make saves but also react quickly to danger. Looks more like himself.
Frimpong -He was slaughtered for the first goal but he did his job at the set piece which was to be high up the pitch and then he tried to press the ball which was correct. The mistake was that the rest of the team didn’t adjust to it. Gakpo just stood there and watched, without retreating, and no midfielder filled in. It may be because Gakpo was present and Ndoye was filled in from the beginning, so the gap was huge. Not his fault at all. My biggest beef with him is that he keeps running into dead ends with the ball and then falling down while looking for a free ball when he should have passed it out earlier. Overall, he’s not as bad as people think, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Jacquet – Needs to be more aggressive, he is Van Dijk’s defender in many ways but needs to attack off the front foot more rather than waiting for the ball to come to him. He was definitely dozing off on Forest’s second possession and he was in a great position to tackle Williams, but he fell asleep and let Williams run away from him and when he realized, he didn’t react fast enough to come back.
Van Dyke – Better performance, with the Dutch big man working harder to stay higher and attack the ball instead of dropping it. But he was clearly a yard or even two yards slower.
Kolkoz – Needs to do better with the ball, but he showed flashes, such as his pass to Gakpo after the first goal, who should have done more.
Soboszlai – He’s much better in midfield, but he still lacks defensive awareness and has an annoying habit of playing alongside Isak at the front when his team has the ball. There is usually a good space between the defense and midfield where he can receive the ball or make a run, but he only wants to advance into an area where he can do nothing and is closely marked. He ended up playing at right-back and showed he can be disciplined.
Wirtz -Finally found some moves to pick from, and he’s doing it. It wasn’t enough, but it was progress, and it gave him options. Unfortunately, he scored a great goal that was ultimately disallowed. He got the assist for the second goal with some good work, but his movement often caused problems for the team. works like this
McAllister – Disciplined performance with some nice through balls, but his lack of mobility and defensive awareness were always a hindrance in this role. With him around, the flanks are always open to counterattacks, he doesn’t read the game and therefore lacks the mobility to break through.
Munoz – Both sides look good. Works extremely hard and always comes back to provide extra cover. Scored a good goal. Has speed and power.
Isaac – So slow and weak, but showed some good movement, as long as he wasn’t too slow and weak to receive the ball from behind or have the ball at his feet. Scored one goal, but other contributions were poor. His contribution to journalism was negligible, bordering on laziness.
Gapo – Made a critical mistake on Forest’s first goal when Frimpong, despite pushing forward from a set-piece and could be seen pressing in front, failed to track the running player. He is clearly being asked to play high, much like Salah does in the air, looking to press the defense rather than cut inside. Constantly rolling Williams with ease and playing a great pass for the first equalizer. Before he came off, he was probably Liverpool’s most dangerous player.
ngumoha -Replaced Gakpo in the 71st minute. Good first touch, beat a man, then passed and ran in behind but the return never came. After that, he seemed to be back to his usual self, waiting for the ball to come to his feet.
Tsimikas – Replaced Kolquez in the 71st minute. He’s still just a swing player with his right foot, that’s for sure.
gravenberg – Three substitutions in the 71st minute, the third player came on to replace Frimpong. He showed off his ability to protect the ball and even completed a pass. Much better, but circumstances mean he’s able to stay higher up the pitch, so his lack of positional discipline isn’t an issue.
Araujo – Replaced Jacquet in the 77th minute. His defense looks more solid at the back due to his aggressiveness. Illaura may make the decision as the pairing of Jacquet and Van Dijk looks too laid-back, while the pairing with Araujo may be a more balanced pairing.
Nyoni – Mac Allister came on as a substitute in the 77th minute. There are hints that he could be the answer there, with his positional discipline and mobility, as well as good ball control, but his defensive awareness hasn’t been tested enough to know if he’s ready to occupy the position. Could also use a little more bite at tackle and a little more physical fleshing out.
Discuss rumors and transfers on our page
Discuss rumors and transfers on our page
.