"This campaign, Liverpool is 4-0-0 against these teams, four of Europe's elite, with six goals scored and two conceded. With that sort of record against such a high caliber of opponents, you wouldn't expect Liverpool to be 13-2-10 in all comps with 41 goals scored and 38 goals conceded, would you? It's the reality. Which begs the next question: if Liverpool have beaten four of the best football-playing sides on their schedule this season, why is their overall record so average?"
"Liverpool is built for the beautiful game. But the English game isn't always beautiful. Now consider these four teams: Sunderland, Brentford, Leeds, Nottingham Forest. Tenth, fourteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth in the Premier League table. Liverpool is 0-2-2 against these teams, with seven goals scored and ten goals conceded. Outside of playing in the Prem, what do these teams have in common? They can be effective without the ball. They're willing to go direct. They play physically. They make the most of set pieces."
Liverpool has beaten Arsenal, Inter, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid this season, producing a 4-0-0 record against those elite sides with six goals scored and two conceded. The overall record stands at 13-2-10 across competitions with 41 goals for and 38 against. Liverpool has failed to dispatch lower-ranked, physical Premier League teams—Sunderland, Brentford, Leeds and Nottingham Forest—going 0-2-2 with seven goals scored and ten conceded. Those opponents thrive without possession by playing direct, using set pieces, long throws and counter-attacks. Brighton demonstrated how to handle that profile and were beaten 2-0 at Anfield when Liverpool stifled counters and big balls.
Read at Rush The Kop
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