My view on Liverpools problems is a lot to do with their buildup. The passing doesn't "flow" like it does when you have the best passer in the world at right back to advance the play. Salah might recieve a similar amount of passes, or just a small reduction, but he doesn't recieve them from Trent. Trent passes in to space, and usually to a player who has space to run in to. Compare that to what more basic passers like Bradley and Konate does which is finding the nearest team-mate and giving it to feet, and the whole buildup becomes less fluid, and more stakato.
It is also obvious that teams funnel their press to make sure Konate is the one who has to play the progressive pass. That's a problem, because he can do a lot of things well, but his timing and vision is nowhere near Van Dijk or Trent. So he will usually find a Liverpool-player, but it will again be a player either facing the wrong way, or on his way back. The easiest pass, not the pass that opens anything up.
When Liverpool had Trent, the opposition could press to funnel Liverpools build-up to the left, where Virgil could find a progressive pass. Or if they shut him down and funneled it to the right, Konate could give it to Trent who could find anyone on the field with space to run in to. Now, it's not that, and the attack suffers, because the build up doesn't flow, and the ball arrives slowly and after way to many passes.
I just wish they had spent the Isak money on a cheaper attacker and a first XI ready centreback (just not you-know-who). I know the money for a defender was there anyway, but that's not the point!
I think Liverpool's problem boils down to having two players around whom you really need to build a team in Salah and Wirtz - unfortunately that's two different teams. Seeing Salah in the flesh this season (v Chelsea) it was noticeable how much of a nothing he is OOP and I wonder if a large part of the problem is that Salah is currently making Liverpool too easy to play against? Combine that with less than optimal defending at full back and, dare I say, most teams would probably fancy causing them a lot of problems. Add on top Mac Allister looking in need of a rest and, well: problems. I suspect this will be a transition year from Salah to Wirtz, and next season it'll be Wirtz-defined and much more coherent. Salah is a Premier League all time great but it looks like it'll end with a whimper.
My view on Liverpools problems is a lot to do with their buildup. The passing doesn't "flow" like it does when you have the best passer in the world at right back to advance the play. Salah might recieve a similar amount of passes, or just a small reduction, but he doesn't recieve them from Trent. Trent passes in to space, and usually to a player who has space to run in to. Compare that to what more basic passers like Bradley and Konate does which is finding the nearest team-mate and giving it to feet, and the whole buildup becomes less fluid, and more stakato.
It is also obvious that teams funnel their press to make sure Konate is the one who has to play the progressive pass. That's a problem, because he can do a lot of things well, but his timing and vision is nowhere near Van Dijk or Trent. So he will usually find a Liverpool-player, but it will again be a player either facing the wrong way, or on his way back. The easiest pass, not the pass that opens anything up.
When Liverpool had Trent, the opposition could press to funnel Liverpools build-up to the left, where Virgil could find a progressive pass. Or if they shut him down and funneled it to the right, Konate could give it to Trent who could find anyone on the field with space to run in to. Now, it's not that, and the attack suffers, because the build up doesn't flow, and the ball arrives slowly and after way to many passes.
I just wish they had spent the Isak money on a cheaper attacker and a first XI ready centreback (just not you-know-who). I know the money for a defender was there anyway, but that's not the point!
I think Liverpool's problem boils down to having two players around whom you really need to build a team in Salah and Wirtz - unfortunately that's two different teams. Seeing Salah in the flesh this season (v Chelsea) it was noticeable how much of a nothing he is OOP and I wonder if a large part of the problem is that Salah is currently making Liverpool too easy to play against? Combine that with less than optimal defending at full back and, dare I say, most teams would probably fancy causing them a lot of problems. Add on top Mac Allister looking in need of a rest and, well: problems. I suspect this will be a transition year from Salah to Wirtz, and next season it'll be Wirtz-defined and much more coherent. Salah is a Premier League all time great but it looks like it'll end with a whimper.