When Frankfurt scored first despite Liverpool starting the match the better side it felt like another blow for a Liverpool group in the midst of a very tough run of form, but commendably the Reds’ heads didn’t drop and on this occasion they were able to turn being the better side into chances and goals of their own.
Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Cody Gakpo (with an assist for Florian Wirtz), and Dominik Szoboszlai (and another assist for Wirtz) all struck for Liverpool and, for the first
time in five games, that means we get to dig a little deeper into a victory following the final whistle. So that’s nice for a change!
Winners and Losers
Hugo “The Best Signing in the History of Football” Ekitike
Oh hey there, Hugo, bombing down the centre-left channel, picking up a through ball, and running clear on goal before calmly finishing. Is there any was we can bend and twist the Fernando Torres song to fit him? Because his equalizing goal smelled more than a little of vintage Fernando Torres. And it came at the perfect time, a stellar solo break dragging the Reds back level and helping to raise the mood at a time when it had started to feel as though they were set for another difficult night.
Federico Chiesa Lives!
Coming on for Alexander Isak at the half after the striker picked up a knock was a real show of support for the hard working fan favourite Italian from manager Arne Slot. Chiesa’s previous high minutes mark in the league or Europe this season was an 18 minute appearance against Burnley. A full half here may not be where he—and all of us—want him to be, but he was involved throughout his 45 minutes on the pitch and it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
Frimpong’s Hamstring
On the negative side of the ledger, well, Jeremie Frimpong just can’t catch a fitness break for his new club. The right back limped off in the 19th minute with a hamstring injury that seems likely to sideline him for at least a few weeks even in the best case scenario. For a 24-year-old without any real history of injury at Leverkusen, it will mean a second spell on the sidelines with a hamstring issue already this season.
Talking Tactics
With Arne Slot deciding to rest Mohamed Salah and strikers Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike both in the starting eleven, there were plenty of questions heading in about how the Reds would actually line up. Rather than being a straight swap with one of the strikers playing on the right, it meant a shift to something that very much looked like a vanilla 4-4-2 with Isak and Ekitike paired up top.
As a result, Cody Gakpo’s role on the left wind was shifted slightly deeper—though perhaps not that different from his usual. The bigger change that resulted was for Florian Wirtz, who got the start but was shifted out to the right of midfield. He tended to drift inside more than Gakpo on the left, and at times it looked like he was part of a three man midfield as a result, but with both Isak and Ekitike staying high and central it was clear Liverpool were playing with two strikers up top and Wirtz was the closest thing to width on the right of midfield.
One perhaps unexpected result—at least for fans who had been focused in on the strikers, though it’s always possible the coaches saw it coming—was the shift meant Wirtz often picked up the ball in areas Trent Alexander-Arnold would have in the buildup last season, and it was Wirtz’ passing range from those areas that frequently started many of Liverpool’s most dangerous breaks, particularly in the early going.
Dissecting the Narrative
Liverpool conceded first again. It felt at least a little against the run of play. It felt as though the opposition was fortunate to convert a fairly low xG chance but it also felt as though a tighter defensive unit wouldn’t have given them even that much. Regardless, Liverpool had conceded first for a fifth game in a row, with the Frankfurt goal added to early concessions against Manchester United, Chelsea, Galatasaray, and Crystal Palace.
If the narrative has been that Liverpool at a basic tactical and structural level simply aren’t a very good and coherent defensive unit right now, well, they didn’t do much to push back against it. But on the other hand, as insecure as the Reds felt at times in the early going, they were facing a side that seemed even more determined to leave space on the break and attackers unmarked on set-pieces (like Ibrahima Konaté being allowed to rampage unmarked through the penalty area on a corner for the Reds’ third). So. Thanks for that, Frankfurt.
What Happens Next
Despite scoring first, Frankfurt turned out to be the perfect opponent for a highly talented but so far structurally shaky Liverpool side. It certainly feels a lot nicer to score lots and lots of goals and win than the alternative, but the Reds now have to show they’re capable of creating and converting their chances against more solid Premier League opposition before we start to seriously talk about the side finding their feet, starting with this Saturday’s evening kickoff against Brentford.
