Liverpool, in the midst of a rather friendly looking stretch of matches, had on offer an opportunity to hold tighter to their claim of Champions League football by taking all three points. Doing so against a side that has been unable to string together a victory in some time feels like the ultimate chance to do so. Unfortunately, despite moments of attacking thrust that evoked a return to, if not quite brilliance then at least competence, the Reds failed to capitalize and were again punished by an unfortunate
passage of play. It will feel, despite it all, like two points dropped.
Let’s take a closer look, then, at just what went well and what needs some shoring up ahead of trips to Marseille and Bournemouth.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Liverpool’s Attack
For long periods in the match, including the preceding half hour or so before Burnley’s equalizer, Liverpool’s attack looked to have not only found a good sense of flow but that missing purpose in terms of creating clear chances despite the low-block. It would be wrong not to also tip the committed defending of Burnley, but if we’re being completely honest, Liverpool will feel that they let themselves down (more on that in a sec) than feel that they’d been flummoxed by a tactically rigid opponent.
Losers
Liverpool’s Finishing
So many terrific chances to discuss even before getting to Dominik Szoboszlai’s penalty miss: Florian Wirtz playing Cody Gakpo into space at around 8 yards out only to have it be cleared off of the line; Hugo Ekitike failing to get even a toe onto a miss-hit shot from Curtis Jones from nearly point-blank range; Wirtz waltzing through defenders only to have it be taken off of his toe by Martin Dubravka. Liverpool created more than enough to win this match directly. And then, of course, Dom failed to convert the penalty.
Liverpool’s Team Defending
Liverpool’s defending had been a bit shaky in the 3 minutes or so preceding Burnley’s equalizer with Ibrahima Konate most prominently creating a heart-in-mouth moment by nearly directing a Burnley cross into his own net. The goal, though, feels like a collective failure as it came off of an inability for the team to fully beat Burnley’s press, giving it away in their own half. More, while it looked that the situation had slowed down a bit, I remarked that some of the players – including Szobo – looked a bit lackadaisical in terms of finding their defensive shape. It was then that Burnley was able to find a couple of overloads, forcing Curtis Jones, for example, to have to choose between two players and allowing for the ball to find the eventual goalscorer. It felt poor from the Reds and an example of another momentary lapse that flipped what would have been a well-earned three points into a frustrating draw.
Dissecting the Narrative
It’d be easy to focus on Florian Wirtz’s form given that he was likely the brightest light out on the pitch and, certainly, the player through which the most positive instances of attacking play flowed through. But I think Milos Kerkez, again, played a relatively perfect match on both ends of the pitch and stands out as a player that’s really flipped the narrative from the earlier part of the season.
A big part of this has been there seems to be better fluency between him and the rest of the squad, especially in possession. His pace and strength on the ball moving forward nearly resulted in an early goal and he looked more than capable at pinning the opposition back.
Perhaps nitpicking, but while Gakpo was perhaps less frustrating than most days (credit to the winger for finding Dom with a cross that the midfielder nearly put into the goal), I will say that he could still improve in working better with Kerkez. It is, though, miles ahead from the rather disjointed display earlier in the season.
On a less positive note, we do have to again discuss Alexis Mac Allister, whose introduction did not exactly yield the attacking return we would have wished. I don’t want to be harsh – these are difficult moments and far from anything resembling routine. But we have come to expect more precision than we saw when he received the ball in a prime position in the box only to smash it into the Kop and then to watch him frustratingly fire from something like 30 yards out.
The Argentinian star certainly wasn’t the only midfielder guilty of this: unfortunately, Szobo comes in for some more criticism from me as he also popped one in a period of play that felt antithetical to the controlled and surging attack the club had put on display as they chased a winner. Credit to him for tracking back in stoppage time to snuff out a Burnley chance but, given his past contributions to the club, it’s been all a bit disappointing from Macca thus far this season.
Giving Credit to the Opposition
Liverpool should have won this match and by some margin, but if I were to give plaudits to a Burnley side that should feel like they got away with one today, it would be that their last line of defense managed to do just enough during true emergency defending to keep their point. I’m thinking of the clearance off the line from Gakpo’s shot, a sliding deflection to prevent a pass from finding a Red at the backpost, and the late defending to take just enough off of Szobo’s cross after getting to the by-line. It was not pretty for Burnley but without that, they’d have been run right off the park.
What Happens Next
Liverpool keep a slim advantage at fourth place in the Premier League table with Manchester United’s 2-nil defeat of Manchester City in the derby. The Reds have a trip to Marseille mid-week before visiting a struggling Bournemouth next weekend. While it’s clear that this is perhaps the most topsy-turvy (or competitive) season in some time with lower-table clubs all managing to either hold or outright defeat most clubs at the top end of the table, fans will still expect to take home all three points against the Cherries.
In order to do so, though, the club must sort out the issues of momentary losses of focus that allow for all of their good work to be penned back. A hopeful point to build upon, though, is that it does look like the club are looking closer and closer to expecting better of themselves as far as results. Not quite the return of the arrogance that title-holders earn, but something approaching a stubborn and controlled confidence that felt like it’d been missing for some time was on display as the Reds chased their winner.
Here’s hoping they manage to iron out the wrinkles and make this unbeaten streak actually count by bringing in some victories in place of these disappointing draws.
