Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool: Liverpool fail to recover from early goal and red card
The starting line-ups
Kenny Dalglish’s first match in charge ended in defeat, as Manchester United won without impressing yet again.
Sir Alex Ferguson started Javier Hernandez upfront for the second consecutive game, and recalled Nani after illness. Rio Ferdinand returned at the back, as did Jonny Evans.
Kenny Dalglish was without Joe Cole and Glen Johnson, and also dropped Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Paul Konchesky and David Ngog. Daniel Agger, Martin Kelly, Raul Meireles, Dirk Kuyt and Fabio Aurelio came in.
The only goal of the game was scored inside ninety seconds – Ryan Giggs converted a penalty won by Dimitar Berbatov, before we’d even been able to assess the two line-ups.
Liverpool 4-1-4-1
When the game settled down, it seemed Dalglish had set Liverpool out in an energetic 4-1-4-1 system, with Lucas Leiva the midfield anchorman, and the four players ahead all given license to move upfield and support lone striker Fernando Torres.
This worked well with the main change in Liverpool’s game compared to the Roy Hodgson regime – pressing. Whereas under Hodgson Liverpool used to drop back into their own third of the pitch and wait for the opposition to come onto them, Steven Gerrard and Raul Meireles closed down Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher, knowing that Lucas was the insurance policy behind them. Meireles played slightly deeper than Gerrard because he also had a responsibility to get out towards Nani, and double up on the Portuguese winger.
Midfield scrap
Despite being a goal down, Liverpool were probably the better side when both sides had eleven men on the pitch. The game was scrappy and therefore was contested mainly in midfield, and Liverpool’s numerical advantage in that zone helped them dominate the game for much of the opening period. In addition, the wide players played reasonably narrow (possibly a feature left over from the Hodgson days) which further helped Liverpool stamp their authority on the game in the middle.
Liverpool immediately after Gerrard's dismissal - they went to a 4-4-1 shape and were unable to close down as effectively as with their starting formation
The match was changed when Gerrard was dismissed for a tackle on Carrick, and Liverpool had to change their system. Although it was hardly a mass reconstruction job needed – Meireles simply dropped in deeper alongside Lucas and Liverpool went 4-4-1 – it was the turning point in the pattern of play. Without Gerrard, Liverpool couldn’t press United high up the pitch, and were forced to be more submissive and let United take charge of that zone.
Ironically, considering he was the one who was fouled in the red card incident, the man to profit most was Carrick – he was given time on the ball and helped United retain possession. They created relatively little but frustrated Liverpool by keeping the ball and slowing the tempo of the game, when Dalglish’s men looked happier when the game was bitty and fast-paced.
Liverpool defend well
Despite being forced to invite pressure, Liverpool back four defended well as a unit – far better than in the midweek defeat to Blackburn. Kelly had an excellent game at right-back – all three goals that Liverpool conceded in the Blackburn game came down their right-hand side (the man responsible, Johnson, missed this game to be at the birth of his child) so it was an obvious improvement.
On the other flank, Meireles and Aurelio dealt with Nani well and prevented him from crossing the ball – which was crucial considering all three of Berbatov’s goals in the league meeting between these sides came from balls into the box.
Game fizzles out
The game was without much incident, however – with the early goal, plus the trailing side being down to ten men, there was a lack of urgency and little goalmouth action.
Liverpool’s change in formation came after Ryan Babel replaced Maxi Rodriguez – he played higher up the pitch in a system that looked like a cross between 4-4-1 and 4-3-2, with Babel using his pace to cover two positions. Kuyt tried to do the same on the opposite flank but looked exhausted and generally settled for holding his position in midfield, which meant that Liverpool weren’t able to support Torres (and later David Ngog) enough.
Ferguson kept United as 4-4-2 – even when bringing on Anderson he made a straight swap for Fletcher, rather than removing one of the forwards. United started the second half trying to get a decisive second goal, but by the end of the match they were happy to keep possession in non-threatening areas. With Liverpool down to ten men and too tired to close down, it resulted in a fairly comfortable final few minutes for the home side.
Conclusion
Dalglish will have pleased Liverpool’s fans – with only a day in charge of the club he barely had time to change anything major, but the simple shift towards a more positive style of football (most notably without the ball) marks a move away from Hodgson’s regime. The red card was a huge blow for Liverpool – without that, they may have got themselves back into the game.
United were unexciting in both performance and in tactics – Ferguson kept 4-4-2 and with Nani subdued, his side lacked creativity despite dominating the game.
Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool: Liverpool fail to recover from early goal and red card
Kenny is back! Back where he belongs! I have heard lot about him, now it’s time to see that
There was good pressing from Liverpool, but when Hernandez or diver Berbatov dropped deeper, the gap between the formations became more apparent and Lucas couldn’t cover all the pitch. Few days on the training ground and that good ol’ pressing from 08/09 will return, Liverpool will be back on track again.
Sad to say that when you’re playing 11vs12 or 10vs12 even a tactical mastermind can’t help.
LOL, what do you mean by ‘12′?
2 footed tackle, it’s a red card.
Berbatov dived?
There was a contact, and whenever there was, it’s a foul.
Here, we talk about tactic, not about rant.
It’s obvious to anyone who isn’t a united fan that Berbatov dived. I’m not saying other team’s player don’t dive, but it was a clear dive and it should have been a yellow card for him.
There was contact but far too little for it to be a penalty. Agger brushed Berbatov’s foot but not hard enough to make a 6′2 man fall over so easily. It’s along the same lines of defenders barging attackers who fall over without hesitation. Grown men shouldn’t (and normally wouldn’t) go down from such minimal contact.
He dived. Everyone but United fans and Webb saw that.
And I am considered to be the one talking about rant… Look at your post mate, it doesn’t have a word about tactics “LOL”
author of the first post
Put a name in the name box, will ya? Makes it horrible confusing otherwise
heres the vid of the dive/tackle depending on your viewpoint, but heres the actual video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGDjn9U-qSE
Ugh bad game. Liverpool excused for being a man down, but United really are so underwhelming. I despair for football if they don’t get tonked in the CL.
How Webb can (rightly) send off Gerrard but completely ignore Rafael’s equally bad challenge 10 seconds earlier is utterly mystifying.
exactly, it’s not the red that was given i have a problem with; it’s the one that wasn’t. i wish the refereeing could have been better not just because as an LFC fan i wanted to win – i’m a pessimist and wasn’t expecting to get anything out of this fixture – but because i wanted to watch good football being played.
Come on, Rafael’s challenge was nothing like Gerrard’s.
Gerrard lunged – Rafael didn’t.
Gerrard slide tackled – Rafeal didn’t.
Gerrard missed the ball – Rafael didn’t.
Gerrard made contact with the opposition – Rafael didn’t (Meireles backed out of the challenge)
Utterly forgettable game. Good analysis as always. Liverpool did look the more dangerous side when both teams had equal numbers though Gerrards sending off was very harsh. A yellow would have been enough in my opinion.
I am a Liverpool fan and, despite losing, I was smiling at the end. Without Webb, Liverpool would have most probably scored and the replay would have been at Anfield. Good first match for King Kenny.
I have one small quibble here.
In the initial stages, Gerrard wasn’t pressing well enough, and gave Carrick and Fletcher the space to loft balls over the Liverpool back line. One such pass led to the penalty incident, and Giggs also ran onto this sort of ball a couple of times.
The commentators (I’m not sure who) were incredibly soft on Gerrard for his two-footed lunge, but even they pointed out his lethargic pressing, and how this could put Liverpool in trouble given the relatively high line they were playing.
Oh, and I’m wondering if you’re planning an analysis of Chelsea’s problems against teams playing a high-tempo 4-4-2. I’d really love to read your interpretation of that situation. Cheers!
I have started to think that Gerrard is becoming a ‘luxury’ player considering Liverpool’s squad and position: when Alonso and Mascherano were in the team there was space in the tactics for a ‘captain marvel’ player as there would be two other top class players who can fill in the gaps left by another player lacking in tactical (and occasionally behavioural) discipline.
Meireles and Lucas can’t perform to the same level currently as Alonso and Mascherano, so a third midfielder needs to take more positional and defensive responsibility than Gerrard does currently.
I wonder if Liverpool shouldn’t try and cash in on Gerrard, give Lucas a chance in his position (which I think he has shown his best performances in) and bring in a decent defensive midfield player to do what Poulsen was presumably signed to do…
Thought Giggs had a fantastic game and always looked like being United’s biggest threat. Also thought that Hernandez put in a good performance considering the magnitude of the game.
Bit disappointed that Dalglish didn’t go for a 4-3-2 earlier and offer Torres some support. We saw how earlier this season Liverpool (and Torres) lit up when they had two strikers up front. I know that Gerrard was sent off and both their goals in that game came through set pieces but the 4-4-1 never looked like getting Liverpool a goal.
I also thought Aurelio did a good job and wondered why Konchesky always got the nod ahead of him under Hodgson’s stewardship. Aurelio is better at going forward, defending and offering a threat from free-kicks.
