Liverpool continued their poor run of form, recording a 1-1 draw with Norwich City at Anfield, despite the return of Daniel Sturridge to the first team.
All of the focus was on the partnership of Sturridge and Christian Benteke, and although there were glimpses of magic, they were only in short supply as the Belgian had to exit Anfield with a hamstring complaint, giving Danny Ings the opportunity to deliver in the second half.
Deliver he did, as the Englishmen found himself on the end of a delightfully weighted lob pass from Alberto Moreno, which put him in behind the Canaries’ back line and one-on-one with John Ruddy. The Liverpool striker rounded the keeper and supplied a clinical finish.
The Reds played much more free-flowing football after taking the lead and more chances fell to Ings and Phillippe Coutinho, however, Liverpool’s weakness from set pieces shone through once again. This time Simon Mignolet failed to get enough power on his punch which allowed Russell Martin to loop it straight back over the stranded Belgian.
Brendan Rodgers was then forced to throw caution to the wind, introducing Adam Lallana and Roberto Firmino. However, the best chance of the second stanza fell to Coutinho. The Brazilian combined with his countryman Firmino and had acres of time to pick his spot, but only managed to find the bullrushing Ruddy.
The result leaves Liverpool with just two wins from six games and adds further pressure to Rodgers, even though this performance at Anfield was an improvement to the disappointing effort at Old Trafford. Alex Neil’s team, meanwhile, collect a valuable point, backing up well following their comprehensive victory against AFC Bournemouth last weekend.
Formations
Liverpool played three at the back against Bordeaux midweek and Rodgers stuck to that formula and ran with a 3-5-2. The back line consisted of Mamadou Sakho, Martin Skrtel and Emre Can with Lucas Leiva acting as a shield in front. Joe Gomez made way for Alberto Moreno on the left as did Firmino for the return of Coutinho from suspension. However, the biggest alteration was the inclusion of Sturridge alongside Benteke up front, which is the first time Liverpool have lined up with two forwards this season.
Norwich have been playing without fear since gaining promotion to the Premier League, so the exclusion of Wes Hoolahan was a tad surprising, considering how prominent he has been to the cause. Neil obviously wanted to set up more cautiously and lined up in a 4-1-4-1. Graham Dorrans was the one that came into the midfield, while the only other change was Steven Whittaker in for Andre Wisdom who was unable to play because of his loan deal from Liverpool.
Norwich exploited the flanks
Despite the defensive setup, the Canaries looked to target Liverpool’s centre backs with a magnitude of crosses, mostly from Matthew Jarvis and Robbie Brady down the left-side. The former played exceptionally well against Bournemouth and although Nathaniel Clyne turned out to be a sterner challenge, Jarvis still managed to whip in four crosses.
On the other flank, Nathan Redmond was also dangerous and provided four deliveries, one of which found Jarvis a metre out. Jarvis forced Mignolet into a superb reaction save to deny Norwich a second goal not long after their equaliser. Brady bombed forward repetitively and supplied three crosses as well as being the main corner and set piece taker, which of course led to Martin’s goal.
In total, Norwich City bashed in 14 crosses, a stat aided by the formation. It was a stretched midfield which was partly forced by Liverpool’s wing-backs, but also the natural starting positions taken up by Jarvis and Redmond. More often than not, the ball was pushed into the space left by the advances of Moreno and Clyne, which worked out ideally for the Canaries’ wide players.
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Sturridge impact immediate
Against Manchester United, Liverpool failed to conjure any genuine goalscoring chances, and much of the blame fell on the isolation of Benteke from the likes of Firmino and James Milner through the middle. The absence of Coutinho also played a huge part in Liverpool’s toothlessness, but here, the return of Sturridge provided an instant link between the lines.
Rather than playing directly alongside the Benteke, the Sturridge floated in the space behind, even alongside Coutinho at times. This made it very easy for Lucas and Milner to pick out passes; even the advances from Can and Skrtel from the back skipped past the midfield.
It meant Liverpool were more flexible, less predictable. The Reds were able to turn defence into attack much faster and supply width with a single pass rather than three. It also made for some attractive moments through the midfield, crisp and incisive one-touch passes which ultimately lacked only an equally neat finish.
Alberto Moreno is key
If Rodgers is to stick to three at the back, the Spanish flyer Moreno must be involved. The former Sevilla full-back was arguably the Reds’ best due his tireless running and timely distributions from wide areas. Liverpool recorded 24 crosses against Norwich, compared to 17 versus Manchester United.
It may only be seven crosses more, but the quality of those deliveries were of the highest standard, except for the odd shank into the Kop. Moreno contributed seven of these, one of which resulted in a big chance for Coutinho. Besides the Spaniard’s crosses, his passing into the area was also excellent.
Moreno completed 82% of his attempted passes, many of which occurred deep into opposition territory. Time and time again, he ran towards the byline and cut the ball back to the edge of the box. One of his most memorable passes was a square ball into a rampaging Milner, who then tapped it into Benteke, who returned the ball slightly too strongly.
Conclusion
Despite the Reds not getting the result they wanted, it was a significantly better performance than their display at Old Trafford, and against West Ham United. There were a clear conclusion to draw; Rodgers needs to stick to three at the back and two up front. Liverpool seem to operate better with that setup, as they created more chances. These opportunities still need taking, however.
For Norwich, it was another gritty display and another positive result. The Canaries showed here that they have the ability to set up more defensively, yet still play that expansive style which has attracted so many admirers. Their form so far has earned them a mid-table spot in the Premier League, albeit only in these admittedly early days.
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