Bournemouth vs. Liverpool: Tactical Preview of Capital One Cup Game
The Capital One Cup quarter-finals continue with Liverpool taking on Bournemouth at the South Coast. Eddie Howe's men are flying in the Championship, leading the division, whereas the Reds are flailing in theirs.
Something's got to give, but what will it be? Let's take a look at three major tactical talking points ahead of the fixture.
1. Bounemouth to Attack
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In a similar fashion to how Derby County approached Tuesday night's clash with Chelsea, Bournemouth won't change their style just because a big team are visiting Dean Court. Eddie Howe has built his Championship-leading team in a certain style, and that won't budge.
Per WhoScored.com, the Cherries average 56.3 percent possession per game (second only to Derby), 79.6 percent pass accuracy (fourth-highest) and 16.2 shots per game (second only to Norwich City).
They're an attacking team first and foremost, playing with positivity, energy, confidence and bravery. Several of the team, such as centre-back Tommy Elphick, will remember last season's encounter with the Reds and want revenge.
It's when you meet this type of side at their own ground on a Wednesday night in December that the phrase "Cupset" rings in the ears of the players. Liverpool need a professional and steady performance to circumvent this—and that's something they haven't managed in a while.
2. 3-4-3 (3-4-2-1) Again for the Reds?
“Even though the result wasn’t so good for us, it was probably our best attacking game for a long time,” Brendan Rodgers told The Liverpool Echo in the lead-up to this game. “To go there and have that many shots on target and clear opportunities and one-on-ones to score, I felt that part of the game was good."
As much as it pains Liverpool fans given the 3-0 scoreline, he's spot on. The funky system he put in place was an abomination defensively, but attacking-wise it created five clear-cut chances including three one vs. one situations.
Essentially, if Raheem Sterling was a more cultured finisher with better decision-making, and David de Gea wasn't in ferocious shot-stopping form, they'd have scored plenty.
That's what will likely tempt Rodgers into playing the same formation again and working on tweaking certain aspects of it. The primary things he needs to fix are:
- Spacing between outside centre-backs and wing-backs was off all game. Way too large.
- Two vs. two midfield match-up was lost immediately due to the lightweight Joe Allen and physically feeble Steven Gerrard
- Wastefulness in early forward passes into channels from Philippe Coutinho. Too eager, too twitchy.
If these three can be turned around it will be a mightily different proposition for Bournemouth to assess, and this time it wont have major, back-breaking flaws.
3. Sterling Must Play Up Front
Whatever the formation, Sterling must be played up front. Be that in the 3-4-2-1, the 4-4-2 diamond with a partner or in that asinine 4-2-3-1 Rodgers seems insistent on trying, it doesn't matter; Sterling must play up front.
It's important to note that his role as a striker against Manchester United was not that of a false-nine's (a midfielder playing up front doesn't automatically make him a false-nine). He pressed the centre-backs in possession, and while he did drop in to midfield to play, you didn't see him pulling markers around on purpose or creating holes for runners.
Adam Lallana and Coutinho were in position to support Sterling as the lone striker, not run beyond him, and it was the two midfielders who did most of the early work on the ball.
What Sterling offers up front is that dynamism and pace that Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert do not. He can dart in behind, drop off swiftly or, crucially, be the difference on the edge of the penalty box. Liverpool have been static when in possession the final third (see: home victory over West Bromwich Albion), but Sterling can spark that moment of ingenuity Reds fans are used to seeing from Luis Suarez or Daniel Sturridge.
Two of his three one vs. one scenarios on Sunday were self-made via obscenely agile turns beyond centre-backs left flummoxed. More of that, and there's goals at Dean Court for the away side.
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