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As the debate over the ‘risk and reward’ dynamics of Liverpool’s top line continues, Sky Sports analysis has found that the Premier League champions have advanced, on average, another four meters this season.
Already recognized as the leading practitioners of the ‘high line’ tactic, Liverpool’s line has been redrawn even further since the start of the new campaign.
The starting distance of their passing sequences, the most reliable measure of where a team is positioned on the field, averages more than 49 meters from their goal.
Last season, Liverpool led the league in this statistic, but with an average starting distance of 45 meters.
So why play the high line?
In possession, a high defensive line compresses the field and allows for faster play passages, if a team can play through the opposing press.
Without possession, the opposition has less room to play and will often lose the ball under pressure or counter pressure.
Even when the opposition passes through or over the high line, a well-punched line often catches the runner offside, or fast defenders are tasked with winning a last-man race.
A team that can pass under pressure, push, counter pressure and frequently burst from blocks is well suited to playing a high line and the graph below emphasizes how Liverpool excelled on these metrics last season.
The Reds’ high line helped catch opponents offside 142 times last season; no other team exceeded triple digits and the league average was just 64.
Liverpool also had an additional blanket of security following the arrival of the VAR in early 2019/20: Stockley Park scored two goals against the Reds last season from marginal offside.
The heatmap below shows Liverpool’s bell-shaped activity this campaign, starting midway within its own half, concentrating in the central areas and spreading down the flanks.
Broken down, the graph below shows the average standings this season, with the defensive midfielder dropping to protect high-line center-backs and full-backs sweeping upfield.
In fact, the zonal display of passes on the right side reveals that Jurgen Klopp’s team has attempted more passes down the left channel in the middle of the opposition than in any other area of the field.
But are Liverpool playing higher than ever?
To be precise, Liverpool’s passing sequences this season have typically started 49.2 meters from their own goal – that is, just three meters from the standard midline.
Most of the center’s touches are in advanced areas of his own half.
By this metric, Liverpool have advanced four meters more compared to last season, when they led the league with an average starting distance of 45.2 meters from their own goal.
However, it should be noted that while Liverpool have advanced further in this period, so have Manchester City and both clubs currently top the Premier League charts for the highest passing sequences.
How did Villa exploit Liverpool’s high line?
Jamie Carragher was surprised that Liverpool persisted with a high line during their 7-2 loss at Aston Villa.
“I was almost laughing. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Carragher admitted after the game.
“In the first minutes there was danger for them and it was interesting to listen to Ollie Watkins [in his post-match interview] saying they worked on Liverpool’s high line. “
In fact, Watkins broke the line, hovering yards from the edge of the center circle, to score his second: a Trent-Alexander-Arnold spin after the winger agreed to block Jack Grealish’s pass.
Trent Alexander-Arnold promised to close out Jack Grealish with Joe Gomez covering running back, Ollie Watkins, but Watkins won the race by direct pass.
Most of Aston Villa’s attacks came down the left channel, targeting Trent Alexander-Arnold. Leeds also deployed this tactic against Liverpool last month, with 48 percent of attacks coming from their left flank.
Seventeen minutes later, Ross Barkley found Trezeguet behind a surprisingly high line from a free throw, which launched a cross for Watkins to finish off his hat-trick and Villa’s fourth.
Trezeguet, seen running towards the line in the upper left, beat the offside trap and helped Ollie Watkins.
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“For me, although Liverpool have a good defensive record, I don’t like them trying to catch teams offside. I don’t agree with that,” added Carragher.
“Being a defender, and having played that position myself, this team plays much higher up the field. They almost sacrifice a great opportunity per game with the opposition going on goal.
I couldn’t believe Virgil van Dijk didn’t say, ‘listen guys, game over, it’s 5-2, let’s back up. Let’s not make this worse. ‘
“When someone hits your press in midfield, and it’s not far from your back four, you have to prepare to come back.
“And I couldn’t believe Virgil van Dijk didn’t say ‘listen guys, it’s game over, it’s 5-2, let’s back up. Let’s not make this worse.’ And it got worse.”
With 15 minutes remaining on the clock, Alexander-Arnold was Liverpool’s last man on the midline, but failed to block John McGinn’s pass, giving Grealish a clear run on goal to seal the remarkable victory. .
John McGinn played Jack Grealish on goal with a long pass
The high line: risk or reward?
This season, Liverpool have already caught teams offside 13 times, on the same level as Southampton and only beaten by West Ham’s 15.
The high line also provides room for their wings to push further forward, while often maintaining a safer distance for them to run back for defensive duties.
That has been a key component of the Reds’ success in attacking areas: full-backs Alexander-Arnold and Robertson had 36 percent of the team’s assists last season.
Liverpool’s top line helped them achieve title crowning success last season and helped face 109 shots on goal, the league’s lowest, but the Villa Park debacle reveals the risks involved when misaligned press is lost or from the midfield.
Everton will be looking to expose their weaknesses on Saturday, having achieved a perfect start to the campaign and could also think of a poignant omen: the Toffees last beat Liverpool exactly 10 years ago and it was at Goodison Park.
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