Liverpool vs Udinese Match Report
When Jose Mourinho first joined Chelsea in the summer of 2004, the self proclaimed “Special One” based his tactics on a rock solid defensive base. Rafa Benitez did the same when he joined Liverpool during the same year. Fabio Capello won the Liga based on defensive solidity as well. All three managers won titles within their first year at their respective clubs.
Successful teams are built over a reliable defensive core with the clean sheet statistics a key indicator of how good the club’s season has been. This is simple mathematics really. If you can maintain a clean sheet and nick a single goal on the other end then congratulations, you win the game and three valuable points are secured. If you keep a clean sheet but couldn’t score against your opponent then tough luck but at least you have earned a draw and a single point to show for it.
Now let’s look at more number from Mourinho’s first season at Chelsea (2004 – 2005):
- Clean Sheets: 25
- Number of wins from games with Clean Sheets: 22
- Draws: 3
- Success Rate: 88%
- Number of “1-0” Wins: 11
Mourinho’s Chelsea notched up 69 points from games where they didn’t concede. Chelsea also managed 39 points from games were they scored a single goal or less (11 Wins and 6 Draws).
After Liverpool failed to replace Andy Carroll during the summer transfer window and with the club having just two senior strikers the clean sheet statistic became of high importance to the Reds as scoring goals might prove to be difficult while the players adapt to the Rodgers’ blueprint.
Brendan’s team continues to play the kind of attractive pass-and-move football that is synonymous with the club’s identity but Brendan’s Reds are struggling to win games which they dominate. The root cause of the club’s demise so far this season is those two words again “Clean Sheets”.
Let’s look at some stats here:
- Number of Clean Sheets so far this Season (Premier League): 0
- Number of Clean Sheets so far this Season (Europa League): 1
- Average number of Goals conceded (Premier League): 2
- Average number of Goals conceded (Europa League): 1.1
For a club that is thin with regards to the striking department, the Liverpool defense is not helping here at all.
In the Premier League the club did not have the easiest of starts with Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal already visiting Anfield while the club also endured a tricky trip to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light but the still the evident lack of defensive solidity has to be considered very alarming.
The Europa League encounter against a counter attacking team in Udinese was always going to present Rodgers’ Reds with a few challenges.
Liverpool have conceded the majority of their goals after losing possession in the opposition half and that statistic would have brought a smile to Guidolin’s face.
The game started with Liverpool dominating the first half but without creating enough goal mouth activity with Udinese attempting a few attacks of their own before Jonjo Shelvey deservedly put the Reds ahead after a one-two with Stuart Downing. Shelvey picked out Downing on the right wing before the England International whipped in a teasing cross which Shelvey headed into the net.
Guidolin decided to change things at half time by introducing Andrea Lazzari. The substitution had an instant impact. Lazzari dispossessed Glen Johnson and instigated a quick move with Roberto Pereyra and Antonio Di Natalie which the 35 year old veteran finished by stroking the ball past Pepe Reina.
Liverpool’s performance dropped after conceding that goal which Rodgers looked to rectify by bringing on Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard. The substitutions though, failed to inspire and a lack of concentration by the Reds aided the Italian side to score two goals in three minutes with Sebastian Coates (own goal) and Pasquale the culprits.
Liverpool responded minutes later with Luis Suarez scoring a fierce free kick but despite a spirited finish the Reds could not muster the goal they needed to save the match.
Liverpool’s 13 match unbeaten run came to an end as Brendan Rodgers suffered his third defeat at Anfield this season.
The Liverpool boss gave a very honest assessment of his team’s performance after the game:
"It was very frustrating," he said. "It was a game where we were much the better side but lost our concentration at the beginning of the second half. I thought we'd moved on from that, to be honest.”
“We were so loose at the beginning of the second half it was frightening.” Rodgers continued. "Our concentration was very poor and before we knew it we were 3-1 down. I thought we were lazy. Lazy in our play, loose and sloppy. We didn't do what I call the dirty bit: we didn't track runners. ”
Liverpool completed 691 passes compared to Udinese’s 173. The Reds enjoyed a 78% possession in the first half and 75% possession throughout the match but their defensive frailties rendered these statistics useless.
“You can't keep having to score two, three and five goals to win games” a disappointed Rodgers admitted. “Defensively, as a group, we need to be better.”
Brendan Rodgers is slowly but surely imprinting his squad with his preferred football philosophy which is based on patient build up play and dominating possession. The Liverpool manager must now dedicate to transitioning when the team loses the ball and overall defensive positioning.
Everything is gloomy for Brendan’s men though! Luis Suarez is currently enjoying his most prolific period since joining the Reds scoring 5 goals in the last 4 games with Jonjo Shelvey and the impressive Jack Robinson also having solid games while Downing notched a rare assist in a Red shirt.
Under Rodgers, Liverpool are ever improving but if the Reds fortunes are to turn over the course of the season then that all important clean sheet statistic must improve drastically.
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