Liverpool closed out a pretty successful week with a bit of a let down. Instead of taking all three points and claiming the first 3-match win streak under Andoni Iraola, Liverpool were held to a nil-nil draw at the hands of bottom-of-the-table Fulham. It’s the kind of opponent that, at least through last season, Liverpool couldn’t always find the gear to put away. It’s the kind of opponent, though, that this new-look side should be putting to the sword.
The disappoint is quite present and well-earned
across the club’s global fan base. Let’s take a closer look, then, at just what transpired.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Bradley Barcola
Honestly, there aren’t many (any?) good performances on the day for the lads in Red, but Liverpool’s splashy new winger at least put in a decent shift. In the first half, especially, during a period in which Liverpool players were playing as if they themselves were bored, Barcola won 50/50s that helped push the team forward. He also created a couple of half-chances and looked just about the most dangerous attacker. He should have taken his big chance better, but in a match filled with mediocrity, at least he looked like he wanted to force the issue.
Losers
Liverpool’s Attacking Edge
Progress isn’t linear and I’m trying to remind myself of that, but a strange bit involving this match is that the Liverpool that seemed to find the attacking bite – or, at least, have been quite ruthless in terms of finishing off even imperfect chances – found themselves taking a step back. Liverpool, by the xG, should have at least gotten one goal across the board. And given the chances that fell to each of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola, and Rio Ngumoha, I’d feel each must be thinking they could and should have been sharper in front of net.
I want to be clear that this isn’t me saying the team were good – far from it. But the defense held Fulham well-enough and found a few cracks in the Cottagers’ defense. Enough such cracks that, in this scribe’s humble opinion, should have earned them the win. I remembered thinking at one point in the first half that the club might rue those missed chances. I didn’t know they’d have a few more moments in-game where they’d find themselves squandering opportunities.
A final note is that the lack of finishing quality here might be a blip, but the rustiness in terms of putting in a good final ball still feels like a lingering issue. I am generally quite bullish on Florian Wirtz, for example, but the place where I’d have the most to critique him on is actually in the quality of his final ball. I understand that the nature of his position is such that he’s likely to be encouraged to take chances and thus have passes be a little bit all over the map. But the flip side is that this is precisely what he was brought in to do. I believe he can get it right, but he’ll need to do it soon.
Ryan Gravenberch
Tough to single out an individual player – especially when his partner in midfield felt equally off – but given that Liverpool have generally looked better with Alexis Mac Allister in the team, the Dutchman having another rough outing cannot bode well for his future under Iraola. The midfielder has looked more than a bit off the pace. And while it feels like the rotations on the pitch are quite fresh – more on that in a minute – it is quite wild to see him struggle this much. From the most consistent name on the team sheet during the most recent Premier League title, to a player in need of some improvement, it’s a shocking reversal of fortune.
Talking Tactics
This won’t be a long one but I did find an interesting wrinkle to some rotation happening with Liverpool on offense. I don’t think it lasted long, and I’d need to re-watch to confirm, but during the early spell of the match where Liverpool did look quite likely to force the issue, I saw Liverpool cycle possession where the team were basically set up in a 3-4-3. On the right, Ronald Araujo actually pushed up to the wing with Victor Muñoz tucking inside and playing further back, almost in line with Florian Wirtz. Dominik Szoboszlai dropped into the back three with Gravenberch.
I don’t recall them flipping back into this later in the match but I thought those spaces were interesting in that it did seem to put Fulham under a bit of duress. Of course, it did leave the squad exposed as well as forced the field to be a bit lopsided, with Liverpool overloading the weak side.
It’s possible I imagined this but it was certainly an aspect of the tactical flourishes that made me wonder. I’m interested to see how Iraola tweaks the system and personal, especially with the League Cup starting.
What Comes Next
Liverpool take on Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup on Tuesday. Then, on Sunday, the Reds take a trip to Bournemouth as Iraola returns to face his former club. That match will be the last one before the international break. It’ll be a big week ahead as the Reds will hope that they can take the next two matches to ensure that the squad enters the break in full flight.
Fans, meanwhile, will be hoping that the team will be able to put together a performance that shows a bit more fight than what the squad put up against Fulham. You’d be forgiven for wondering if the team that turned up today was even Liverpool. The team looked so disjointed and out of rhythm that it felt like it bore little resemblance to the sides that had won two on the bounce and seemed to be finding their feet.
Now, the club will need to find their way back towards the clinical edge and energy they had leading into the week. Max points will be helpful with the international break looming.
