Liverpool’s disappointing start to 2022/23 rumbled on with a 2-1 loss against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday. The match continued a troubling theme for the Reds in that they conceded the opening goal of the game, just as they had in their preceding six league fixtures.
The latest instance might have been the first in the sequence in which Liverpool lost but they are giving themselves a mountain to climb week after week. A full-strength Reds side has shown they can overcome such issues, as they did against the likes of Aston Villa and Wolves last season. The injury-ravaged squad Jurgen Klopp currently has at his disposal understandably finds it tougher to recover from setbacks.
In every game this season, Liverpool have had more shots than their opponents, and dominated stretches of each match to varying degrees. A look at a few basic statistics would suggest that there isn’t too much wrong at present.
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In the 2-2 draw on the opening weekend, Fulham created just four chances, with just one of them – the assist for Aleksandar Mitrovic’s opening goal – being received in the Liverpool penalty area. Crystal Palace fared a little better, but still mustered just six chances created, and only five in open play. Once again, there was a solitary opposition key pass completed in the Reds’ box.
Unfortunately for Kopites, their team’s worst performance of the season so far came against bitter rivals United. In that match, Liverpool allowed eight chances (none from set-pieces), with three being received just inside their 18-yard area.
In isolation, figures such as these aren’t too concerning. The average Premier League team allows around 10 chances per game, so the Reds’ tally of 18 this season looks okay. However, the issue is not so much the volume of chances but the quality of them. To make matters worse, the decisive goal in each match has come about in virtually identical fashion.
At Fulham, substitute Manor Solomon played for 24 minutes and completed just two passes. One of them played Mitrovic into space, though, and from there the Serbian was able to win and convert a penalty.
From a near identical position on the pitch as where Solomon won the ball, Eberechi Eze dribbled past Fabinho in the Crystal Palace draw. The 24-year-old then played a similar pass, too, though as the recipient Wilfried Zaha is pacier than Mitrovic, he was able to beat the Reds’ back line and score directly.
And at Old Trafford, Anthony Martial recovered the ball in the centre-circle and played a simple pass to Marcus Rashford to score the goal which ultimately won the match. Teams know they can hurt Liverpool this way and it is proving incredibly costly.
Such goals have also occurred in the past. Pablo Fornals scored in a fairly similar manner for West Ham United in a match at the London Stadium last season. Liverpool lost there, too, and it’s hard not to notice that three of the four goals mentioned occurred when the Reds were level, with Rashford’s when they were trailing. When they’re winning, they seem to be able to manage such problems more easily.
Though perhaps they were fortunate last season, too. After all, research by goalkeeper analyst John Harrison showed that Alisson Becker saved eight goals more than expected in 1v1 situations, when no other stopper in the Premier League prevented more than five. If the Brazilian’s form regresses, as can affect any player after an unusually hot streak, Liverpool’s high defensive line will be much more vulnerable in 2022/23.
At this point, many fans would be looking for a scapegoat from among the Liverpool midfield, but Klopp will have no interest in doing that. The issue is structural and needs addressing team wide. While getting the injured and suspended players back will obviously help, preventing sides slicing the Reds open with one pass from the halfway line would help matters more.
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