Aston Villa v Liverpool – Zonal Marking
Liverpool returned to winning ways in the Premier League with an away victory over Aston Villa. This was just the Christmas present Liverpool wanted – three points and closing the gap to Tottenham.
Goalkeeper and Defence
Alisson Becker returned to duty in goal following his participation in the World Cup. It was another decent performance form 30-years–old. Sometimes, you forget how solid he is, seeing him pull off marvellous saves is rarity. It doesn’t stem from his incompetence, but from his outstanding skill set. He makes sweaty saves looks so effortless.
Jürgen Klopp have made two alterations at the back – Virgil van Dijk replaced Joe Gomez, while Trent Alexander-Arnold started for the injured James Milner. The former set the tone for the game from the very first minute alongside his fellow left-back Andy Robertson. The No. 66 was flying, delivering world-class crosses and setting the pace of the game by providing diagonal passes to his mates.
And Robertson? The Scot has set the Premier League record for most assists by a defender. His cross to Mo Salah was Robertson’s 54th assist in the Premier League era. That being said, he’s overtaken former Everton defender Leighton Baines.
Virgil van Dijk has been shaky and tentative lately, but against Villa he acted as a mainstay of the backline. The Duchman was dominant in aerial duels and got a goal under under his belt. Overall, Liverpool’s first half was a reminder of what they can do when they are at their best in terms of defence.
Score: 4
Midfield
We have seen much more improved performances in the middle of the field, which is the key area of the pitch. Fabinho’s body has been crying for a breather for the past few months, as his fitness kept on falling down.
Against Villa, he covered ground more efficiently, registered one interception and three clearances. Neil Jones was right to have said that “Liverpool are lost without their lighthouse”. At this stage, it’s too early to pass judgement on the Brazilian’s fitness, but if it was a resurgence of his form, mKlopp couldn’t be happier.
Jordan Henderson and Thiago completed the underbelly zone of the pitch. They tended to control the proceedings in the centre against four Villa defenders. Douglas Luis was struggling, while pushed by the Reds. The game shifted in the second half, the Reds were losing ground and Klopp needed to react with changes.
Young Bajcetic was brought on for the skipper. It was a big day for the Spanish midfielder! At the age of 18, he scored his first goal for Liverpool at senior level, and sealed the hard-fought win for the Reds. It was definitely a memorable cameo for the teenager. Elsewhere, Naby Keita replaced Thiago, but failed to make any impact in the game. As things stand, Liverpool are yet to decide his future.
Score: 3
Attack
Aston Villa’s high defensive line was exposed by the Red’s attacking force. Unai Emery had a brave blueprint, but overreached the capabilities of his players.
If there was one player who stood alone in this encounter, it was Darwin Núñez. He used the free spaces left by Villa players superbly. His physicality is out of this world, just needs to work on his end product.
In a one vs one duel with Olsen, the goalie was better and prevented Núñez from putting the ball into the back of the net. However, Klopp will rave about this situation as the striker showed his pace with the ball.
Next to the Uruguyan was Salah and Oxlade-Chamberlain. The former was dropping dip on a few occasions to help the team regain vital possession andfree himself from man-marking.
He posed a constant menace to Digne, making his life as difficult as possible. Not only did he contribute with a goal, but also an assist. The latter did have an impact on the proceedings in the first half, but faded after the resuming of play. Nevertheless, it was a show of Liverpool’s attacking might, in which 16 shots were created.
Score: 4
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