Liverpool moved up into fourth place in the Premier League table after they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds took the lead in the 17th minute of the match when Florian Wirtz’s shot was deflected into his own net by German attacking midfielder Pascal Gross.
Four minutes later, Bradley Barcola did brilliantly to win the ball back high up the pitch and got in down the right before putting the ball on a plate for Alexander Isak to make it 2-0.
Wirtz caught the eye with his use of the ball throughout his time on the pitch and was unfortunate not to be given the goal, as his shot looked to be going just wide of the post before the deflection.
Why Florian Wirtz still needs to improve for Liverpool
The Germany international has scored one goal and provided two assists in his last four matches in all competitions for the Reds, but he still needs to improve in one key area.
An issue that he has had ever since his £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen last year has been that he has struggled to deal with the physicality and intensity of the Premier League.
In the 2-0 win over the Seagulls, the former Bundesliga playmaker lost seven of his 11 ground duels and both of his aerial duels, as the opposition players found it too easy to get the better of him.
Vs Brighton | Florian Wirtz |
|---|---|
Minutes | 65 |
Shots | 1 |
Key passes | 2 |
Touches | 55 |
Possession lost | 19x |
Ground duels won | 4/11 |
Aerial duels won | 0/2 |
Dribbled past | 1x |
The 23-year-old midfielder lost possession 19 times without creating a ‘big chance’ for his teammates as a result of his lack of natural physicality, as Brighton’s players closed him down and crowded him out too many times.
How Liverpool tactically outclassed Brighton
Wirtz’s lack of physicality did not hinder the Reds too much in this particular game, though, because Andoni Iraola tactically outclased Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler.
The Spanish head coach knew that the away side would want to keep possession and play through the lines to dominate the game on the ball, so he set his side up to sit back and soak up pressure before hitting on the counter.
With the speed of the likes of Milos Kerkez, Isak, and Barcola, it proved to be the perfect tactical decision by the former Bournemouth boss, as Liverpool’s second goal was the perfect example of counter-pressing and counter-attacking.
For the tactic to work effectively, though, the Reds had to deal with the constant pressure that Brighton put on their defence with passes and crosses into the box.
How 9/10 Liverpool star is becoming Iraola’s best player
The away side ended the game with 63% possession, 24 crosses into the box, and 79 final third entries, yet Alisson only had one save to make in 90 minutes.
Liverpool’s goalkeeper was barely worked because of how good the defence in front of him was, and Jeremy Jacquet was the pick of the bunch on Sunday.
The France international was the best player on the pitch, as he outperformed Wirtz, and is quickly establishing himself as the club’s best player under Iraola this season.
Since joining from Rennes for £60m, the 21-year-old colossus has shown that he has the physicality, the maturity, and the technical quality to be a superstar in the Premier League for many years to come.
Liverpool player ratings vs Brighton | |
|---|---|
Player | Rating |
Alisson | 6 |
Ronald Araujo | 8.5 |
Jeremy Jacquet | 9 |
Virgil van Dijk | 7 |
Milos Kerkez | 5 |
Ryan Gravenberch | 6 |
Alexis Mac Allister | 7.5 |
Bradley Barcola | 7.5 |
Florian Wirtz | 7 |
Cody Gakpo | 4 |
Alexander Isak | 7 |
He delivered a 9/10 performance in the right-sided centre-back role against Brighton because of how dominant and impressive he was defensively for the Reds.
The French titan won 100% of his aerial duels (2/2), made three blocks, and made eight defensive contributions in total without being dribbled past a single time.
His standout moment of the game came in the first half when he miraculously blocked Babis Kostoulas’ close-range shot with his face, as he perfectly read the ball across the box and positioned himself to stop the Greek striker scoring what looked like a certain goal.
Jacquet’s use of the ball also caught the eye, as he only lost possession eight times in 90 minutes, and that meant that Brighton did not pounce on any mistakes from his passes.
It is hard to look past him being Liverpool’s best and most effective player at the moment, as he tops the charts at Anfield for tackles per game (2.4) and interceptions per match (1.9), whilst ranking second for clearances per game (3.3).
Jacquet’s defending has been immense throughout the first eight games of the Premier League season, and Iraola will hope that he can continue to be a star performer in the coming weeks and months.
Source: www.footballfancast.com
