EPL : 3 Things That Did and Did Not Work for Liverpool Against Tottenham Hotspur

On Monday night, Liverpool drew for the eighth time at home out of 12 played so far, making it harder to finish the season as the fourth-best team in England. The top three teams get direct entry into the lucrative group stages of the Champions’ League while the fourth-placed team has to faceoff in a playoff match to be a part of the final 32 teams within eight groups.

Seventh-placed Liverpool has already dropped 16 points out of a possible 36 at home Anfield, whose reputation of being a fortress seems to have dwindled the past few seasons.

Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool’s opponent, looked rather docile whenever they got the ball and in grave respect of Liverpool, making it hard to convince anyone that the trip from London to Liverpool was made to actually win.

From Liverpool’s perspective, this was another drawn home game that should have been won, considering the performance and domination on the night. That seems to be the story of Liverpool’s season so far.

Kenny Dalglish, manager of Liverpool, later assured fans through the media that goals will come.

As with every game, there were positives to be taken and lessons to be learned. We shall analyze what things worked and which ones fell through while Dalglish’s men tried to break the deadlock all night long.  

Surprisingly, the Selection of Charlie Adam Worked

Charlie Adam’s selection in the starting lineup was bewildering. He looked at sea when the two teams met earlier in the season only to end his miserable night by getting sent off. The battle in midfield is always crucial in matches between top dogs, and Dalglish’s faith in Adam certainly paid off this time.

Adam was head and shoulders above everyone else on the night. With more touches (92), more passes (69), more tackles (8) and shot assists (6) out of anyone on the night, he orchestrated Liverpool’s attacks as much as the movement of his own players allowed.

At 76.9 percent, he won more duels than anyone bar Kuyt, who won 100 percent. His tackle win percentage was also the highest out of all players at 62.5.

I hope people stop labeling him as a liability and a mediocre player when he clearly is not. He came out on top—even compared to the likes of Modric and Gerrard, which says a lot.

Calling a spade a spade is a lost virtue. Just because someone made the step up from Blackpool (with all due respect) does not mean he should not be measured against a predefined yardstick.   

Gerrard Behind Carroll Did Not Work

Don’t get me wrong. Gerrard behind Carroll would have worked—if behind was actually what it meant. It was not a 4-4-1-1 formation but a 4-5-1, which meant that Gerrard was not right behind Carroll but at quite a distance from the forward, making it harder to link up.

This ensured that Gerrard would find it hard getting into the box when he should have taken care of his defensive duties first and foremost against a potent attacking force like Tottenham’s.

The Liverpool captain’s game is most effective and threatening in an offensive sense when he darts late into the box and shoots from the edge of the box. None of these abilities were on show during the match.   

Glen Johnson on the Left Did Work

This was not the first time Johnson was played at left-back. Honestly, I am not able to recall any game in which he has actually struggled in this position. Bar only one occasion when Walker got lucky through a deflection, and Johnson was able to absorb pressure from Tottenham’s right flank very well.

In an attacking sense also, Johnson was pretty good. His ability to use both his feet provided him with an advantage, and his left-footed cross was begging for Carroll to get on the end of it.

Statistically, he made four tackles and four interceptions. He won 60 percent of his duels while he got a whopping 90 touches, second only to Adam on the night. He also made a more-than-decent number of passes (59) with an accuracy of 86.4 percent. 

Bringing on Downing Did Not Work

Downing has been bettering his form recently. Unfortunately for Liverpool, this was not a match he would garner more confidence from, and this was a cameo he would simply like to forget. He had enough touches to make an impact but made wrong decisions in the closing stages.

He had barely 20 minutes on the pitch, but, even in that time, he failed to complete even a single cross. When Carroll is on the pitch, you would expect the management to send Downing on with that as the plan. He had two shots from outside the box where he should have kept possession.

I think the pressure of having no goals or assists is weighing on his head. Even if it is, I see no reason for anyone to become selfish and look for a headline grabbing wonder goal instead of starting with a few assists. 

Starting Andy Carroll Did Work

More than anything else, I think Carroll is becoming more and more match fit with all the time that he is spending in the middle. As stated earlier, he would have had more to work with had Gerrard been a little more advanced.

The pass that Carroll’s captain slipped for Andy in the first half was needed more through the match. However, Carroll did waste the best chance of the match when he blazed over from very close.

He won 66.7 percent of his duels with majority in the air as well at 62.5 percent. Compare that to his counterpart Adebayor at 22.2 percent and 40 percent, respectively, and one can see how effective Carroll was upfront all on his own.

The Radar of Liverpool Striker’s Did Not Work

Players do not become good finishers overnight. Liverpool strikers were not clinical for the umpteenth time this season. Kenny Dalglish should have gambled on a more attacking, less conservative style to induce more chances so that at least one would have gone in the net on the basis of favorable probabilities.

The other option was what happened on the night. Limited chances were created and none were taken. Had Tottenham taken theirs, Liverpool would have lost, having dominated the game. Liverpool needs a goal scorer badly, or probably more creative and flair players as 11 out of Liverpool’s 17 shots were from outside the box. 

(Match Statistics - Courtesy www.liverpoolfc.tv)