Liverpool struggle at Manchester United: A template to stop them?

They were only there now to defend us, Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports afterwards viewing his Liverpool side frustrated against Manchester United. The Premier League leaders had a goal to escape Old Trafford having a point but Klopp didnt get from the building without a line out of Jose Mourinho.
He did not like the menu, Mourinho told Sky Sports.
He enjoys meat and he got fish
Asked what Liverpool were lacking on the afternoon, Mourinho added:For me personally, it was standard for a group to play with a low block thats a problem they sometimes have. I believe they have some constraints against groups that play with a minimal block
Liverpool struggled all day, scoring against the one clear-cut opening if Andrew Robertson cross found its way in the far post that they created.
Mohamed Salah missed through injury but even with the celebrity man turning it was still unusual to watch Liverpool restricted like that. The clubs own supporters would surely concede there is some fact to Mourinhos remarks. The side of klopp seem to find it harder to be at their catastrophic when theyre denied space in behind in which to operate.
One of the advantages of Klopps team in 2019 has become the capability to discover a means to pick up wins when opponents try to neutralise their strengths. Theyve been patient. Won in ways that were different. Six matches in and Liverpool are six points clear of champions Manchester City. The problem is clearly not insurmountable for them.
However, its a challenge because it refused them even more distance, and Manchester Uniteds decision to change to your back five this year proved a tricky one for the team of Klopp. Not only was there no more space for the forwards to run to, problems were caused by the formation for that other weapon of the Liverpool side – the marauding full-backs.
The problem all teams hold against Liverpool is that they play a straight four and the back four goes really narrow since they have to the front three making those runs all the time, Gary Neville told Sky Sports.
So that the full-backs get in all the time.
Though Robertson did provide the assist for the goal of Liverpool, there isnt any masking how the full-backs werent as successful as usual.
When playing a five-man defence because the opposition wing-back is able to remain that little bit broader it is becoming a problem for Trent Alexander-Arnold this year. It means that the child – this kind of threat when able to become forwards – frequently finds his path blocked.
Liverpool are at their most threatening if they get it broad, added Graeme Souness. Notably Trent Alexander-Arnold with the way he whips the ball . However he crossed out of the incorrect angles. He could not get down there and set the ball behind the last guy.
All eight of the open-play crosses of Alexander-Arnold failed to locate a Liverpool team-mate. He might have done much more and done better together Klopp told Sky Sports. Thats true. Nevertheless, the big problem was where the crosses were coming from. Alexander-Arnolds touch map from open play shows that he managed to get within 20 yards of the goal line.
In his previous game against Sheffield United, in addition, he found himself up and that had an identical impact on his impact. He did not have a bit inside the competition penalty box and didnt create a chance.
Having played against Newcastle and Southampton against a straight five this season, the contrast in his creativity could be understood in the stats. According Opta, in the five Premier League matches against a rear four this year, six major opportunities have been generated by Alexander-Arnold to. From the four games against a back five, hes created only one.
With Alexander-Arnold unable to play his normal game and not able to operate in behind, Liverpool looked a different team on Sunday. Neville added:Manchester United did every thing to stop those two major threats and they abandoned the ball with Fabinho at midfield or Jordan Henderson in midfield and they havent got the quality to be able to unlock.
Hendersons passing was overly secure and also with Fabinho struggling to select a means through too, it was made to Joel Matip to try to thread the passes through to Roberto Firmino.
That the striker was really found by the centre-back that isnt very likely to be a reliable basis from which to construct play although times compared to Gini and Henderson Wijnaldum united. It is interesting that replacement Naby Keita passing and its part played at the build-up to the equaliser. He looked for the angles which others werent.
Naby at the end maybe came on too late but the influence was still there, said Klopp. We had the passes. We had them where we wanted to have them.
Liverpool salvaged a point in the end and – as Henderson told Sky Sports – .
But while the way of Manchester Uniteds performance left frustrated Klopp, he may need to anticipate more of this kind of thing after this. The Liverpool manager is accustomed to teams defending deep against the champions. Nonetheless, it is now becoming clearer that theres a formation ideal to stifling his group.