Liverpool vs. Basel: Tactical Preview of Champions League Game
Liverpool have to beat Basel on Tuesday night if they want to progress to the UEFA Champions League latter stages; a draw would see the Swiss side through due to their superior head-to-head record.
Let's take a tactical look at how this one may play out.
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Liverpool fans will undoubtedly be excited that Mamadou Sakho has returned to training and was visible during the open portion of the Reds' drills on Monday evening. But given the magnitude of the game and his lack of practice, he won't start.
"Sakho is training #LFC
— Karl Matchett (@karlmatchett) December 8, 2014"
Martin Skrtel, Kolo Toure and Glen Johnson are sure-fire starters, while Alberto Moreno fights Jose Enrique for a spot at left-back. Lucas Leiva played well at the weekend, and Steven Gerrard should be fresh, while Rickie Lambert is essentially the only option up front still.
Tell Liverpool fans in August that their team would be playing 4-2-3-1 with Jordan Henderson on the right wing come December, and they'd laugh at you, but that's exactly what's happened here.
Basel News
Paulo Sousa's squad has dealt with an extraordinary number of suspensions this season, and the weekend's away victory over Luzern—a big game in the club's calendar—saw him rest a few key members of the squad.
Philipp Degen will return to Anfield and play right-back for Basel, while Fabian Schar should recover from a knock sustained this weekend to play. Walter Samuel will step in if required, and there's a toss-up between Naser Aliji and Behrang Safari at left-back.
Taulant Xhaka should return to the midfield as one of their most important players, while Marcelo Diaz may miss out as a consequence. Serey Die and Sousa have fallen out, meaning the Ivorian hasn't played for about a month and won't play here.
Look at for wunderkind Breel Embolo on the wing flanking the experienced Marco Streller; the 17-year-old was rested at the weekend but played every minute in November.
Key Point 1: Where Should Liverpool Attack?
We're no longer in a position where Liverpool can simply attack and overwhelm opponents; the offense is too broken, too disused for that. Brendan Rodgers will need to target a specific area on Tuesday in order to achieve victory, and on paper, those areas are pretty easy to find.
Basel have a strong central midfield corps and some interesting attacking options, while the central defensive duo (sans Samuel) are strong. The problem is full-back: Degen is just as bad as the Anfield crowd remember him, and the toss-up at left-back is because neither of the options instill confidence.
Moreno would be a smart play on the left, marauding forward and attacking Degen. If Johnson can put Safari under pressure, that's a good start too. The fear is Enrique starts, whose lack of end product would actually help Basel.
The attack cannot lean too heavily on Rickie Lambert, who will play his sixth 90-minute match in the space of 16 days.
Key Point 2: Basel Can PLAY
Basel are ahead of Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League group for one specific reason: They've been a better side throughout the process.
Bar the initial slip against Real Madrid, a 5-1 loss in an obscure 3-5-2 formation, they've settled superbly into a 4-3-3 and are playing good football. Their central midfield is their strength, and they came close to outpossessing Real Madrid at home on Matchday 5.
Basel will play off Streller up front, a beanpole of a striker, and knock it around on the exceptional Anfield turf. Luca Zuffi has emerged as a midfield runner and can hurt teams drifting forward, so Lucas, who is in form, will need to track him and protect his centre-backs.
Embolo is a 17-year-old who looks the real deal; he's their ace in the hole and potential heartbreaker off the flank.
