Liverpool faced a very specific tactical dynamic on Sunday afternoon. Everton arrived at Anfield as heavy underdogs, having picked up just one away win throughout the whole of the current Premier League season.
Frank Lampard adopted a defensive and stubborn game plan. His players formed a block on the edge of their penalty box and attempted to counter-attack through the likes of Anthony Gordon and Richarlison on a regular basis.
The Reds had to remain patient in search for an opening goal. By the end of the match, Everton had posted the second-lowest possession share in Premier League history, completing fewer passes as a team than Thiago Alcantara on his own.
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It was a tricky match for Liverpool to navigate, and one which should appropriately prepare the team for what they are likely to face in the Champions League this week. Villarreal visit Anfield on Wednesday evening and based on their last tie against Bayern Munich, they look set to employ a similar game plan.
Under Unai Emery, the Spanish outfit are organised, disciplined and strategic. 4-4-2 tends to be the formation of choice for the Yellow Submarine, and they can prove to be very difficult to break down.
Rather than pressing high up the field like Liverpool, Villarreal remain as a passive block for the most part. In terms of pressures in the final third, Villarreal rank 12th in La Liga this season, and they also place 19th for pressures in the middle third and 17th for pressures in the defensive third.
In their recent quarter-final clashes with Bayern, Emery's men forced their opponents to accumulate 24 shots from outside the box over their two legs, which offers an insight into their frustrations in possession and captures what Liverpool will have to avoid.
Moreover, the Bavarians hit a total of 34 crosses in their home leg against Villarreal, with virtually all of them headed away by one of Raul Albiol or Pau Torres. Previously, Bayern hadn't amassed more than 26 crosses in a single match all season, but they were out of ideas.
Liverpool will be faced with the same problem, but Klopp will have to ensure that his players make the right decisions at the right times, with the first half against Everton demonstrating exactly what the Reds must not do.
"If you don't pass quick enough, if you don't accelerate in the right moments, if you don't offer runs in behind, if you don't pass in behind, you can improve," Klopp said. "Yes, they had a low block, but there was still space between their defence and Jordan Pickford."
On the defensive side of the game, Emery's side will likely pose more of a counter-attacking threat than Everton did, particularly through the likes of Arnaut Danjuma and Samuel Chukwueze, both of whom have been linked with moves to Anfield in the past.
As Villarreal await, Liverpool will approach the tie knowing they have the opportunity to exhibit what they learned from the match with Everton. Ultimately, their second-half display against the Blues can act as a template on Wednesday night.
