How Liverpool exposed Man City but Wirtz and Barcola flopped again
Well, that was some international break, wasn’t it?
I never thought I’d write those words, but that’s a consequence of the nuclear bomb that was dropped when the Premier League found Man City guilty during the international break.
In the last three weeks I have seen a million memes, innuendos and jokes about the number 114 as we all held our breath in anticipation of the atmosphere at Anfield against Liverpool. Did the fans deliver? Some say they ‘bottled it’.
We have 16 Conclusions on the day here, but that’s inevitably dominated by non-football matters. So what of Liverpool’s tactics?
Though Liverpool did not get a result, they should be buoyed by a performance that probably would have led to more had Ryan Gravenberch not been sent off.
So what did they do before the Dutchman was sent off that was good, and why didn’t they make the most of it? How much were the big money signings Bradley Barcola and Florian Wirtz at fault?
Liverpool forced Manchester City long How often have you seen Manchester City go long to Erling Haaland over the years in build-up?
Rarely right? But against Liverpool, that’s what City frequently did or were almost forced into doing.
As Virgil Van Dijk continuously pushed up on Rayan Cherki, City lacked an out-ball through the middle of the pitch and didn’t put smooth passing moves together as they normally might.
By also using Alexis Mac Allister to press the central midfielder in Enzo Fernandez or Elliot Anderson and using the forwards in the press to push City wide, it left them no choice but to look to hit it over the top of Liverpool’s press.
Now, Haaland can try to win these aerial duels, but Van Dijk and Jeremy Jacquet managed this quite well. With the technicians City have, Iraola would have been happy with forcing them to look to the aerial route. It helped Liverpool retrieve the ball and stopped City from smoothly building out from the back.
Liverpool and their lack of final pass and ‘slowness’ Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, who have been in form, could have done more with what Liverpool created had they been fit.
The two forwards have started the season well, and though Gravenberch’s excellent runs from midfield when turning a defender helped Liverpool gallop into the box, they slowed it down too much when they got there or couldn’t find the final pass.
On two separate occasions, when the game was stretched and Liverpool had men in behind with City rushing back towards their goal, Gravenberch made the wrong decision with a poor pass or shot.
The Reds, with their press and ability to cut through City’s midfield by dropping a deep midfielder, didn’t have much of a problem finding these promising situations in City’s half, but the execution was off.
In the second half, they began to reach a crescendo with Lewis Koumas’s chance and Gianluigi Donnarumma’s double save, but still hadn’t fashioned too many clear-cut chances, even though they had created situations where they looked dangerous. By the time the red card happened, it was too late.
Barcola and Wirtz let them down This is the type of game Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola were signed for. There has been much talk around the German because of how rare it was at the time for Liverpool to break the bank for a player, but when it matters most in an attacking move, his confidence is so low that none of the actions are with any purpose.
During Liverpool’s post-half-time flurry, Gravenberch once again emerged with the ball and played it into Wirtz. The former Bayer Leverkusen player had Barcola ready and waiting to be played in for a one-on-one chance but took a hugely loose touch to allow City to step in.
Liverpool didn’t pay that sort of money for his deft touches in build-up; they spent that money because they needed a new talisman and thus far, he doesn’t look anything close to that.
In the situation above, you’d fancy Barcola – 1v1 against this full-back with space on the byline or inside for him to cut inside and shoot.
Instead, he is easily thwarted. Obviously, Barcola needs more games under his belt, but that’s now three games where he’s played 70 minutes or more and been ineffective.
The overriding key tactical point to make about these two players is that Liverpool had the onus to press bravely, find space in the midfield and give the ball to them.
They should both be good enough and relish their chances in the absence of Isak and Gakpo, but when push came to shove, both fluffed their lines.
So what does this mean for Liverpool?
The narrative obviously overshadowed the actual match itself; it may be the case that Liverpool were able to be brave out of possession because of the occasion.
However, it’s still massively encouraging for Iraola that they were able to limit City and get into the positions they did in such a huge game.
Though they may have lost and are still waiting for their big-money signings to come good, there were notable absentees that could have made the difference.
In big games at Anfield, Iraola’s risk and directness could be huge weapons this season.
