LIVERPOOL may no longer be able to win the Quadruple after the shock FA Cup exit to Plymouth, but the Treble is still very much on.
Their next game is against Everton on Wednesday and could be pivotal in helping them land at least the Premier League title.
Arne Slot’s side sit top of the table having lost just once all season.
And a win in midweek will see them move nine points clear at the summit and set them well on their way to title number 20 – matching bitter rivals Manchester United.
But bragging rights are on the table, and Everton are on a three-league game-winning run under returning boss David Moyes.
However, Liverpool have several key weapons which should give them the edge in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison.
How offside trap is broken
They might not have been able to bust their way through Plymouth’s defence, but Slot’s Liverpool certainly are offside busters.
In a slight tweak to what Jurgen Klopp had his team doing last year, Liverpool have developed from 4-3-3 into an almost 4-1-5.
That has come largely thanks to Ryan Gravenberch sitting in there, but more on him later.
Liverpool, like any modern team, shift formations between attack and defence.
And like many of their rivals Slot’s side often end in a 3-2-5 formation when in possession, be that a full-back going in or a midfielder dropping.
That is the simple bit. But the genius bit comes in when you look at their runners off the ball.
Slot has trained his side to bust an offside trap, with the key move often coming from the full-backs or deep midfielders.
It could be Trent Alexander-Arnold or Andy Robertson on one side or Dominik Szoboszlai on the inside right, but it often ends up being the result of a lung-busting sprint.
The players who do this – most often Robertson – don’t even want the ball during these runs, but do it to force the opposition backline back towards their own goal.
This dummy run opens up more space for the players who do want the ball. And as simple as it sounds, it is not something that teams are figuring out.
When Robertson makes these runs, it helps Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz stay onside and creates a gap between midfield and defence.
It’s almost like an old-school computer game that makes you wonder where they are going.
But there is a method to the madness and it has been seen against the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham and Crystal Palace.
It is quite remarkable when you consider Liverpool rank second highest in the league for passes into the final third but third lowest for offside offences.
What is in essence a confusion tactic is clearly working.
Taking turns in midfield
The midfield is the single most important part of the Liverpool team.
Klopp left Slot with a batch of good players to inherit, and many of those players are capable of running seemingly throughout the entire game.
But when you take a closer look, you can see the midfield actually rotates in terms of doing the heavy-lifting..
One of the players, usually Szobszlai or Alexis Mac Allister with Gravenberch sitting, will sprint and run forward into space to disrupt the opposition.
However, this is never the same player and varies from attack to attack. That is different to the all-out pressing of Klopp’s famed and hugely successful heavy metal football.
Importantly, by doing one-in-three, Liverpool players are able to save some energy and not risk the system breaking down by leaving one player exposed.
Class, the Dutchy on the left-hand side
Cody Gakpo, what a player. He had a difficult first season in England with his best position not quite being completely clear.
But under Slot, Gakpo has become a bit of everything – a winger, second striker and main striker.
Gakpo and Diaz form such an effective attacking partnership because they are completely interchangeable.
When a long ball is needed, Gakpo will often drift into the left inside channel, where he can win more in the air while Diaz drifts out to the left flank.
When you then add the aforementioned deep runs from Robertson to break the offside trap, that can then allow for a ball into the feet of Diaz where he can then attack the space in front of him.
Even if the ball goes out to the right, Gakpo will then drift over to the left to attack the ball at the far post.
It’s a fantastic left-hand side rotation.
But it must be a nightmare for any right-back who ends up trying to pick up as many as three players making simultaneous runs.
No tracking back, Mo problem
There are moments when even the imperious Liverpool have to defend, although Salah is exempt from that requirement.
And it is not that he is lazy, far from it. In fact, the Kop’s Egyptian king has been told he doesn’t have to get back. But like all things with Slot, there is a plan.
One of the key reasons he has been allowed to stay forward is Slot moving towards a system with more traditional full-backs.
On Salah’s side, Alexander-Arnold is not inverting most weeks, meaning the opposition full-back does not simply have the run of that side of the field.
Instead, Salah is a hidden weapon for when Liverpool launch their counter-attacks because he is one of the most dangerous players in transition in the Premier League.
So with the support of Diaz and Gakpo and the immense midfield three, Salah is actually able to be carried a bit out of his defensive duties.
Of course, him staying forward means the opposition need to leave two back to keep him in check, which automatically helps Liverpool to win the numbers game.
Less running also means he is able to impact games more effectively later on as he still has a burst of energy.
Gravenberch in the key Slot
It is no secret that Gravenberch did not exactly shine under Klopp, but under Slot, he could be the single most important player in the team.
When the Dutchman arrived many people profiled him as an eight or attacking midfielder given his time at Ajax and Bayern Munich.
But he has turned out to actually be best suited to being a deep-lying player.
There is no higher compliment to be given than calling him what he rightly is – Liverpool’s Rodri.
He is expertly able to back up play, whereby he follows the ball as it goes from left to right and vice versa.
His physical presence also means he is rarely fussed about an opposition player coming into his area as he is simply able to win the ball before zipping a pass straight back towards the team-mates in front of him.
Gravenberch is able to keep feeding the beast that is Liverpool’s attack.
And it is no exaggeration to say that if it was not for the spectacular year Salah is having, he would probably be the best player in the league this season. I love watching him.
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