Darren Moorghen

We often talk about having numerical superiority on the opposition’s defensive line, and a lot of emphasis is placed on it. It was clear Liverpool were man-oriented and would not concede numerical superiority on the last line. A 6v7 is far too congested to create anything consistently and also leaves you short on build-up numbers, which makes it harder to shift the opposition block horizontally, something that is paramount in creating positional advantages. The key then becomes pinning the opposition midfield line, forcing Liverpool to step up and commit more players in midfield. This is the same concept De Zerbi uses in deep build-up through the strict positioning of the double pivot, but applied to the final third. The way to achieve this is to avoid forcing numerical superiority on the last line and instead maintain enough build-up numbers to provoke the opposition into stepping up. Tactically, this becomes a win-win and improved situation, as long as the underlying dynamics are balanced to use it. Either the opposition steps up to apply pressure on the ball, which results in a 5v5 or 5v6 on the last line, a much less congested scenario to create from, or they keep seven players on the back line, which is highly unlikely for top teams, but allows you to pin the opposition deep in their box and control territory.

Gary Neville on commentary after seeing Gabriel Martinelli try to push Conor Bradley off the pitch while he was down injured 👀

🚨 Arne Slot: “I did not change our style but teams have changed their style against us. My football is Liverpool vs PSG. That is how I would love to have every single game but you need to have two teams to have an open game of football and not all these things [long balls and low blocks] that don’t make a game of football nice.”