Oh come now, it was a two-footed rash challenge with studs showing, Gerrard put himself in that position and can only blame himself. I love how Liverpool fans are now smiling when they only lose 1-0 instead of 3-0. Big club…pppffffttt
Think you guys were incredible generous to Liverpool, They were very poor. The only excuse Daglish has is that it was a penalty and red card that won it, but both of them deserved. He will use that excuse and that is the only reason the fans are pleased. If thats what Liverpool fans are happy about, losing only 1-0, then there really is problems
Both deserved? Psshhh. The penalty was one of the softest I’d seen. Berbatov barely gets brushed and he falls down like Agger shot him. I’d have been embarrassed to dive like that.
Thought the red could have been a yellow, but it was a stupid play nonetheless.
And PS Brent, when you are down a man and 1-0, to hold and even threaten at some points (Aurelio FK) against league leaders Man U at Old Trafford is all you can ask for. Tough enough to play against United. Even worse when Webb is in on it too.
Dalglish had been in charge for a day. The fans wanted more positive football, especially without the ball, and that’s what they got
“If thats what Liverpool fans are happy about, losing only 1-0, then there really is problems”
Problems? At Liverpool? When did this happen?
Well done for noticing the obvious – can’t wait for your next posting about the religious beliefs of the Pope and the defecation habits of bears…
Why didnt liver pool just go 5-2-2.
X= liverpool
0= man united
X–X–X
0 0
X–X—X–X
0–0—0–0
X—-X
0–0–0–0
The 2 liver pool strikers could of just ran the channel. Or one could have
drop into mid field. The 2 wide mid fielders could of pushed forward to for a 3-2-3-1. , To really try to trouble man u and get a goal. I worry Daglish may not be tactically up to modern football.
Very odd formation.
For one, Nani and Rafael used every single opportunity to get forward and attack Aurelio.
If Maxi follows Rafael and Nani goes up against Agger, that makes 3 v 3. With Giggs potentially joining from the left or Fletcher making runs into the box, Liverpool’s centre backs would have been overran.
Let say man uniteds fb did push fw they would leave there cb 2V2 Im pretty sure they
wouldn’t want to leave them self that vulnerable.
Oh yah in theory liverpools defence would be overun any way. With a back 4 or 5. With a back 5(or a back 3) They could maintain there pressing game while. being an
attacking threat. Because manu’s 2 strikers would be taken care of. and there 4 midfielders would be nnullified. And liverpools 2 strikers can A( run the channels. Or b try to close down both fb and cb. Either one of those if done right could stop or deter liverpools
fb from going fw.
And with 2 st liverpool could maintain a respectable attacking threat. (which is nesscary considering they need a goal to tie the game
I am happy as long as Liverpool fans focus on refereeing decisions that go against them and not on their ‘world beating’ squad put together by a certain Spanish illusionist. I wish Rafa would come back to Liverpool and finish what he started … a trip down to the championship division.
As a United fan, I’m going to enjoy every refereeing decision in our favour because it partly makes up for the refereeing blunders that have cost us plenty of times. Hypocrites/bigots are bound to have a short memory.
Anyways, with regards to the game, does anyone have any idea why Ferguson insists on playing 442 and intentionally give up midfield superiority? Doesn’t seem like possession is the prime target in their games.
I think he wants to play his striker in form (Berbatov). The games at the end of the season when Rooney wasn’t fit have shown that Berbatov can’t play as a lone striker.
I don’t understand however why they didn’t pull 1 striker back when defending to close down Lucas more. Ferdinand was also suggesting this at a point in the game. Lucas was the most influential player on the pitch up until the red card for Gerrard.
That’s the thing though, United fans are the biggest hypocrites when it comes to refereeing bias.
When it goes in your favour, you ignore it and say that plenty will go against you. When it goes against you, you complain that there is no such thing as bias towards United and you’re being victimised.
Webb made one bad decision and one good decision. United fans will soon forget the bad one.
United fans hypocrites lol…..You must be one of those Liverpool fan in disguise ….
Not at all. I can also admit that Liverpool fans have an obsession with history to disguise what has been years of mediocrity.
Although I do question the intelligence of a man whose screen name is ‘Loserpool’ and whose rebuttal is ‘you must be a Liverpool fan’.
Many will agree that United fans turn a blind eye to favourable decisions.
that is true about every fan of every club and even in life in general. we take what we get
I’ve noticed a number of journalists talking about Hodgson’s tactics and saying how his teams used a pressing game unfamiliar at Anfield – weird.
Also, I wonder what Hodgson’s results with and without Glen Johnson were? I suspect he’d rather have had John Paintsil, which probably says everything (about him and Johnson).
Gerrard came flying with two straight legs, studs first, catching Carrick.
How on earth can that not be a straight red?
