Liverpool starting to purr under Iraola as zonal marking folly exposed again
Much like mealtimes and stigma towards wearing ankle socks, zonal marking has become one of those things that are done unconsciously.
Less conventional souls may question practices such as these, but the answer is always the same. It’s done this way because it just is. Now do as you’re told.
Quentin Timber was only following orders when tasked with marking Alexis Mac Allister for Liverpool’s opening goal.
Timber even made a good show of tussling with Mac Allister before the free-kick was taken. But, after the Liverpool man wriggled free, the sight of him standing and watching as his opponent had a free run on goal was faintly ridiculous.
Even in a sport as systemised as Premier League football, surely Timber’s flight or fight reflex should’ve kicked in? Hasn’t his brother Jurrien passed on some tips on the art of shirt-pulling over a big plate of stamppot?
Mac Allister is proving himself to be an underrated header of the ball, albeit one where his underrated heading is commented upon so frequently he’s now in danger of becoming overrated.
But he’ll never score a simpler one, thumped downwards and underneath Dean Henderson to open the scoring here.
Crystal Palace had played well in spasms, more direct than Liverpool and more dangerous for it. Some of their sweeping side-to-side play was genuinely thrilling for a team that now finds itself bottom of the table during the international break.
Alisson made one superb save from Damadi Kamada and Rob Green explained how the Liverpool goalkeeper’s planted feet made all the difference in a moment of genuinely insightful punditry.
You couldn’t clip it up for socials, but it treated the audience with respect and left you slightly more knowledgeable. More of this, please.
Unfortunately for Palace, Jorgen Strand Larsen was a particularly blunt instrument up front. He met one drilled cross early on with the kind of defensive clearance John Terry made a career out of.
Even when Strand Larsen did score, he was miles offside. Something that the officials flagged instantly, but that didn’t stop VAR from insisting the game was paused so it could check.
Complaints about our video assistant overlords are white noise in late-2026, but it’s another thing we put up with for unexplainable reasons.
Still, we got a good shot of the ref standing with hands on his hips, shrugging at Strand Larsen while his original decision was confirmed in twice the amount of time. Refs must hate it too. The micro-manager nobody asked for.
The period of stalemate was also notable for two moments of instant karma as both Dominik Szoboszlai and Oscar Mingueza both hurt themselves trying to foul an opponent. Szoboszlai’s was the marginally sweeter as he’d dived to try and win his own foul 10 seconds beforehand.
Florian Wirtz made it 2-0 shortly after the break, his first Premier League goal of the season. It looked like a clean strike on first viewing, but Wirtz somewhat scuffed his shot into the bottom corner.
Alexander Isak peppered the goal throughout and made it three just before the end, sending Chris Richards back to the States with one touch and planting it beyond Dean Henderson with his second.
Milos Kerkez hadn’t stepped on any rakes, but found the time to wipe out Dario Osorio fractionally after the ball had gone. Eddie Nketiah slotted home one of the least cheered consolations in recent memory.
Palace are one of several sides right now capable of playing good football, but have no resilience once the game swings away from them.
Pierre Sage won’t last the international break, but who replaces him? Thomas Frank looms over all these discussions, but feels like damaged goods. As does Nuno, drained of his life force by the clusterf*ck at West Ham.
Some other points of interest. Bradley Barcola was abysmal on the left-hand side, launching one shot into a neighbouring garden, but was much more effective once Andoni Iraola switched him to the right.
It was Barcola who provided the assist for Wirtz’s goal, gifted time and space to cut the ball back expertly. And it was the Frenchman who perhaps could’ve been given a first-half penalty for having his shirt tugged.
It was soft, but shirt-tugging discourse is currently popular and it’ll fill one of those nice 10-minute segments on the Overlap Daily where Tim Sherwood turns steadily redder.
Like Wirtz, Barcola hasn’t taken to English football like a canard to water. Much more will be expected and those nagging concerns that £120million could’ve been better spent won’t go away.
Also, Liverpool’s kit is worse than Palace’s. Yes, the latter’s home-but-spiritually-away shirt screams relegation, but more kit designers should change things up. Live a little. How many variations of red and blue stripes are possible anyway?
Whereas Liverpool have copy and pasted their 1990 Candy shirt, but somehow made it look like something you’d buy in Topman. The trick with the past is to use it as a guide rather than replicate it exactly.
Regardless, Iraola’s Reds are up to fourth and showing enough promise to sustain their supporters over the international break.
