Following Neutralizing Mbappé and Vinícius, Revived Liverpool Focus On Haaland
Arne Slot requested a repeat of Liverpool’s display versus Real Madrid as the title holders visit Manchester City this weekend. In place of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday, read Erling Haaland on Sunday. Neutralizing another of the world's best attackers, while securing a third shutout in a row, would reinforce Slot's post-Madrid message that Liverpool are still in the chase for the biggest prizes.
Ideal Cure for Recent Woes
Their European win over the Spanish side's La Liga pace-setters, who had 13 wins from 14 games before their arrival at Anfield, was an ideal solution for a Liverpool team looking to heal the wounds of the worst run of his tenure. Additionally, it served as perfect preparation for what awaits at the Etihad Stadium: an opponent that prefers to attack, that will not sit in a defensive block and poses an obvious, rampant threat.
“There will be some similarities,” stated Virgil van Dijk, who mastered Haaland at Anfield the previous campaign. “We're up against a high-flying side like today and a striker, like today, who was on fire. When that happens you have to be precise and I think we showed we were good as a team defensively.”
Reasons for Success
Slot’s list for the successful performance against Madrid as well as Villa on Saturday – were consistent with his analysis of the earlier struggles during a run of six losses in seven matches. Additional rest, avoiding early goals, and better conditioning of players such as Alexis Mac Allister and Conor Bradley following disrupted preparations played a part. They backed up his previous arguments and decision to prioritize less the Carabao Cup by fielding a weakened squad against Crystal Palace.
- The comeback of the familiar midfield trio of Dominik Szoboszlai, Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch boosted the defense to Liverpool’s backline.
- The welcome reappearance at left-back of Andy Robertson, who has started the last three victories, restored calmness and authority to a defence.
- Florian Wirtz enjoyed another good night in the Champions League but not from the attacking midfield position he has occupied in the Premier League.
Szoboszlai’s Influence
Once more, Szoboszlai served as Liverpool’s driving influence in the centre. The Hungary captain is flourishing this season and has cemented his place as a key figure in the team.
“Dom is consistently reliable,” said Van Dijk. “He is very important. The work rate he brings during matches is remarkable, the skill that he has is outstanding and he is developing each and every game.”
Looking Ahead
The midfielder started up front with Curtis Jones and scored at the Etihad previously as Liverpool surprised City by adopting a 4-2-2-2. Victory on that February day took Liverpool well ahead at the summit with 11 matches to play. This weekend they will be playing catch-up but, as Slot reminded everyone after beating Real, there is a long way to go for Liverpool to stage a recovery.
