The new UEFA Champions League format continues to provide exciting narratives and fierce tactical matchups, as Liverpool played host to Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 4.
On a night when fireworks illuminated the sky around Anfield, there was an equal amount of explosive play on the pitch as Arne Slot’s side fought their way to a 4-0 victory with an inspired second-half performance.
It continues to highlight Slot’s ability to inspire his side after the break, following a similar flurry of attacking prowess that we saw against Brighton.
Xabi Alonsos fairytale return to Liverpool ended in a significant defeat, but the Spaniard will be optimistic and pleased by some of the tactical decisions that frustrated the home side for the best part of 60 minutes.
Liverpool has emerged as the team to beat in this season’s Champions League, as fans have been amazed at how Arne Slot has extracted the best out of the side without an extensive rebuild over the summer.
This tactical analysis will begin to delve into some of Arne Slots tactics, which allowed Liverpool to unpick a resilient Leverkusen side that had also impressed with its ability to remain progressive.
Our analysis will focus on the tactical systems of both Slot and Alonso while identifying the key tweaks that gave the home side enough offensive freedom to snatch all three points.
Liverpool Lineup
Arne Slot opted for his usual 4-3-3, with some surprise personnel and positional changes, which made all the difference for the home side.
Caoimhín Kelleher remained between the sticks, supported by a defensive line of Kostas Tsimikas and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the left and right flanks, respectively.
An interior central defensive partnership of Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk remained combative against Victor Bonifaces physical threat.
Liverpool’s midfield initially lined up in a more reserved shape when in possession, with Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister forming a double pivot that allowed Curtis Jones to roam between the lines.
The front three of Luis Díaz, Mohamed Salah, and Cody Gakpo have terrorised Premier League defences all season.
An interesting tactical decision saw Díaz line up as Liverpool’s central striker.
Bayer Leverkusen Lineup
Xabi Alonso’s side was shaped in the 3-5-2, with a clear emphasis on working the ball into the wider areas where the likes of Jeremie Frimpong and Álex Grimaldo could hurt Liverpool in transition.
Lukas Hradecky was in goal for Leverkusen, protected by a back-three of Piero Hincapié, Edmond Tapsoba and Jonathan Tah.
The aforementioned Álex Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong threatened as Leverkusen’s wing-backs, but an interior midfield trio of Aleix García, Exequiel Palacios and Granit Xhaka also allowed the visitors to threaten in central areas.
Victor Boniface and Florian Wirtz threatened within the final third as Leverkusen’s strike partnership.
Both were dynamic in their positioning, trying to exploit any weaknesses within the Liverpool defence.
Liverpool’s Early Progression Problems
It was a cagey first half at Anfield, and Liverpool, in particular, grew frustrated with their opposition’s ability to deny their build-up play from deep.
To utilise the speed and attacking flair of their wingers, Slot’s side looked to be fairly direct in their ball progression from the defensive line, aiming to pick out either flank with long balls or switches.
To negate this, we can see an example of Leverkusen’s high-pressing efforts from a Liverpool goal kick.
They deployed a variety of pressing styles to force turnovers in possession and dictate the overall play.
Leverkusen used a man-to-man pressing style when positioning two of their central midfielders right behind the Liverpool double pivot.
This tactic denied Kelleher a straight outlet pass to either Gravenberch or Mac Allister.
This left Wirtz and Boniface in a hybrid pressing role.
They would additionally shadow the Liverpool double pivot from the front, ensuring that Kelleher’s distribution would be forced wide towards the flanks.
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