Lack of Attacking Identity a Major Issue for Liverpool After West Ham Defeat
A 3-0 home defeat at the hands of mid-table West Ham United will raise a plethora of issues for Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, not least his team's alarming lack of potency in the final third. Without a discernible attacking identity, the Reds failed to trouble Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph throughout Saturday afternoon's Anfield game.
Much focus will be on the monumental ineptitude of Dejan Lovren within a slipshod defensive line, but as former Reds forward Neil Mellor highlighted after the game via his Twitter account, the lack of quality in front of goal is a major concern:
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In four Premier League games so far this season, Liverpool have scored just two goals—one being Philippe Coutinho's out-of-nowhere wonder strike against Stoke City and the other thanks to a highly debatable offside decision in the 1-0 win at home to AFC Bournemouth, with Coutinho's attempt to play the ball from Jordan Henderson's delivery in theory cancelling out Christian Benteke's finish.
That Liverpool have needed these interventions of majesty and fortune to notch their only goals of the season is a worrying proposition for Rodgers as he heads into the international break deflated and looking for a solution.
His Reds side is lacking an overall fluency in attack, and while it seemed only a matter of time before the likes of Coutinho and Benteke jelled, this loss to Slaven Bilic's Hammers highlights a key issue.
When will Liverpool find their attacking identity?
A Bubble Burst
After two wins and three clean sheets in their opening three games of 2015/16, spirits were high in the Liverpool camp heading into Saturday's game at Anfield. This optimism was embodied by Rodgers, who referenced the Reds' previous 0-0 draw away to Arsenal as he previewed the matchup in his programme notes, as relayed by the club's official website:
"Not conceding a goal is the consequence of the hard work that is being done during the week and it has given us a firm foundation to build on.
Of course, there is still much improvement to come and we know, collectively, we need to keep learning and improving day by day to keep pace at the top of the table and achieve what we are looking to this campaign.
The first month of the season has seen us play the fewest number of games, in terms of fixture congestion. When we return from the international break we have the Europa League and a domestic cup tournament as well.
Every member of our squad will have to be ready to contribute and if Monday night is a sign of how hungry and ready that our players are, then it certainly bodes well.
"
German midfielder Emre Can also told club reporter David Lynch "we want to beat West Ham, we want to compete at the top of the league and that’s what we’ll set out to do," although his stressing that Liverpool would need to be "patient" in order to achieve victory exhibited a level of caution.
Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet also preached the importance of patience in a conversation with the club's official website:
"We’ll probably have more of the possession, but when you play against an opponent who is going to be tough and hard to beat then you have to wait for the one chance or decision or mistake that will come along, to get the three points. We’ll have to be patient if that’s needed.
It might be that we score in the first minute; it might be that we score in the last minute. So we have to stay focused throughout the whole game to get the job done.
"
Liverpool failed to score, however, and it was West Ham that netted early, with Manuel Lanzini slotting the ball past Mignolet after just three minutes.
The Reds back line was lopsided and disorganised for Lanzini's goal, and this continued with Lovren gifting Mark Noble with West Ham's second after a series of errors in possession on 30 minutes. The Croatian combined with Martin Skrtel to dismal effect to allow Diafra Sakho to amble toward goal to convert a third in the closing stages.
After the game, as relayed by the club's official website, Rodgers lamented his side's "self-inflicted" defeat—no doubt a nod to the many mistakes of his back line—as well as referee Kevin Friend's decision to show Coutinho the red card early in the second half.
Rodgers felt Coutinho's dismissal was "extremely harsh," but even with the Brazilian playmaker at Anfield, his side looked lacking in any fluency or incision in attack.
Without a previously successful back four to cover for their inability in front of goal, Liverpool's bubble was burst on Saturday afternoon.
Liverpool's Attacking Identity
"You just look at the names there, there is so much attacking flair and so many options. We’ve got power and pace, we’ve got cuteness and loads of ability in that final third of the pitch," Liverpool first-team coach Gary McAllister told the club's official website prior to the Arsenal draw.
"I think once we find that rhythm and get into our stride, you’ll see some exciting football."
A club permanently in transition, Rodgers' Liverpool are seemingly always playing a waiting game—be that during Luis Suarez's lengthy suspensions or the injury layoffs of Daniel Sturridge—and this season seems to be no different.
Signing £32.5 million striker Benteke from Aston Villa was a statement of intent, and with the brutish Belgian offering Liverpool an unfamiliar proposition in attack, McAllister is arguably right to suggest the Reds' potency will come in time.
Another summer signing, Roberto Firmino, will also need to adjust to Rodgers' attacking demands after making the move from Hoffenheim in June.
But four games into the season, it seems that Rodgers has little in terms of a game plan when it comes to making Benteke, Coutinho and Firmino a cohesive attacking force. The partnership of Benteke and Coutinho looked to be a fruitful one against Stoke and Bournemouth, but the way in which Bilic's hardworking Hammers midfield nullified Liverpool's No. 10 on Saturday highlighted the need for diversity.
Liverpool can't always look for some Coutinho magic, and they can't always look to lump a long ball up to Benteke and hope for the best.
Against West Ham, Coutinho made no key passes, lost possession seven times and had three shots on goal without hitting the target once. Worryingly, Benteke touched the ball just 28 times—the least of any Liverpool player to play the full 90 minutes.
After such a deflating loss, Rodgers has no time to lose, and with Coutinho set to miss Liverpool's next Premier League game—away to Manchester United—his attack seems even more fractured.
Unable to spend another season hoping for Sturridge to return fit and firing, Rodgers must find solutions.
Possible Solutions
As McAllister suggests, Liverpool will in time boast arguably one of the most formidable attacking lines in the Premier League. With Coutinho, Firmino and Benteke fully adjusted, Reds supporters can expect some "exciting football."
But what about the next game?
Coutinho's absence may prompt a change in shape as well as personnel, with forward options Adam Lallana and Jordon Ibe likely to feature, but both have so far this season looked at odds with Rodgers' regular 4-2-3-1 system and the qualities of Benteke.
The decision to send Lazar Markovic on loan to Fenerbahce, as reported by Sky Sports, is a bemusing one in light of Liverpool's lack of potency at Anfield—the Serbian offers a more direct style of attacking play, with his confident, pacy approach most akin to that of the departed Raheem Sterling of any of Rodgers' forward options.
Waiting for Sturridge to return and the Coutinho-Firmino-Benteke trio to jell while banking on the abilities of Lallana and Ibe is a dangerous game for Rodgers to play.
Luckily, however, one positive emerged during Saturday's defeat: Danny Ings.
The former Burnley striker was introduced on the hour mark, taking Firmino's place in a disjointed attacking line, and he offered Liverpool an encouraging, all-round performance.
Ings served as a vital link between Benteke and a beleaguered, James Milner-led midfield, contributing to buildup play and serving as a constant outlet in possession as he swarmed around his previously isolated strike partner. Heading down a hopeful Nathaniel Clyne cross just three minutes after coming on, Ings set Milner up with the chance to snatch a vital goal back at 2-0 down, but the No. 7 skewed his effort wide.
Ings was bright, industrious and inventive, and Rodgers should take this cue as he plans without Coutinho for the trip to Manchester in September.
It is clear that for Liverpool to find an attacking identity, Rodgers must make some changes to his setup.
While it would be remiss to suggest the 23-year-old Ings is the answer to all of his tactical quandaries, the England under-21 international could offer the Reds the fluency they so desperately require.
In lieu of Sturridge, supporting Benteke with Ings is Rodgers' best hope.
Statistics via WhoScored.com.
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