Liverpool Football Club is clearly a team to watch this season. Other revealing statistics indicate that the team’s physical performance is markedly worse, exposing a significant decrease in the total distance run in matches. As the club navigates the current Premier League campaign, comparisons with rivals Manchester City and Arsenal highlight a stark contrast in physicality and effectiveness on the pitch.
This has led some to suggest that the data shows Liverpool’s players are running less than their opposition. In particular, Liverpool ranks third from bottom for distance covered per 90 minutes among Premier League clubs this season, while Manchester City leads the league in this metric. Klopp’s team trademark intensity and counter-pressing skills have been severely lacking compared to last year. As you could probably guess, this is a really troubling situation.
Liverpool’s Declining Numbers
Liverpool’s performance metrics reveal a troubling trend. Their team have made less tackles and interceptions combined as a total than in each of the last seven Premier League seasons. In the past two games, Liverpool have made just eight tackles. By contrast, Manchester City made just 17 tackles despite both teams having similar possession of the ball.
Their counter-pressing has suffered, declining more quickly than the league average. In particular, the amount of counter-pressures—pressures applied within two seconds of losing the ball—for Liverpool this year are significantly down compared to last year. All six midfielders and forwards from last year’s title-winning campaign are registering significantly fewer pressures and counter-pressures this time around.
Roy Keane provided an analysis of the situation, stating, “City looked stronger, technically better and much better physically than Liverpool.” This quote highlights the increasing alarm about Liverpool’s athletic superiority over their nearest challengers.
Comparisons with Rivals
Liverpool isn’t going to manage to maintain the same levels of intensity as before. At the same time, Manchester City and Arsenal have upped their physical investments significantly. That was the distance Manchester City as a team ran in total more than Liverpool in their last meeting. This mismatch begs the question of how fit and tuned up the current Liverpool squad is as they face off against some of the best in the business.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher expressed concern over Liverpool players losing their sense of competitive edge. He noted, “They should be able to get a challenge in and get a touch on the ball.”…just as analysts and fans alike fervently insist that Liverpool should add more body. Completing that work is imperative for the team to remain competitive.
Arsenal have increased their ground coverage this season. That combined renewed vigor has most notably pushed them into the playoff contention. No team is better at adjusting and increasing their physical output than the Gunners. Liverpool would do well to take a leaf out of their book as they look to reclaim past glories.
Impact on Key Players
The performance drop-off hasn’t been just a team-wide plague, either. Individual players have been deeply affected. Most significantly, Dominik Szoboszlai’s numbers have been skewed by his makeshift duty covering at right-back through a number of games. This change probably reduced his production in tackles and pressures. More importantly, it illustrates how smart tactical changes can drive meaningful increases in individual performance metrics.
Liverpool’s midfielders and forwards are underperforming, but the bar remains set very high for this team. They must rise to the occasion and re-assert themselves in their once-formidable past. Their reduced ability to physically contribute to combat operations necessitates an immediate reevaluation of training protocols and tactics, techniques and strategies going forward.
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