Football News: Crystal Palace v Liverpool

Crystal Palace v Liverpool

Another poor performance. Another match with Liverpool starting off with an inverted full-back set-up, going behind and then changing the system and getting the win. It does make you wonder how long before Klopp sees sense and starts with a flat back four and changes to an inverted full-back system as the game goes on, if it is a workable tactic. The lack of width is killing the attack and allowing opponents to defend compactly and not get dragged out of position. If the width is used early, it pulls the opposition around and tires them out, making it easier to make chances late in games. It is particularly sensible against a team like Palace, who like to defend compactly and are quite happy to give up possession, plus Palace like to attack down the flank, so it also cuts off their out ball by playing conventional full-backs. It is not rocket science, there is no need to overcomplicate things all the time.

There were positives from the game though, the heart and desire that the players showed to keep going right until the end, as always, which is something Klopp has developed in his time in charge. It has kept Liverpool up there challenging for trophies season after season. It is too early to tell whether it will do so once again this season, but the early signs are promising. This is going to be a long, hard season, and a lot will depend on keeping players fit as the season goes on. The AFCON will throw a few spanners in the works soon as well.

Palace were their usual Hodgson style, defensively solid, hard working but bland. To be fair to Hodgson though, at the moment they are struggling to keep players fit, which really can affect a side like Palace with their lack of strength in depth. When a team starts with Clyne at left-back and Ward is their captain at right-back, then you know they are in trouble. To be fair to Ward, unlike Clyne, he has improved massively since arriving in the Premier League as a player utterly out of his depth and looking like a National League player at best. Now he has reached Championship level, but it is lucky Palace do not look to keep possession, as he has a tendency to lose it regularly. They are happy to give up the ball and sit in deep, keeping within the width of the penalty box and just hope to deal with any crosses put in, while all the while hoping to hit on the counter.

I know Hodgson is upset about the second yellow for Ayew, but they were deliberately pushing things, it could have…