Liverpool vs Tottenham: 2019 Champions League Final Opposition Analysis

 

               Liverpool vs Tottenham analysis

 Overview

• UEFA Champions League Final
• Estadio Metropolitan, Madrid
• Referee: Damir Skomina
• Attendance: 63,272
• Saturday June 1st, 2019 (21:00) 

 

 

A Champions league final between 2 premier league teams, with Liverpool winning the match 2-0 and lifting the trophy. Liverpool got off to a great start, within 30 seconds of the game starting they had a penalty for handball. Mohamed salah stepped up and scored to make it 1-0 inside the opening minute of the game. Tottenham tried to get back into the game and had more possession in the first half but couldn’t find a way to score. Tottenham’s first shot on target came in the 73^rd minute from Dele Alli. Allison made an important double save later on in the game to keep it at 1-0. In the 83^rd minute, Liverpool won a corner and Divock Origi scored from the edge of the box to make it 2-0.

Team sheets

Liverpool           

Manager: Jurgen Klopp

Tottenham 

Manager: Mauricio Pochettino

Formations / shape

 

Liverpool played with a 4-3-3 formation when attacking, and more of a 4-5-1 when defending. The 4-3-3 shape allows them to do a number of things – it allows them to press high when needed, it allows them to go over the top when in possession, it allows the midfield 3 time and space on the ball with good options either side of the wings.

2 key components of Liverpool 4-3-3 are – the inverted wingers in mane and salah and the 2 full backs who play very high when in possession. Often when the wingers have the ball the full backs will be overlapping them, creating an option or creating space by pulling defenders out of positions for the attacking players to move into. This often creates a 2-5-3 / 3-4-3 shape when attacking in the final third to allow them to control the ball and to have options off the ball to move it quickly through the defensive lines of the opponent.

 

Style of play

Liverpool’s style of play is to be direct when in possession and to be aggressive and intense out of possession. The high intensity of the team is used for both attacking and defending, they go forward very directly and quickly and get bodies into the box for crosses. When they out of possession they will try to win it back as quickly as possible with the front players pressing the defenders and not allowing the ball to progress into midfield.

The directness of their play with long balls over the top into the wide positions makes them a threat when in possession but also on transitions, a lot of chances they created came from counter attacks to turnovers of the ball where a midfielder or defender wins the ball back and the ball goes out wide to the wide player who has the ability and directness to carry the ball up field into goal scoring areas.

The fluidity and the movement of players makes them a difficult team to play against, the number 9 drops in deep midfield to receive the ball and if the defender goes with him the ball goes over the top for one of the wide players, if the defender doesn’t go with him, he as space and time on the ball. The FBs are overlapping constantly with the wide players and underlapping at times depending on the movement of the wide players. 

In possession

 

In possession, Liverpool are more of a direct team than a possession team. They get the ball forward quickly and don’t hold onto it in midfield, often a lot of the time the ball goes over the midfield directly to the forward players. The CBs are both comfortable on the ball and Van Dijk is very confident at playing diagonal balls, often from left to the right side if the pitch.

The build-up play often starts with the goalkeeper playing the ball to a CB who will either play into the midfield or more likely will put the ball over the top of the defence or hit a cross-field pass to the winger on the opposite side of the pitch. This allows Liverpool to spend more time in the opposition half and not play possession based in their own half. When the winger receives the ball, most likely they will look for the overlapping run of a full back, once the full back has the ball, they will often look for a central pass into midfield or will cross into the box. Liverpool rarely play back to their goalkeeper unless it is necessary and will always look forward first.

With the full backs being so high they often will cross the ball into the box from behind the box rather than going to the by line and cutting it back, this allows the midfield players and wingers to join the number 9 in the box and commit bodies forward. Often Wijnaldum and or Henderson will make a timed run into the box when one of the FB’s has the ball waiting to cross on the edge of the box.

 

Both Liverpool’s fullbacks progress high up the pitch when in possession, leaving the 2 central defenders potentially exposed on counter attacks, usually one of the central players will stay deep and fill in between the 2 CB’s who will split into slightly wider roles. This gives them a bit more protection when in possession with the fullbacks playing so high.

The attacking players have the intelligence and the freedom of the system to interchange and move positions, often the number 9 will drop deep leaving space in behind if the defender chooses to track him in field. This means one of the wide players potentially has a ball over the top to run onto behind the defensive line of Tottenham. If the defender doesn’t go with the 9, then he has the ability to turn and take players on leaving the wide players to make runs into good positions to receive the ball of the number 9.

 

With the wingers both being inverted, it allows them the option of coming inside and having a shot or more frequently putting a cross into the box, which is where the first Liverpool goal comes from, with the LW putting a ball into the box and the defender giving away a penalty form a handball.

 

Out of possession

When out of possession, Liverpool often will adopt the 4-3-3 they attack with when pressing a bit higher up the pitch, but when defending in their own half they often go to a 4-5-1. The 2 wider players tuck into the side of the midfield and the 3 midfielders occupy the centre areas. This creates a solid structure and makes it difficult for the midfield players o the opposition to go through centrally. Often, they will allow the ball to go out wide and allow crosses as they are expectant of Van Dijk or Matip to win the headers as they are both strong aerially. When in their 4-5-1- shape, they don’t often leave position to go and press the ball, they will sit in their positions and force an error from the opponent or wait until the ball is turnover naturally. Once the ball has been recovered, they quickly push the 2 wide players back up field and the midfield 3 separate to make the 4-3-3 attacking shape.

Liverpool’s out of possession approach is typically gegenpressing. When Tottenham tried to play out from the back, the forward line would push up onto the edge of the 18 yd box, making it difficult for Tottenham to play out and if they did, they would be under a lot of pressure. Liverpool didn’t Gegenpress every single time Tottenham played put from the back, however they did so for the large majority of times Tottenham tried.

