LIVERPOOL VS. FULHAM
| Saturday, September 12th |
Premier League | Anfield
3PM BST/10AM EST
Fulham were unlucky to lose against Crystal Palace in a game they created a lot of threat in, but this could be an interesting approach if they stick to their outright aggression against a Liverpool side that can be sometimes soft in defense but would love space to work in going forward. Fulham look — based on results and media chatter — like a team struggling, but that belies what they’ve shown on the pitch. As Andoni Iraola mentioned
in his pre-match press conference, Fulham have looked good and been very “in control” for all three of their league matches thus far this season…they’ve just lost them all by a single goal.
Indeed, Fulham have a lot of parallels with Liverpool thus far: they’re an exciting attacking side that have conceded goals they shouldn’t. Fulham have more stability in terms of personnel than Liverpool do, so it’s a group familiar with each other getting used to a new approach under Álvaro Arbeloa. Arbeloa’s attacking approach (which he could change in the context of Anfield, but we can’t be sure of that) will pose a different challenge to the opening three league matches. Liverpool’s opening three challengers knew they would lack control and planned to hit Liverpool on the break. They did this with a mixed level of success, often relying on self-inflicted wounds on the part of the Reds.
Should Fulham keep their approach, they’ll be looking to create attacking overloads, with new-boy-but-familiar-face Oscar Bobb set against Miloš Kerkez (with Timothy Castagne in support) as a central challenge. Their fullbacks are an attacking threat in general, with Antonee Robinson on the left looking to run at the opposition as well, and Alex Iwobi — though on paper a holding midfielder — likes to find himself in very advanced areas as well.
They have scored seven goals in four matches thus far this season (three of those did come in a League Cup match against Wimbledon), so their attacking approach is not a blunt one. They have conceded seven goals as well, though, and this has been their issue. They might well look to be a bit more cautious against Liverpool, but this challenging away coming so early in Arbeloa’s implementation of his approach is itself an issue: there’s an argument for retaining the approach you want to be your team’s playing identity, and there’s an argument to hold back at Anfield in the hope of taking at least a point back to London. Their opening match was a home loss to Chelsea that ended 3-2 to the visitors, with Fulham coming back to score twice to stay in the game. It’s hard to read anything into a game with such a hostile game state (they conceded in the opening minute), but we can be sure that they will not go quietly, regardless of the scoreline.
It is worth saying that their three losses in this context is not a positive: they come to Anfield desperate for a win, and with the tools to do some real damage.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Alisson; Arújo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Muñoz; Isak
Bradley Barcola is fit and clear for this one with cramp confirmed as the issue against Atletico Madrid midweek. He could start as Cody Gakpo remains doubtful with adductor tightness (notably not an outright injury, just the threat of one), but could feature in the squad. Though Joe Gomez is available to play on Saturday, long-term injured Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitiké and Giovanni Leoni remain sidelined.
Iraola’s decision-making for the line-up will be informed by the wider fixture context rather than pressing injury concerns, with the League Cup mid-week next week ahead of a trip to Bournemouth the following weekend. In attack Iraola has some choice, with Bradley Barcola, Jeremie Frimpong, Alexander Isak, Víctor Muñoz, Rio Ngumoha, and Florian Wirtz all available for selection. Frimpong of course could be selected at right back, but the performances of late by Ronald Arújo make the loanee hard to drop, even if the tactical battle with Fulham is slightly different than those the Reds have faced up to this point. Frimpong’s pace on the right wing might make him a useful addition off the bench. Muñoz’s aggressiveness and Ngumoha’s intelligent improvement as the match went on this past Wednesday could give them an edge over Barcola and slightly-unfit Gakpo. Isak has played a lot of minutes for the Reds already, but resting a true nine and playing a false nine against a team like Fulham feels anything but enticing. Isak should be nowhere near the League Cup game.
We can expect more of the same at the base of midfield, with the looming League Cup fixture promising a rest for perhaps both of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai — and a return to the starting line-up for Ryan Gravenberch against Tottenham. The defense will likely be unchanged if everyone is fit; Kerkez experienced cramp as well on Wednesday, and should there be questions about his fitness we might see Kostas Tsimikas (who will certainly start against Tottenham next Tuesday regardless).
The Reds are looking more and more promising, and should they be able to replicate the aggressiveness and tightly-organized press we saw on Wednesday this could be quite the exciting game. As ever, Liverpool feel a couple of minor fixes (and lethal finishing) away from being the real deal, though this Fulham side will provide a different kind of test for Iraola’s new-look Reds.
The Managers Have Their Say
Andoni Iraola: “I think the team has goals in it. Normally in all the games we’ve been dangerous, we’ve created chances, we’ve scored, as you say, two goals. We could have scored more in some of those games. But now it’s about being more efficient – not conceding two goals against Newcastle, not conceding the two goals against [Nottingham] Forest and especially also when the goals come because I think we are not starting the games too well. We had the positive present of Ipswich – the games look much more comfortable when you start like this. The other games, we’ve started losing and then you have to do a lot of effort to come back.
I would like, obviously, to score the first goal [and] everything looks easier. But we need to have the right mentality. I think we didn’t start badly the other day against Atletico [Madrid]. I think we had a chance in 15 seconds, something like this, Alex [Isak] very clear chance. You score and everyone says, ‘Incredible start.’ You don’t score and this changes. But I think the start of the games is probably one of the parts where we can be a little bit better. The second halves we’ve normally been better [in] but I want to try to impose ourselves from the beginning because everything becomes easier.”
Álvaro Arbeloa: “You can see that they are improving, and they are now controlling better the games, and obviously I think they were a little bit unlucky in some games. I watched the game against Atlético de Madrid, against a very tough team in the Champions League, and they did a very good game. They are so aggressive, they press high, they want to control the game, and of course, they are so, so, so quick in front, and have players with a lot of quality – top, top players, and I think a top squad. They are a team that put a lot of crosses, too, so we have been working on how we can defend them, and also we will have our chances for sure. We score goals, and I know that we can score goals against any of the teams in the Premier League, and that’s the thing that we are doing so well. We are creating so many chances when we have the ball, and we are also aggressive without the ball.
The Officials
Referee: Tom Bramall Assistants: Gary Beswick, Craig Taylor Fourth Official: David Webb VAR: Tony Harrington Assistant VAR: Stuart Burt
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