Aston Villa v Liverpool A Liverpool Perspective
An exciting game, with both teams having plenty of good chances to score, though Liverpool only really have themselves to blame for not winning it. Liverpool should have been out of sight in the first half, but they were extremely wasteful on a number of occasions. The second half saw Villa up their game and they were so much better for playing front foot football and looking to drive forward at every opportunity. In the end, a draw was a good result for both teams.
I did find Slot’s tactics interesting, as it seemed that Jones was set to play on the left wing as a straight up replacement for Diaz/Gakpo. Indeed, for the first few minutes he was out there, but soon after that he drifted inside and never really went back out to the left. Instead, it was left to Robertson to bomb forward and provide the width on the left, with Mac Allister mostly dropping in to the left back area. It was more of a front two when Liverpool had the ball, with Jota to the left and Salah to the right and Jones in behind them. Jota’s positioning was clearly aimed, and very effectively so, with the intent of putting him in place to run in behind Disasi. Multiple times Jota got clean through, with Disasi caught out, but he failed to make the most of the positions he got. Such a shame, tactically speaking, as it is nice to see a clever tactical ploy rewarded.
That was the big problem for Liverpool, their profligacy in front of goal is what cost them the game, not the porous defence, which is mainly the result of a weak midfield that can be run through very easily. There were enough very good chances created to win a number of games. If you continue to miss the target altogether, you will get punished in the Premier League. Especially against a team as good as Villa are going forward.
Aston Villa
Villa are clearly in a false position in the league, as a result of the pressures of performing so well in the Champions League. They have the quality to be placed higher in the table, but they simply lack the squad depth to cope with all of the competitions this year. Something that I am sure they will improve ahead of next season. It has meant that they have been trying to do something similar to Slot’s Liverpool and play a slower, more possession-based game to try and protect the players from over-exerting themselves. That is likely to have also had a negative impact on their results.
Tactically, they did not really need to work too hard to create chances, there were gaping holes in the centre, behind Jones, as Mac Allister was out on the left and Robertson was up field. All they had to do was run the ball through the centre to draw the Liverpool midfield in and then attack the space on the left as Mac Allister came back to the centre, leaving Robertson on his own down the left flank. That meant it was an exciting game to watch, with lots of good chances for both teams.
It must be pointed out though, they only started creating chances once they drove forward with the ball quickly. Early on, they attempted to play out from the back and really struggled to get out, constantly giving the ball away under pressure. That could easily have lost them the game in the early phases, it certainly cost them the opening goal.
Their new recruits look to have brought a fresh impetus, though Garcia is very poor defensively, he does get forward extremely well and delivered some good quality balls into the box. Rashford and Asensio provide a touch more quality and both have something to prove as well, so I would expect Villa to move up the table before the season finishes.
Liverpool
Alisson – a very mixed game for the Brazilian. Some loose passes and a wild, rash moment but also a good save and a beautiful ball to set Salah away, though the Egyptian wasted the chance.
Alexander-Arnold – was at the heart of everything good Liverpool did, scoring the equaliser as well, playing some magnificent passes, only to get taken off. I know his fitness is being managed after he has not long returned from injury, but surely he could have managed another 10 minutes or so?
Konate – not a good game, he was struggling to cope as Villa’s attack pulled him and van Dijk all over the place. Needed some help from the midfield, but there was little protection.
van Dijk – like Konate, he had a poor game, even his passing was poor.
Robertson – another game where he struggled badly. Even going forward he was poor, when Alexander-Arnold played a cross field pass which left him in yards of space, he somehow managed to hit the first man with his cross in.
Gravenberch – he needs help defensively in the centre of midfield. He looks tired and it is not helping that he has to cover across the whole of midfield on his own. Szoboszlai and Jones worked back as they could, but their starting position was high and Mac Allister was mostly out on the left, leaving a lot of ground for him to cover. It was yet another game that cried out for Endo to partner him.
Szoboszlai – actually had a good game overall, but he spent most of it chasing as he was being asked to cover so much ground. It was a lovely touch to Nunez, which the Uruguayan wasted, but I would have liked to see him hit it in that position.
Mac Allister – far too slow to read danger and get across at times. Drifting across to the left worked well offensively, but when it came to defending it was a problem. Once again he was far too happy to play act, trying to get an opponent sent off. It was a foul by Disasi, but that was all, just get on with it. Other than that, he played some good stuff on the ball.
Salah – struggled to get into the game, yet he still comes away with a goal and an assist.
Jones – did some nice things but he just does not impose himself on the game enough. You are always left with a feeling that there is more there with Jones.
Jota – apart from the assist for the Salah goal, Jota was truly awful, wasting chance after chance.
Nunez – replaced Jota in the 66th minute. His first touch was to smash the ball high and wide, he never really recovered after that. He looks bereft of confidence and his game has been so badly affected it is unreal.
Bradley – came on for Alexander-Arnold in the 66th minute. Played a good ball to Szoboszlai to set him up for the pass to Nunez, but after that he was running about a bit like a headless chicken. He has yet to learn when to make his forward runs and just goes immediately the ball is won every single time. That then leaves him having to chase back if the possession is lost. It might help him avoid a few of these injuries if he just took a bit of time to check the run is on before making it.
Diaz – was brought on in the stead of Mac Allister in the 81st minute. Never really got into the game. Looks like he has lost his early season form right now.
Quansah – took the injured Bradley’s place in the 89th minute. He was not on for long enough to make any kind of difference.
Written by Tris Burke February 23 2025 04:02:25
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