2-3, in the fourth round of the England FA Cup double-red match in the early morning of January 25, Manchester United defeated visiting Liverpool 3-2 at home and advanced to the top 16 while Liverpool could only Accept the outcome of the failure and exit. After Klopp entered Anfield, his Red Army has never advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup. However, what makes the Red Army fans most unacceptable is that their favorite team has played 7 games and won only one of them during the recent period, and the opponent still sent a bunch of second-team gangsters ass. Dunville.
Although this game is only an FA Cup match, considering the rivalry, the two sides still sent a lot of main players. On Liverpool's side, Salah and Firmino both started the game, and Mane came off the bench in the second half. It should be said that although the ball was lost, the state of Salah and Firmino brought a lot of surprises to the fans. In the previous 4 rounds of the Premier League, Liverpool had no results, and the Red Arrows Trident also received a lot of criticism, especially center Firmino, whose condition was very serious compared to the previous season. However, in this campaign, the two scored two goals and assists respectively, and their performance was still very good.
In the 18th minute, Liverpool broke the deadlock and retreated to the midfield to get the ball. Firmino sent a fatal pass. The ball passed through the narrow gap between Lindelof and Luke Shaw. Rahe reached the ball and scored with a light shot. This goal is an understatement without a trace of firework, but it shows the tacit understanding and outstanding personal ability between the two forwards of the Red Army.
After Greenwood and Rashford scored two goals to take the lead, Firmino still stood out. He took the ball on the left side of the penalty area and nudged the middle, Milner cleverly missed. Salah, who was at the back point, kept up with a push and scored again. This goal, Firmino's leisurely stroll and Salah's keen ability to seize opportunities are breathtaking. Therefore, even if it loses, the Red Army has shown something different from the previous games.
However, on the whole, the flashes of Firmino and Salah still cannot conceal the crisis of the Red Army. The previous Premier League has not won 6 rounds,The Reds actually only lost 3 goals, and the defense is not too bad. In this game, Klopp's team was scored 3 goals by the opponent when only Matip had a break in the defense. This defensive quality is really unflattering. The performance of the two wingbacks Robertson and Arnold continued to be sluggish.
Left back Robertson was the highest in the game 4 times in this game. In the process of Greenwood scoring Manchester United to equalize with one goal, Robertson desperately chased but was unable to recover. In desperation, he was too big Roar, as if this could make Greenwood's feet tremble and miss the goal. The defense relies on roar, which is unique in Liverpool in recent seasons.
However, whether it is Robertson or Arnold, their greatest contribution is not on the defensive end, but on the offensive end. In Liverpool's tactical system, the assists of two full-backs are very important. In the past two seasons, Robertson has scored 11 and 12 assists in the Premier League, while Arnold has 12 and 13 assists. In addition, the two also contributed a total of 7 goals. In other words, in the two consecutive years when the Reds won the Premier League runner-up and championship, the two full-backs participated in a total of 55 goals.
But this season, Robertson scored 1 goal and 5 assists in 19 Premier League games, while Arnold has only 17 games and 2 assists. The malaise of the two full-backs is the most important reason for the Red Army’s offensive constipation. In the absence of Van Dijk, the effective defense and protection behind the two of them almost disappeared, which requires them to be more involved in defense, which invisibly affected their assists. Robertson is okay, at least The defensive ability is also pretty good, and Arnold, who has always been heavy offensive and defensive, has only been beaten.
In addition, it is naturally the pain caused by Klopp's tactical transformation. Before this season, the Red Army’s three weakest lines were midfielders. A group of muscular club players did a good job of defensive interception, but it was difficult to organize the offense. The thing that Henderson and others did the most on offense was to receive a pass from a central defender. The ball was then quickly divided to Robertson and Arnold. In order to improve the technical content of the midfield, the Reds have introduced Bayern's Thiago this season.Although the Spanish midfielder is strong, it is embarrassing that in the first five games of Thiago, Liverpool's record is 2 draws and 3 losses, and they have never won.
In fact, Thiago is the kind of player who needs to keep the ball under his feet. He is accustomed to taking the ball forward. According to the situation on the field, he passes the ball forward or divides it to the side. This method of play actually slowed down the attacking rhythm of the Red Army. When the two full-backs got the ball, the opponent players were already waiting in front of them. What they can do is to make a strong pass or pass the ball back again. In a word, the suddenness of the attack is lost. The Red Army has relied on the whirlwind for food in the past few seasons. Without this housekeeping magic weapon, and with the decline of Firmino's state, it is not surprising that offensive constipation is caused.
In the next few games, Liverpool will have to play against Manchester City, Tottenham and Leicester City. If the recent decline cannot be reversed in time, let alone defending the Red Army, it will be a problem to keep the top four. Therefore, is it to introduce a strong central defender to solve the auxiliary defense of the two full-backs, so that they can enter the offensive without any distraction, or adjust Thiago's position to let the Red Army continue to fight back quickly, all waiting for Klopp to solve it. If the Red Army is still standing still for the remaining 5 days, all four of the Red Army this season will be basically a foregone conclusion.
