Liverpool completed their week with a third straight win after downing Swansea City 1-0 at Anfield on Monday after a James Milner penalty.
The Reds looked the most likely and although it was a touch and go decision as to whether Neil Taylor’s handball was accidental or not, Jurgen Klopp’s team deserved the goal which turned out to be the eventual winner.
The win moved the Merseysider’s to within six points of the helm of the English Premier League, while the Swans remain in the lower ranks of mid-table on 14 points, four clear of AFC Bournemouth who lead the relegation battle.
Formations
Liverpool have had a busy week that included the dominant 4-1 victory over Manchester City and the crucial 2-1 triumph over Bordeaux in the Europa League. That saw Klopp make a couple changes. The first was Jordan Ibe in for the injured Philippe Coutinho, while Christian Benteke also joined the XI at the expense of Lucas Leiva. Adam Lallana played the central role in behind the Belgian whereas Roberto Firmino played down the left side.
Liverpool XI (4-3-3): Mignolet (GK); Clyne, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno; Milner, Can, Lallana; Ibe, Benteke, Firmino.
The Swans lined up in a 4-3-3 headed by Eder who kept Bafetimbi Gomis on the sidelines for a second consecutive weekend, while Andre Ayew and Gylfi Sigurdsson flanked the forward. Leon Britton and Ki Sung-yueng secured the midfield and Ashley Williams and Kyle Bartley held down the fort at the back.
Swansea City XI (4-3-3): Fabianski (GK); Naughton, Bartley, Williams, Taylor; Britton, Ki; Routledge, Sigurdsson, Ayew; Eder.
No Coutinho hurt Liverpool’s fluidity
With the Barzilian on the sidelines, the creative reigns were handed to Lallana and Firmino, who played through the middle and off to the left respectively. The duo struggled to craft an abundance of genuine chances for the Reds. They also lacked that direct approach which Coutinho provides.
Lallana was the out-and-out attacking midfielder in behind Benteke and although he had plenty of lovely touches and a few passes that opened up the Swansea back line, his performance was dominated by one too many swivels and unnecessary touches in order to play a pass. The pacey distribution that we have come to expect from Liverpool was not there.
It was very much the same from Firmino who was excellent against Manchester City; it looked as though the Brazilian was missing his partner in crime from the Etihad. The former Hoffenheim attacker appeared in need of guidance and produced some similar sequences of play to that of Lallana.
The pair were not bad, but Liverpool just did not operate as swiftly as we have seen under Klopp at Anfield. Jordan Henderson came into the picture towards the end of the match, but he was forced to defend as Swansea chased an equaliser.
Swansea shook off the cobwebs
The beginning of the match was all Liverpool. The high press restricted Swansea’s freedom and forced them to play the risky pass more often than not. Gary Monk’s side managed to get back into the game and Britton and Ki were a big key to that.
What the pair did was get on top of play in the midfield by playing the percentage pass rather than the longer ball into Eder’s feet. Whether it was a 10-foot pass left or a 25-foot pas backwards it settled the Swans down and that allowed the likes of Sigurdsson and Ayew to grow into the game.
In total, Britton maintained a pass accuracy of 89%, which equalled 40 accurate passes. The South Korean enjoyed better numbers with a pass completion rate of 95% and 54 accurate ones.
The Klopp press
Liverpool’s pressing game is a joy to watch. We heard plenty about it and saw how effective it was when Borussia Dortmund employed it. Now it is the Reds’ turn and it has gradually looked better and better. They could be a real threat following the December/January period.
As it has been said numerous times before, the idea is to swarm the opposition and win the ball higher up the pitch in an attempt to cut out the build-up and transition from defence to attack. The likes of Lallana and Firmino were integral versus Swansea, as a they herded the Swans into areas where Milner and Emre Can can intercept the pass or make a crunching tackle.
It is getting faster, more seamless and ultimately, extremely attractive to watch. The English Premier League has been put on notice this week. Liverpool will develop into something very special if they continue on this trajectory.
Conclusion
The Reds produced some lovely football at times but they failed to create enough chances for Benteke and later Daniel Sturridge. A portion of that was due to Coutinho’s absence and the unsure Lallana and Firmino, however the biggest factor was probably Liverpool’s hectic schedule this week. They showed signs of fatigue in the game’s dying embers.
Swansea City will not be in any trouble in terms of relegation; they have too much quality for that. However they are currently in a rut and Monk needs to find some answers quick. Eder and Bafetimbi Gomis are struggling to score and a lot of that has to do with the Swans’ indecisive creativity. They cannot seem to work out whether they want to play a game based around a target man or utilise their accurate ballplayers.
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