This is the sort of tackle that have broken players legs before. I wonder what Arsene Wenger would say?
So to say it should be just yellow is reason to suspend you from viewing your opinions on a site like this. Please keep your United-Liverpool stuff for the newspaper discussion boards!
And don’t forget that Giggs and Evra were tripped without getting penalties and that Evans was wrestled to the ground by Skrtel using both arms inside Liverpools box. It would be right to highlight this as well to take fokus off the Berbatov incident.
Yes it was contact, yes it was light, did he loose balance or fall of himself? We will never know 100%, but it was a stupid challenge from Agger for sure, he did not need to make contact.
The Giggs one wasn’t a penalty. When they showed the replay the defender just about nicked the ball. I was however surprised that Evra didn’t earn a penalty.
I honestly don’t know why Liverpool fans are complaining about Gerrard’s red card. Yes, Rafael’s tackle was dangerous but Meireles pulled out. That didn’t instantly give Gerrard a ‘one up’ to two-foot tackle the opposition.
Webb had an okay game apart from the penalty. Let’s not act like Berbatov didn’t dive. I’m 6′ and I used to play football for the school team and a brush on the boot is never going to topple you. That was probably the most minimal contact ever required for a penalty.
Steven Smith
A player can pull out but the laws of the game puts Rafael in a red card position – he went in two footed and even if you don’t connect with a player is deemed a red card offence
I don’t quite understand that rule for the simple fact there was no contact.
If he had the intent to cause a reckless challenge then yes but it looked like a case of two players running full on at the ball.
So keep to discussing tactics please.
Not taking anything away from Dalglish, but this was exactly how we used to play under Benitez. High pressing, compact, and hard to break down.
Think it’s a bit facile to blame Johnson for the goals against Blackburn. For the first, Johnson was left 2-on-1 in defense and could hardly have been expected to succeed in that circumstance, meaning fault lay with the centre backs. For the third goal Skrtel was caught out of position, opted not to make the obvious foul which would have least bought time, leaving Johnson exposed again.
Well, tactically a battle of wit in the center of the pitch again. Liverpool has numerical advantages before the sent off. I’m a United fan and can see that the penalty is a soft one, and shouldn’t be given. However, Gerrard’s 2-foot challenge is justifiable, as any 2-foot challenge higher than the ankle can produce a red, and red he got there.
It’s amazing how just one change in personnel (manager) affected the game drastically, it’s like changing to the new paradigm.
I hope Liverpool can do better overall in the league, and next time we meet, it’s not that ‘fun’ to win ugly like last night.
I think the difference between Liverpool’s play under Hodgson and Dalglish was exaggerated by who the managers are.
Under Hodgson even the most slow-witted members of the team would have been aware that lacklustre play or poor form had a good chance of being excused by supporters and the media as the manager’s fault, while with Dalglish his standing amongst the supporters (and to some extent the media) would mean that players are more likely to be blamed for their own short-comings because of the reluctance of the Liverpool support to draw parallels between ‘King’ Kenny and Roy.
Its not exaggerated at all. Please do watch the Liverpool games before commenting, and you’ll easily notice the changes in pressing, defense line, numbers committed to attack, and number of long balls being sent forward. Hodgson has been playing the exact same tactics as he was at Fulham. While Torres hasn’t really been trying, the rest of the players clearly have, if not Hodgson wouldn’t have won a game at all really.
Playing Meireles in right midfield, playing Gerrard in defensive/center midfield, buying and playing Konchesky as left-back where he gets beaten continuously by every single winger, all these problems are Hodgson’s.
Although I probably choose my words clumsily in using ‘exaggerated’ rather than something like ‘amplified’, I was in fact making a similar point to you.
I was not contending that the perception of Liverpool’s improvement in play against Manchester United was exaggerated beyond reality, I merely meant that the improvement itself was increased by the change being from Hodgson to Dalglish rather than, to pick a random example, Hughton to Pardew. With Dalglish as manager the players are less likely to get as easy a ride with the press and supporters, and so were forced to apply themselves more than previously this season to avoid taking flak which so far has been aimed almost exclusively at Hodgson.
Ah, I see what you mean, and I do agree with you. I was indeed confused by the use of “exaggerated” which gave me the wrong idea.
“Ironically, considering he was the one who was fouled in the red card incident, the man to profit most was Carrick – he was given time on the ball and helped United retain possession.”
This is not an example of irony. It would have been ironic if Carrick had less time on the ball.
Otherwise, nice piece.
Fletcher played much further forward than your diagram suggests.
Liverpool’s problem is their insistence on playing gerrard. When he’s not getting sent off he’s kicking the ball into the stands. A truly awful footballer.