Bournemouth vs. Liverpool: Tactical Review of Capital One Cup Game

Liverpool secured a Capital One Cup semi-final tie with Chelsea by beating Bournemouth 3-1 at Goldsands Stadium on Wednesday evening. Raheem Sterling's brace and Lazar Markovic's first-half goal saw them through.

Let's take a look at the tactics of the improving Reds side and see what went well for them.

Formations and XIs

Bournemouth switched away from the 4-4-2 they used at the weekend and opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Callum Wilson up front, Yann Kermorgant just behind and a midfield pairing of former Everton man Dan Gosling and Eunan O'Kane.

Liverpool lined up in the same 3-4-3 (3-4-2-1) they did at Old Trafford, with Sterling up front flanked by Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho again. Kolo Toure started at right-centre-back and Markovic started at left wing-back.

1. Liverpool's Curious Front 3

The Reds attacked well but couldn't finish at Old Trafford, with Sterling missing three one vs. ones and Mario Balotelli seeing a goal-bound shot tipped onto the bar by David de Gea.

In this game, they employed the same system and same front three because of one simple fact: Rodgers had the strategy correct in Manchester, but his players didn't finish their chances.

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The front three were fluid and narrow to begin with, hence labelling them a 3-4-2-1 instead of a 3-4-3. Lallana and Coutinho drifted out to create width, but their basic positions were inside, and they rarely appeared as genuine wingers.

The width was left to the wing-backs, and most of the Reds' good play came via the excellent Markovic at left wing-back. With prolonged spells of possession easier for Liverpool to maintain, they were able to get the Serbian on the ball with time high up the pitch—something they failed to do at Old Trafford.

2. Attacking Verve Restored?

Noticeably, Liverpool looked a team determined to right the wrongs of the past few months. It was the clearest imitation yet of last season's stellar play, with movement off the ball and runners in the channels giving ball-players options.

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Sterling up front has been the catalyst for this, and Markovic's use as an outlet on the left side of the formation encouraged Coutinho to run in beyond and receive threaded passes from the Serbian. Suddenly, the Reds looked very, very good again.

On the edge of the box, the players had the confidence to keep the ball, show patience and pick the lock; the opening goal, which saw more than 50 passes completed before Sterling headed home, included a wonderful switch from Markovic to pick out a magnificent run by Jordan Henderson at right wing-back.

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The movement and dynamism was just too much for the Championship outfit, and the Reds raced into a deserved two-goal lead as a result. Coutinho slipping into pockets and channels beyond Markovic was the key move, and the Brazilian hit the byline several times to open out the pitch for shots.

3. Achilles' Heel?

Bournemouth grew strongly into the game at 3-0 down and grabbed a consolation goal from Dan Gosling. The move involved build-up in the wide areas and a switch ball across the edge of the penalty box, where, quizzically, a central midfielder was consistently able to find space and steady himself for a shot.

Callum Wilson missed a bad one in the first half after a similar move found him free in the box, and Gosling later hit the post as his side pressed for another.

A lack of defensive solidity has been a theme of Liverpool's play—they were never brilliant at the back, but when they weren't able to outscore their opponents, they started losing—and this worrying weakness reared its head here once again.

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Bournemouth focused attacks down the channels where Markovic and Dejan Lovren were operating, with the latter in particular really struggling once again. Rodgers hauled him off at half-time and replaced him with Mamadou Sakho, but he didn't punish Markovic for, frankly, doing as well as a winger possibly can playing out of position.

If Matt Ritchie and Simon Francis weren't hitting the byline and crossing from the right, having beaten Lovren, they were building up play there and feeding across to the midfield runners. One cut-back gave Yann Kermorgant a chance to score with half the goal gaping, yet somehow he missed.

The 3-4-2-1 system, attacking-wise, is brilliant, but it has holes defensively. Rodgers will need to rely on his forwards taking their chances while adjustments are made at the back. A more clinical side than the Cherries could have levelled this score; plenty of chances were created once again.

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