Given Liverpool's recent drop in form, could we fancy our chances at a
result at the Amex?
News
Brighton and Hove Albion massively strengthened their chances of
survival by getting the three points at Norwich City in a 1-0 win.
Leandro Trossard, who is in good form, scored midway through the first half.
They now have two difficult fixtures upcoming, the first of which is home to
Liverpool.
Liverpool were crowned champions once Manchester City failed to beat
Chelsea. However, City would hammer the Reds 4-0 in the very next fixture.
Described by many as a 'slump', they have struggled in general since the
restart. Liverpool did secure a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in their last fixture,
though.
What to Look For
I would expect to see Potter go wider and really challenge the Liverpool
defense while also providing cover for his own defense. If he does a
4-2-3-1, Bissouma and Propper should anchor with forwards ahead of them.
Mooy, Trossard, March, Maupay, and maybe Jahanbakhsh will come in for those
spots.
I would be surprised if he puts Murray in the lineup, but his experience
would certainly provide a boost. Not to mention his aerial ability is a real
threat. The only concern is, of course, his lack of pace. In order to truly
disturb a strong defence you need pace on the counter.
Also, Lamptey has been solid the past few matches and will certainly get the
nod again, unless Potter opts for the experienced Montoya.
If it's a 4-3-3, which I think it will be, he will include Stephens (or
Mooy deeper) and have three forward. This is why in my lineup prediction I
suggested Jahanbakhsh will get the start.
This is a similar tactical idea to our 2-0 win home to Bournemouth. Ali and
Leo provided a width threat with the reliable Maupay up front.
We could see him go for back three, because then he matches Liverpool's
front three man-for-man. However, I doubt he would do this because he hasn't
really utilized back 3 in his tactics for a while now.
The last time he started a game with back 3 was our 1-0 defeat to
Everton.
If we do play with a back three, I think it will be Gross up front and not
Jahanbakhsh because Potter doesn't seem to like him in that role. It wasn't
until we started drifting towards a back four that we saw Jahanbakhsh get
action in December.
Key Players
For Brighton, I think it's going to be the front three/forwards. If
Trossard can continue his recent form, he will certainly give Trent
Alexander-Arnold a rough time on that left-hand side.
I expect our forwards to really drive and test the Liverpool back four. If
we can create one-on-one situations, I think it will really pay dividends.
Whichever winger starts on the right side will also have this
opportunity.
Looking at part of Mooy's strengths is his ability to send accurate, long balls over the top. I think that will play a big factor in our attack, because of how high Liverpool can be sometimes.
It is well known that their full-backs like to get forward and swing balls
in, but that means they can be vulernable to balls in behind. Expect Aaron
Mooy to try and catch them off guard.
For the Reds, I think it's always been their midfield. Salah, Firmino,
Mane, Origi all get deserved credit for the magical moments, but their
midfield three really does have the power to dictate a match. Fabinho
anchors well, similar to Sergio Busquets.
Henderson has been a solid captain for them and provides real leadership
despite receiving some criticsm. Often it is actually the Liverpool midfield
that has the most creativity in both attack and defense.
Prediction
I'm feeling optimistic, but also I see our defense giving up a goal.
1-1.
It really does depend on what Liverpool comes out. Prior to lockdown, they
were a force to be reckoned with on many levels. From set pieces, open play,
and counter-attack, they could destroy you in many ways.
Tactically, it was impossible to out-wit Jurgen Klopp.
However, if they don't put in 100% effort and we do, we could find
ourselves with another massive result. As the media has called it,
Liverpools 'slump' since winning the title could be the
decisive factor.
0 comments: