Postview: Inter- 0 Liverpool- 1

Inter- 0 Liverpool- 1

Slot was forced into doing some tactical changes due to injuries and “absences” cough cough which worked a treat. It was reminiscent of Brendan Rogers' 4-4-2 diamond in my opinion. I think it worked well for a few reasons:

Firstly, having Gravenberch focusing on screening the defence in a single pivot CDM role helped a lot defensively; although hearing Virgil speak after the game he implied that they only did that because Inter play with 2 top strikers- one of which likes to hold the ball up (Thuram).
Secondly, having Szoboszlai and Jones as the 2 8s in the system worked well as they both like to drift wide at times anyway and them doing this helped to compensate for not playing with wingers.
The final reason I thought it worked well is that playing with 2 strikers means one can run the channel whilst the other could try and get in a good position for the cross- both of our strikers like to run the channels so this suited them and meant there was always someone in the box ready for a cross.

One thing I didn't like was Mac Allister playing as the attacking midfielder/ false 9. I said it when he came on against Leeds that he isn't fast enough to be an effective presser that high up the pitch. If Wirtz was playing there then I think that it would be an amazing system for our team. Finally, even though most say Klopp played a 4-3-3, when we were attacking in the final third Firmino dropped off the defensive line and Salah and Mane made runs inside so it was somewhat similar to a 4-4-2 diamond in that sense as well (in possession). Finally, I’d like to comment on Konate’s goal being ruled out as they spoke about it plenty on Prime’s coverage in terms of proximity etc. but they failed to mention how high on Ekitike’s arm it hit. People talk about being below the sleeve as being a handball if a player wears short sleeves but Ekitike was wearing long sleeves in the game. The point of contact was below the shoulder but well above the elbow so I think it was wrongly ruled out due to proximity to the header from Virgil and the point of contact on the arm- even in the champions league.

Player Ratings:

Alisson- 7. Claimed a lot of crosses and made a great save in the first half. The rest of his saves were pretty routine.
Gomez- 6. Was good defensively but when he found himself in good crossing positions he failed to put in a quality cross.
Konate- 7. Competed well and was unlucky to not get his goal.
Van Dijk- 7. Was good defensively and played a few of his trademark switches of play without failure.
Robertson- 6. Was quite good but his touch let him down a couple of times when his teammates tried to find him with long balls.
Gravenberch- 8. Had a brilliant game both offensively and defensively. He rarely gave the ball away and he did plenty of his turns and dribbling. He was able to contribute more defensively from his deeper position making 5 interceptions on the night. For context Van Dijk and Konate managed 1 interception each (according to statmuse.com).
Szoboszlai- 7. Scored the penalty and was lively enough besides.
Mac Allister- 6. He got played as an attacking midfielder/false nine which I don't think suits him. He's not quick enough to be an effective presser that high up the pitch.
Jones- 6. Had a great first half but an underwhelming second half. He was very press resistant as usual and rarely gave the ball away.
Ekitike- 7. His hold up play was good as usual and he looked a threat even though he didn't get a clear cut chance. His movement seems to be better than Isak too although it could be because he's had more time to gel with his teammates.
Isak- 5. He was unfortunate not to get some fouls from the referee in the first half but even considering that he didn't do enough to achieve a score of par.

Subs:

Wirtz- 7. Won the penalty and was brave with his play when he came on.
Bradley- 6. He set up a really good chance for Ekitike shortly after coming on and was good in general.

Referee- 5. Gave some very soft fouls- especially in the first half against us. I also thought we were unlucky to have Konate’s goal ruled out. However, I thought he was better in the second half and did give us a soft penalty at the end.