Arne Slot raised eyebrows together with his choice to switch Jarell Quansah at half-time in his first aggressive recreation, significantly when it turned clear the centre-back was not injured.
However talking after Liverpool’s 2-0 victory at Ipswich on Saturday, the pinnacle coach made a easy clarification for why he despatched Ibrahima Konate on in his place.
“Very first thing I mentioned was we don’t have to discuss techniques if we lose so many duels and that’s what we did,” he informed TNT Sports of his message on the break.
“That’s not that Jarell misplaced each duel – many people misplaced too many duels – however I feel we would have liked Ibou Konate to win these lengthy balls within the air from the No. 9.”
“The second half was a pleasure to observe”
Arne Slot displays on his Liverpool facet’s first Premier League recreation of the season ?
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He went on so as to add: “I didn’t see them combating for it within the first half. We misplaced nearly each lengthy ball, each duel, on each side.
“Within the second half they had been prepared and I feel earlier than scoring the purpose we already had an excellent probability. Then gaps opened up and you could possibly additionally see we are able to play fairly good soccer.”
Konate for Quansah
When it comes to primary stats, per FotMob, Quansah gained 4 of eight duels (50%) in his 45 minutes on the pitch, whereas Konate gained 4 of 5 (80%).
The youthful defender additionally gave away two fouls whereas his alternative conceded zero.
Bringing Konate into the fold clearly gave Liverpool extra stability, however it could be reductive to recommend it was merely a like-for-like change that improved their recreation.
Firstly, Slot himself famous that Ipswich “put a lot vitality into the primary half” that there was an inevitable drop-off from a facet with little expertise of Premier League soccer.
“They needed to carry on operating, carry on combating, they had been enjoying all around the pitch one-vs-one,” he defined, “and I don’t suppose they may sustain with that tempo within the second half.”
There was all the time an expectation {that a} crew with Liverpool’s high quality and knowhow would finally acquire management of the tie, and getting in at half-time with out conceding was a giant step in the direction of doing so – which Quansah undoubtedly performed a component in.
However the introduction of Konate actually allowed that to occur, with Slot taking a cue from Jurgen Klopp‘s setup from final season.
“There weren’t large variations tactically within the second half,” Ipswich supervisor Kieran McKenna insisted in his post-match press convention.
“Trent performed somewhat bit larger on the right-hand facet so there have been a number of little changes.”
How Trent modified the sport
Konate’s velocity in restoration and talent to dominate over massive areas of the pitch had been essential in establishing Trent Alexander-Arnold in his position as inverted right-back final time period, offering the steadiness for him to maneuver into midfield.
Whereas Slot has restored the vice-captain to extra of an out-and-out full-back, he confirmed within the second half towards Ipswich that he’s prepared to be versatile.
With the Frenchman giving extra assurance on the right-hand facet, Alexander-Arnold was capable of push ahead extra, and sometimes into midfield areas, liberating him as much as play killer passes.
The No. 66’s contact maps within the first and second halves of Saturday’s win – through WhoScored – present how his position modified:
Whereas nearly all of Alexander-Arnold’s touches within the first half at Portman Street had been in his personal half and on the proper touchline, there was extra variation after the break – and fewer involvement in defensive areas.
He performed a key position in organising Slot’s favorite probability of the sport, enjoying a one-two with Dominik Szoboszlai within the centre circle earlier than driving ahead, buying and selling passes with Diogo Jota and touching the ball into the trail of Luis Diaz.
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Diaz was unable to transform considered one of Liverpool’s six large probabilities within the second half, however the head coach informed his post-match press convention: “That was the way in which I need to see the crew doing an increasing number of and an increasing number of if they’ll.”
One other large probability got here from a extra conventional route, Alexander-Arnold crossing from extensive proper and Jota heading simply extensive of the put up.
Then a surprising by ball from simply contained in the Ipswich half despatched Mohamed Salah behind and, with out even needing to take a contact, the Egyptian was capable of play it throughout for Jota to faucet in and make it 1-0.
Alexander-Arnold got here off for Conor Bradley after Salah put Liverpool 2-0 up, and the Northern Irishman was equally superior as his WhoScored contact map reveals:
Bradley was on the pitch for simply over 20 minutes together with added time however was concerned in three strikes in Ipswich‘s field, together with two photographs on purpose and one large probability missed.
By that time Liverpool had been on a roll, suffocating their opposition, and that was largely right down to Slot’s daring half-time swap.
Slot’s first large name pays off
A lot has been fabricated from Quansah’s response to Jota’s opener, the 21-year-old staying seated whereas Liverpool’s substitutes and employees celebrated round him, and that may be one of many downsides to those cutthroat choices.
However with day by day conferences held with each the squad and people, it should little doubt be made clear to Quansah this week precisely why the change was made and why it gained’t have an effect on his standing.
Talking earlier than the sport, Slot had described the selection between Quansah and Konate as a “shut name,” and the battle for a spot alongside Van Dijk ought to be a wholesome one.
It’s broadly accepted that consistency is vital to a strong defence, however Slot has already proven that he’s not averse to creating chilly, calculated choices to handle tactical flaws in-game – and towards Ipswich, it paid off.
That was about greater than merely successful duels; it was about gaining management and permitting Alexander-Arnold to function additional ahead, which modified the sport in Liverpool’s favour.
