Sometimes watching Liverpool on television and watching Liverpool from inside Anfield can feel like two completely different sports. I was there on Tuesday night with my wife and our two kids, and perhaps that is why this one will stick with me a little longer than some of the other games this season. There was a really good atmosphere around Anfield before kick off and, even after Villarreal had somehow found themselves 2-0 ahead, the ground never felt completely resigned to what was happening. Frustrated, absolutely, and quiet at times, certainly, but there was still a sense that Liverpool could find a way back into it if they could produce one proper moment.
The first half hour had been poor. Liverpool looked far too relaxed and there were spells where it seemed as though everybody expected the game to eventually turn in their favour simply because they had plenty of the ball. Virgil van Dijk’s mistake for the opening goal was particularly unlike him, and I do think there are occasions when his laid back manner becomes slightly too laid back. He remains a magnificent defender, but even the very best can occasionally need reminding that Champions League opponents will punish you if concentration drops.
When Villarreal made it 2-0, the mood changed again. From where we were sitting, you could sense the frustration spreading around the stadium because Liverpool had allowed themselves to drift into serious trouble without Villarreal having to produce anything extraordinary. Then, almost as quickly as the game had gone away from them, Liverpool woke up. Alexis Mac Allister gave Anfield something to believe in, Araujo found the equaliser before the interval and suddenly we were walking into half time at 2-2 wondering how on earth we had got there.
Watching it with the family, that was the point where the night became properly enjoyable. A potentially miserable European evening had turned into exactly the sort of Anfield night you hope your kids remember.
Liverpool Needed the Shock Before Finding Their Rhythm
Liverpool’s problems early in the game were not simply about attitude. There were tactical issues too, and Villarreal did a good job of exposing them. Ryan Gravenberch playing high in midfield did not work for me. I do not think he looks comfortable as a number 10, just as I have never been convinced that asking him to operate permanently as the deepest midfielder gets the best from him either. His strengths are in movement through midfield, receiving possession with the game in front of him, carrying the ball into space and arriving into areas rather than already standing in them.
When Gravenberch was receiving with his back to goal in crowded attacking positions, Liverpool lost much of what makes him effective. He was barely involved during that opening period and the midfield looked disjointed around him. Interestingly, once he was removed from that role later in the game, the whole balance improved, even when he eventually found himself filling in at right back.
Villarreal also caused problems by dragging Liverpool players away from their usual defensive positions. Iraola’s man to man approach relies heavily on everyone understanding who takes responsibility when a defender follows his opponent into another area. At times Liverpool were still thinking their way through those situations rather than reacting instinctively, and Villarreal exploited that uncertainty.
