On the surface, Manchester City’s 4-0 victory over Liverpool could not have been more emphatic. But what frustrates Liverpool supporters is that it’s the details that are hurting the team. Arne Slot attributes some of that to bad luck. It’s more than that.
Liverpool’s head coach has turned to the now-familiar complaints of being punished for every mistake, even though the opposition failed to convert chances. And it is true that this FA Cup quarter-final was a 2.44 to 1.46 match based on expected goals data.
Ownership was shared. Both teams had 11 shots each. Still, it’s no good luck. A lack of attention to detail continues to undermine Liverpool’s efforts. The worry is that this could be seen as part of a wider trend of declining standards at Anfield this season.
“After they scored 1-0, I think we were still in the game, but then there was a throw-in,” Slott explained in a subsequent press conference. “We conceded two goals during throw-ins. Moreover, the opponent’s attack is very fast, so we need to defend more sharply at such times.”
Sitting in that press conference and listening to a frank exchange with journalist Ian Ladyman, the Daily Mail’s football editor, it was striking that the Dutchman was able to analyze exactly what had happened but was unable to say how to rectify it.
This aspect of the throw-in is particularly difficult to understand. Liverpool were one of the first clubs to fully realize their importance in the Premier League. Manager Jurgen Klopp has appointed Thomas Gronnemark as his first specialist throw-in coach.
I spoke to Gronnemark earlier this season and he seemed genuinely perplexed by what he was seeing at Liverpool. He analyzed Wembley’s defeat to Crystal Palace in August and revealed he saw a team that was unrecognizable with the ball in their hands.
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Slott answers tough questions after Liverpool’s 4-0 defeat to Man City
“Liverpool had 33.3% possession at throw-ins under pressure, which was very low,” he said. “Some might say it’s just a throw-in. No, it’s just like any other soccer action on the pitch. If you have the ball, you can keep it, control it and score goals.”
He added, “If you lose the ball, your opponent can take control and score a goal against you.” That’s exactly what happened against Manchester City. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a clearer example of that happening than Antoine Semenyo’s goal.
Joe Gomez perfectly placed the ball at the feet of Marc Guehi without any pressure. A City defender buffered the pass to Nico O’Reilly, who quickly turned and fed Rayan Cherki. Suddenly, City’s most creative player had the ball 35 yards from Liverpool’s goal.
With space and runners, he found Semenyo in the finish. Klopp famously said, “There is no playmaker more effective than Gegenpress,” but the talented Cherki could come in a close second in this race, aided by Liverpool’s incredible defensive throw-ins.
It’s not luck, it’s details. “They don’t understand how to create space,” Gronnemark said. “Once the players try to run and it doesn’t work, they don’t know what to do. They don’t know where to throw. They don’t know how to create space.”
Thomas Gronnemark speaks to players during Liverpool’s training session in 2019
The successor has changed since Gronnemark was there. Perhaps the lesson learned was that Liverpool rose from 18th to first place on throw-ins under pressure when they arrived. Back in October, he considered it a failure of the entire competition.
“To be completely honest, I’m completely shocked because I expected the team to start getting really good after I got to Liverpool. But if you ask me, things have almost gotten worse because they haven’t been working on it or they’re working on it in the wrong way.”
Since then, Gronnemark has been scouted by Premier League teams. It’s Arsenal, not Liverpool. This season’s impressive results have always been attributed to the team’s focus on detail rather than any inherent superiority in quality.
That’s a bad reflection on Liverpool this year. There are many mitigating circumstances for Slott, but the issues are far beyond his control. There were traumatic off-field issues, a major overhaul of the roster, a fading legend, and injury issues he had to deal with.
The lack of empathy is not macro but micro. Little things he can control. A throw-in may seem like nothing. But then it played a role in Liverpool’s biggest defeat. And it can suddenly feel like a symbol of something bigger.
