It was, in many ways, a classic performance from centre-backs determined to secure a precious Premier League victory.
Defending corner after corner and attack after attack, Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk finally triumphed in repelling Brentford on Sunday, and their performances were one of the main reasons why Jurgen Klopp’s team entered the international break just one point away. of the leader Manchester City.
But their success, particularly in the second half when Thomas Frank’s side pressed more aggressively, should not be measured solely by Liverpool keeping their fourth league clean sheet of the season.
In a transitional first half, interceptions and clearances from Matip and Van Dijk were key in helping Klopp’s team attack on the counter-attack, catching Brentford before they got into defensive shape.
GO DEEPER
Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool leader
Direct passes from the Brentford players were quickly returned, allowing Mohamed Salah and Darwin Núñez to be in a position where they could attack on the counterattack, a phase of the game that suits their profiles.
Every time Brentford went direct, Liverpool’s centre-backs were proactive in their attempts to win the ball back…
…and his quick passes towards the forwards…
…put Núñez and Salah in a position where they could use their pace to attack a disorganized Brentford defence.
The problem was that Liverpool did not take enough advantage of these situations. In this example, Nathan Collins tries to find Kristoffer Ajer’s run down the right wing…
…and Van Dijk’s interception falls into the hands of Cody Gakpo, starting Liverpool’s counterattack in the process…
…but a weak pass from the Dutchman means they won’t be able to take better advantage of this situation.
In another example, an advanced Ben Mee passes the ball to Christian Norgaard towards the edge of the Liverpool penalty area, with Matip a couple of meters behind the Danish midfielder.
Norgaard’s backheel pass towards Yoane Wissa and Vitaly Janelt is immediately attacked by Matip…
…who plays a one-touch pass into the path of Salah to start Liverpool’s transition before Brentford can react. Matip’s quick decision here means Salah and Nunez can attack space freely with Brentford’s centre-backs high up the pitch.
In this counter, the Egyptian tries to find the run to Núñez’s space…
… but Collins’ entry stops Liverpool’s transition and prevents Núñez from trying to score.
At the beginning of the match, the Uruguayan striker did test Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken, and again it was in a transition initiated by the Liverpool centre-backs. Here, Mads Roerslev’s long ball is intercepted by Matip, who heads towards Wataru Endo…
…and the Japanese midfielder quickly passes the ball to Núñez.
The speed of Liverpool’s transition and determination to move the ball up the pitch as quickly as possible meant they were able to catch Roerslev, Brentford’s left back, before he returned to his position, allowing Salah to have more space on the right side. .
Here, Núñez finds the Egyptian in that space…
…before running off the ball into the space Mee vacated after moving to confront Salah. He then returns the pass to Núñez…
…whose shot is stopped by Flekken.
The proactivity of Liverpool’s centre-backs also helped create transitions in counter-pressing situations. In this example, Norgaard wins the ball in midfield to start a Brentford counter-attack.
Wissa then picks up the loose ball and returns it into the path of the Danish midfielder…
…and instead of retreating, Matip goes up to counterpress…
…and recovers the ball to start a transition in the other direction, but the referee curiously whistles a foul on the Liverpool defender.
Two minutes later, an identical situation occurred. After Norgaard wins the ball in midfield, he starts Brentford’s counter by finding Wissa…
…and again, instead of retreating, Matip advances to counterpress…
…recover the ball for Liverpool to begin their transition. Matip’s interception here is vital because he arrives at a time when Brentford’s players are moving to attack on the counter, leaving them in a disorganized manner when the Liverpool centre-back successfully counter-attacks.
The resulting situation is that Roerslev is in no position to defend against Salah at the other end, which is compounded by Trent Alexander-Arnold passing the ball to Núñez…
…which finds Salah’s run behind the Brentford defence, with Roerslev unable to recover in time…
…and the Egyptian striker puts the ball into the far corner to give Liverpool the lead.
“The first one (the goal) is a clear characteristic Liverpool attack,” Frank said after the game. “We lose it, counterattack, blow, towards Salah, goal.”
Whether in counter-pressing situations further up the pitch when Liverpool have just lost the ball or simply winning the ball in their own half and attacking quickly, Klopp’s team thrives on attacking transitions.
The proactivity of Matip and Van Dijk, along with their insistence on advancing the ball, is an important part of this. It worked against Brentford, but Manchester City, Liverpool’s next opponent, will pose a very different challenge.
(Top photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)