Liverpool achieved a very important victory against Inter in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League battle for a quarterfinal qualification. Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah gave them the two-goal advantage and made their task at Anfield a tad easier.
Despite the defeat, Inter managed to impress and showed how a team could match Liverpool’s tempo and use their strengths against them. The Nerazzurri’s performance off the ball in the first half underlined some issues that Jürgen Klopp’s side might experience when they don’t control the game.
The match was full of intense pressing from both sides, aggressive yet efficient defensive displays and a lot of forced errors, all of which set a high tempo since the beginning.
On the other side, it was full of inefficiency in front of the goal. Only two out of 20 shots that they produced collectively were on target and they were eventually converted into goals. Despite the two goals being scored in the last 15 minutes of the game, the first 75 minutes were very indicative of where both teams are at the moment.
In this tactical analysis, we examine their performance and explain the tactics of the Serie A and the Premier League title contenders.
Line-ups and player performance
Simone Inzaghi set his team up in their usual 3-5-2 with Samir Handanović covering the goal and Alessandro Bastoni, Stefan de Vrij and Milan Škriniar being immediate support. Marcelo Brozović covered the defensive midfield, while Ivan Perišić and Denzel Dumfries were in the wing-back positions.
The central areas were secured by Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Arturo Vidal, while the manager relies on Edin Džeko and Lautaro Martínez in front of the goal.
Inter’s centre-backs pulled out one of their best performances, being a constant shadow of Liverpool’s most threatening players and stepping up where needed. Another reason for resisting the pressure for so long was the support coming from Çalhanoğlu and Vidal, who were constantly involved defensively and have a couple of crucial contributions in their own half.
Surprisingly, it was the attacking duo that disappointed and couldn’t take advantage of the team’s chances and each of them only managed to shoot once. Inzaghi’s first change in the game was replacing Martínez for Alexis Sánchez in the 70th minute, which might have been a little late reaction that might have cost him the game.
Dumfries also didn’t manage to contribute as per usual and lost the battle against Andrew Robertson who not only provided defensive stability but also contributed to Liverpool’s opener.
Klopp relied on Alisson on the goal, with a four-man defensive line of Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté and Trent Alexander-Arnold. In midfield, he opted for Thiago Alcântara, Fabinho and the 18-year-old Harvey Elliott. Upfront, he went all out with Diogo Jota, surrounded by Sadio Mané and Salah.
Since Jota wasn’t efficient enough upfront and the opposition managed to limit his movement, Klopp decided to change him for Firmino at the beginning of the second half, looking for better positioning and explosiveness in attack. This was followed by three more changes, as the German manager realised that he needs more experience in midfield to minimise the defensive errors and provide more stability on the ball too. Naby Keïta and Jordan Henderson replaced Elliott and Fabinho respectively, while he also subbed Mané who was tightly followed by Škriniar and couldn’t play on his potential.
Inter’s resistance
There aren’t many teams that have managed to show such resistance against Liverpool’s ruthless performance both in and out of possession. Inzaghi’s side, though, were on the front foot since minute one and instead of allowing Liverpool to manipulate them and control the game through their press, as they usually do, they didn’t step away and applied the same strategy to the opposition.
Inter’s only way to avoid being pinned back and giving away the initiative was by increased awareness off the ball, solid marking strategy and intense press. The team stayed true to their style of play despite the calibre of their opponents and tried to match their tempo. There were a few things that allowed the Nerazzurri to resist for 75 minutes: they pressed high to trouble Liverpool’s build-up from the back; they tried to put the opposition under constant pressure and force them into mistakes; they would often invite the press to their own third in efforts to open the passing lanes and progress the ball.
His run off the ball didnt distract them and he didnt manage to open space for Salah. Thats an example of Inters strong defensive organisation and awareness.All three were successful for the most part and made Liverpool’s life harder as it is unusual for them to have their strengths used against them.
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