Anfield was a fortress for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp.
The German knew the importance of getting home fans on side early on. He then used home form as a platform for their initial top four push and it was later pivotal in their title challenges.
Anfield had the fear factor. There was a sense of inevitability whenever the Reds played there. A win felt like a formality for many years. Not so much now though.
Liverpool have won just one of their five Premier League games at Anfield under Andoni Iraola this season, drawing two and losing two. They’ve scored four goals across these games and blanked in three of their outings.
Liverpool went from being all but guaranteed three points to not even guaranteeing a goal a game at home. The latest team to shut them out were Arsenal. There’s no real shame in being kept at arm’s length by the reigning champions. They are resolute and robust and boast the best defensive record in the Premier League.
But it was the manner of the defeat. Despite their pressure after conceding early, Liverpool didn’t have Arsenal on the ropes at any point. David Raya wasn’t really troubled between the sticks for the Gunners. It was the same against Manchester City in their previous defeat. Liverpool finished with an Expected Goals total of just 0.47 against Enzo Maresca’s men. And earlier in the season, Fulham hadn’t kept a clean sheet in the league until their visit to Anfield.
So why, after spending close to £400million on attackers across the last two summers, are the Reds struggling to make an impact in the final third?
Liverpool’s attacking woes
Goals win you games
Liverpool have scored just 11 goals across their nine league games this season. It’s not what many had pictured when Iraola was named as Arne Slot‘s replacement in the summer. The Spaniard had caught the eye while managing Bournemouth and his Cherries team always seemed to be among the goals. Only four teams — Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool — could better their return of 58 last season. It likely would’ve been higher too had they not sold Antoine Semenyo in January.
Liverpool’s return of 11 this term sees them behind the likes of Ipswich Town (14) and Newcastle United, on 12, have a game in hand. It’s not a good look for the Reds. Not when one of Iraola’s strengths was supposed to be platforming attackers. On paper, Liverpool have one of the best attacking units in the Premier League, it just isn’t translating to on the pitch.
Alexander Isak is the only player to be amongst the goals this term and he’s responsible for 55% of the team’s haul. Whenever the Reds win, he’s scored. He’s that important to them. But there’s more to it than that.
Wasted chances
There’s a lot of discourse at the minute around Liverpool’s inability to create chances. However, their underlying numbers have them as the third best in the league. They ranked third for Expected Goals this term anyway and this tends to be a good indicator of attacking performances.
Liverpool’s issue seems to be they can’t put the ball into the back of the net. They’re underperforming by four goals after just nine matches. Liverpool have drawn three and lost by the odd goal to Arsenal. One extra goal in each of these games turns three points into 10 and all of a sudden, the Reds would find themselves in a title race.
Finishing is patchy though. It always has been and always will be. You hope for an overperformance, especially when spending huge sums on multiple attackers. So far, those in the forward line for the Reds just aren’t performing to the level needed, with the exception of Isak.
How much of the blame can be laid at the door of Iraola when only Brighton and Hove Albion and Man City have created better value chances than Liverpool this season?
Wasteful when it matters
Liverpool have gotten into a bad habit of spurning chances. They’re not ruthless in the final third. They lack a clinical edge and it’s quite telling when you watch them play and look at the data. At Anfield they’ve managed to score just four goals from 70 attempts.
The volume is fine the majority of the time with the Reds averaging 14 shots per 90 having faced an in-form Brighton, Man City and Arsenal at home already.
The issue is the conversion. Liverpool have forced a save or a goal from just 17 of their 70 shots at Anfield. Poor shot selection. Poor execution. Hurried finishing and a lack of composure is hurting Iraola’s attack.
With a bit of refinement, things might click. With a bit of patience, players might elevate their game and start delivering in the final phase. But if this is the norm for this group, Liverpool are going to be inconsistent at best. It’s the squad rather than the manager though.