Football News: Liverpool v Nottingham Forest

Liverpool v Nottingham Forest

It is not often a game is so one-sided, but that is now the third game in a row that Liverpool have been by far the better side and it has just been a case of how many they win by. I really do not like the tactics as a general way of playing, but in games like these, where the opponent has just turned up to try not to get beat by too many goals, they do work really well. Though it is of course perfectly possible that playing a standard back four would have worked just as well, or maybe even better, it is just that matches like this are worth taking the risk of leaving a gap at the back. Mainly because the opposition do not really attack that space at all. Actually, they pretty much failed to attack at all due to the set up they went with in this game.

With just one up front, Forest found exactly the same problem as West Ham had done earlier in the season. They had no out ball and just got smothered every time they tried to break forward. It was the cause of the first goal, Murillo breaking forward out of defence was left with no options to pass to and just had to keep going and going until he lost the ball. Liverpool could only beat what was in front of them and they beat them well and look to be riding high on a wave of confidence right now. Most importantly, the whole team are playing with real purpose, even when they are not playing well they are not letting their heads drop and continuing to work hard.

This season is beginning to look reminiscent of a couple of seasons ago, where the team was not playing the best, most exciting brand of football, but just finding ways to win. What is most exciting about this season’s team is that they seem to have finally added that long sought after ability to control games once they get their nose in front. Thiago was bought to provide that quality, but this team is doing it without the oft-injured Spanish midfielder and it is difficult to see where he can fit in to the starting eleven. What he does provide, as does Endo and others, are options for Klopp to choose between. He has a midfield that can be altered to suit the situation posed by the game ahead. A forward line that has dangerous options to bring in to change a game. It is only really the defence that looks to be short of a solid, durable, central defensive alternative to the first choice pairing. Even that has Gomez and Matip as back up options and the youngster Quansah to be developed for the future.

Right now, this…