From full-backs underlapping their centre-backs to the narrow midfield, Monday Night Football featured Jamie Carragher picking out some of the tactical observations from Liverpool's 2-0 win over Ipswich at Portman Road in Arne Slot's first game in charge...
Tuesday 20 August 2024 13:20, UK
Jamie Carragher thought some of Liverpool's football in their 2-0 win over Ipswich was "out of this world" and noticed some unusual tactical elements in Arne Slot's first game in charge.
Liverpool were held during the first half by the newly-promoted side but goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah after the interval took the game away from Ipswich.
"I thought Arne Slot's interview after the match summed the game up perfectly - it was not great first half but some of the football in the second half was out of this world," Carragher told Monday Night Football.
But what stood out in particular for the Anfield legend?
"Something I have noticed with the new-look Liverpool in pre-season is their build-up," said Carragher.
"This is a big part of the game now. Do you build with a four or a three? Does your goalkeeper get involved? With Tottenham, it is just the two centre-backs and the full-backs go into midfield.
"Liverpool played very narrow.
"We talk about rotations and people taking up different positions and we always associate that with midfielders. Maybe a No 10 will drop to the holding role, the No 8 will go to the 10, the front three might mix and match, but we never see it with a back four.
"I saw some things at the weekend to keep an eye on."
Notably, there was a moment during the first half when Andy Robertson, Liverpool's left-back, underlapped Virgil van Dijk to move into the centre-back position.
"What is really interesting is where Robertson goes to receive the ball and support Van Dijk, things that I have never really seen before.
"This is new to us."
Robertson played particularly narrow at times rather than marauding up the flank.
"He definitely likes to use the centre of the pitch, not just his defenders but his midfield players. He has always got numbers centrally. Is it about keeping the ball?
"The back four was very narrow.
"Why would they do that? Arne Slot likes to play through the centre. The player he would like to buy, the first one he has not got over the line, was Martin Zubimendi, a holding midfielder, a technical player.
"When you think of a team being counter-attacked, more often than not we associate that with the full-backs being [wide]. Someone loses the ball and before you know it, teams are converging on your two centre-backs.
"The two full-backs were there."
In the second half, Liverpool played with more width, Ibrahima Konate moving 45 yards away from Van Dijk during the build-up play. It stretched Ipswich.
Trent Alexander-Arnold also moved wide to help set up the opening goal of the game at Portman Road, feeding Salah who set up Jota to score.
"When you think of Arne Slot and the football he wants to produce at Liverpool, I think it might be very difficult for him to score a better goal than this all season in terms of playing from the back, playing through the thirds, all the way through, third-man run.
"In that second half, what Liverpool produced, as you would expect against an Ipswich side that is getting tired, the pitch is getting bigger, they have better runners in [Ryan] Gravenberch and [Dominik] Szoboszlai in midfield, I think it was a testament to the type of football we are hopefully going to see long term, where Arne Slot wants to get Liverpool."