This approach can create a large gap between the forward 3 and the midfield 3, if Tottenham managed to play around the press into the central areas they are running towards the retreating backline and midfield. Liverpool’s midfield isn’t the quickest on transitions so can be exploited when at pace. The midfield 3 will often break up transitions where possible with fouls and try to hold the opponent up as much as they can to stop any forward momentum.  

The defensive line drops back quickly, leaving spaces for the opposition to exploit due to the lack of speed and dynamism in the midfield areas.

Long balls over diagonally often caused the back line issues as well, while the centre backs are aerially dominant, the full backs are susceptible to 1 vs 1, especially Trent Alexander-Arnold. The slow reactions to engage with the wingers can invite dangerous crosses or shots in the box.  When on transition, Arnold is often slow to get back, therefore leaving space on the right side or one of the midfield players, usually Jordan Henderson will tuck into a more RB role. This can leave gaps in midfield areas as well if the transition is timed correctly.

After Liverpool scored their second goal, they went more for a 4-4-2 formation, with Origi and Salah playing higher up and Trent Alexander Arnold playing more in midfield, just to try and close the gaps and see the game out. 

Individuals

•          Allison – shot stopper, commands area very well, long-range passing from feet and hands, composed under pressure, sweeper

•             Alexander - Arnold – set play taker, excellent crossing abilities, can get caught on transitions / 1 v 1, good attacking qualities

•             Van Dijk – excellent aerial ability, good positioning, good passing range – likes a diagonal, good 1 v 1

•             Matip – good aerially, good recovery pace, good on the ball – draws attackers, set piece threat

•             Robertson – excellent crosser, progressive down left side, can also get caught out on transitions, set play taker 

•             Henderson – captain, good presser, good passer, strong tackler, good stamina

•             Wijnaldum- late runs into the box, good aerially, strong on the ball, willing worker off the ball., good positioning, box to box

•             Fabinho – protects back 4, good tackler, has a good reading of the game – cuts passing lanes

•             Salah – great movement, 1 v 1 ability, speed, directness, finishing, penalty taker, closes down well, inverted winger

•             Mane – quick, direct, inverted, good movement off the ball, good finisher

•             Firmino – clever movement, 1 touch pass and move, good finisher, closes down well, false 9

•             Milner – penalty taker, good worker, good presser

•             Origi - impact player, good movement, goal scorer

•             Gomez - solid defender, good aerially, good passer. Strong, can play CB or RB

Corners - Attacking

Takers: Trent Alexander Arnold, James Milner, Andy Robertson

 

From the first corners, they surrounded the goalkeeper, putting him under pressure and tried putting the ball into the near post area.

On nearly all corners they have 3 men on the edge of the box, 1 in the D 1 on the edge closest to the corner taker and one on the edge furthest from the taker.

Towards the later stages of the game, they tried some different approaches to mix things up – as seen in the 3^rd picture, they had an outswinger where a lot of their better aerial players started from outside the box waiting for the delivery, once the delivery came, they all ran to the penalty area to try and make contact.

The 2^nd goal came from an out swinging corner, Tottenham dealt with the initial corner but failed to clear and Liverpool had players around that won the second ball and it fell to Origi who finished his chance.

 

Corners- defending

When defending corners, Liverpool used more of a zonal approach than a man-to-man approach, key players for Tottenham were marked or blocked to stop them running into dangerous areas.

In the graphs above, it shows the areas in which the Liverpool defenders were stood. In all of them it is obvious to see that the plan was to protect the 6yd box and not allow Tottenham players to progress into that area, allowing the GK time and space to come and collect the ball when possible.

Van Dijk, arguably Liverpool’s best header, was stationed in line with the goalkeeper on the 6yd line and was in the middle of the box with Matip or Gomez later in the game stood next to or in line with him.

 

 

Penalty takers

1. ·       Mohamed Salah
2. ·       James Milner
3. ·       Divock Origi

 

Free kick takers

Indirect

1. ·       Andrew Robertson
2. ·       Trent Alexander Arnold
3. ·       Jordan Henderson

Direct

1. ·       Mohamed Salah
2. ·       Trent Alexander Arnold
3. ·       James Milner

Strengths

•  Fast through the 3rds 
•  CB’s comfortable on ball – often bypass midfield 3 completely
•  Strong play in wide areas 
•  Good crossing abilities – LB.+ RB 
•  Cb’s strong aerially
•  Wingers cut inside to shoot or create midfield overloads

Weaknesses

• If midfield line is broken defence drop quickly leaving lots of space to run into on transition 
•  Defensively vulnerable on long balls and in wide areas 1 v 1 
•  Midfield 3 slow 
•  RB slow to engage with winger 

Conclusion

In conclusion, Liverpool had a perfect start to the game by getting a penalty early on which allowed them to ease into the rest of the game and not needing to chase a goal. This allowed them to sit back a bit more and choose their moments to attack. Their intense pressing caused Tottenham problems and limited the number of chances they could make, with their first shot on target coming in the 73^rd minute.

The plan of disrupting Tottenham’s build up by pressing them high into their own defensive 3^rd worked and on the times the midfielders did get caught on transitions, the defensive players or the goalkeeper were there to help them out.

The fluid movement of the forward line, helped by the movement and overlapping of the full backs provided Liverpool with sustained threat throughout the match. When Tottenham did get into the Liverpool half, when Liverpool won the ball back, they were a big threat on the counterattack with the direct passing of Van Dijk and Henderson especially up to the wide players.

Liverpool's victory was the result of a balanced approach, where they combined quick transitions, a good high press, and good set piece plays to see the game through.