Liverpool picked up what turned out to be a comfortable 3 points on Sunday afternoon after an excellent performance vs West Ham, who did nothing to help themselves with a very poor performance.
Liverpool and West Ham lined up both in a 4-3-3, but in reality, West ham played with a 4-2-1-3 in defensive phases of the game. West Ham operated with a double pivot in midfield, while one other central midfielder, usually Wilshere, pressed the ball. Wilshere was unable to make any impact on Liverpool, with neither of West Ham’s wingers or strikers helping to press, and so Liverpool midfielders were allowed time on the ball. This left Rice and Noble in a double pivot at the mercy of Liverpool.
The main problem with playing a double pivot is that there will be an inevitable gap between the two players, particularly when the two players were as ill disciplined as they were today. Liverpool regularly exploited this with their narrow front three, with the ever-intelligent Roberto Firmino dropping in just behind the two and turning with a fantastic first touch or round the bend pass, to anyone running behind. This is what caused Liverpool’s first 3 goals.
Liverpool’s full backs also gave West Ham a torrid time and would have gave them an even worse time had Alexander Arnold not had one of his poorest games. The full backs, as wide as ever, easily stretched West Ham who tried to defend narrowly and were exploited by crosses and clever movement from Liverpool’s front three. The width of the full backs and often midfield meant West Ham had to shuffle across to deal with the player on the ball, and while being forced to move, they left gaps which were exploited, such as the one between the double pivot.
An obvious tactical error from West Ham was there offside trap, which was unsuccessfully deployed twice, resulting in two goals. For the offside trap to work, every player must move out together, which did not occur from Masuaku, causing everybody to be played onside. The offside trap is a very risky tactic, as it also relies on the linesman getting the decision correct, which again didn’t happen for West Ham. Officials often find it more difficult to judge whether a player is offside or not when an offside trap is deployed, as players often move forward suddenly.
On the very limited occasions when West Ham had the ball, Liverpool’s pressing was excellent, always pressing in twos or threes, often with the nearest inside forward, nearest central midfielder and full back. James Milner was absolutely superb and didn’t set a foot wrong the entire game, playing his role excellently, with a 93.1% passing accuracy and covering a distance of 12.5km.
But why were West Ham unable to create any chances?
One thing I noticed during the game was Liverpool’s inside forwards, Salah and Mane, cutting the passing lanes from the centre backs to the full backs. This meant that centre backs were forced to play through the middle to the midfielders, which meant a straightforward 3v3 battle in midfield, or often 4 v3 thanks to Firmino’s work rate. Liverpool’s technical, tactical and numerical superiority in midfield then meant that West Ham lost the battle in midfield, and so had no source from which to start attacks from.
The second half became a formality after the third goal, and Liverpool simply retained possession and controlled the game, eventually adding a fourth thanks to Daniel Sturridge’s first touch of the game.
Team ratings
Liverpool: 9
West Ham: 5
Man of the match: James Milner
Cam Meighan
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All the best mate. I am a very delegent fan of tactical and technical Liverpool fc analysis. I will always support as u take us along. Thanks