It's a relief to read someone who seems to have watched the game and didn't just find support for their own preexisting narrative. It's also underrated how impressive it is to have 4 new defensive players drilled and integrated well enough to slow down Liverpool like that. It's not just rolling balls out to get a result. We see the getting acquainted phase on offense but it's even easier to see on defense when goals happen. Which didn't here.
Both managers played it conservatively up until the 60th minute or so. Slot introduced Jones, a little more attack minded midfielder, for MacAllister who wasn't having a great game anyway and more importantly pushed Szobozlai into midfield thus flooding central midfield. Liverpool started to find their midfielders between the lines as a result and definitely started looking more dangerous from then on, even putting the ball into the net from an offside position. We were having a hard time with that adjustment even up to the point of the free kick, which was a foul by Zubi after van Dijk played a great ball between the lines to Jones(?).
Arteta put on Eze and Ødegaard around the 70th minute. Eze's first action was to receive the ball around the halfway line, spin away from pressure and advance us up the pitch. His second was driving infield from the wing and finding Ødegaard in a great position in space at the top of the penalty area. Gyorkeres was unfortunately not anticipating Martin's little slipped through ball, got caught on his heels, and it was cleared away. I have to believe that in a month or two Gyorkeres and Ødegaard will be more on the same wavelength in similar positions. Liverpool scores after that and the narrative that Arteta played for the draw starts, ignoring the that we immediately looked more threatening following those introductions. Both coaches played not to lose initially, and then went for it. Liverpool won and we are pilloried for not going for it.
I like your idea of moving Merino to the nine position. I don’t know what it would have done to Gyokeres’s confidence, but I had no idea he would be so bad at holding up play. He was just dominated all game.
It's a relief to read someone who seems to have watched the game and didn't just find support for their own preexisting narrative. It's also underrated how impressive it is to have 4 new defensive players drilled and integrated well enough to slow down Liverpool like that. It's not just rolling balls out to get a result. We see the getting acquainted phase on offense but it's even easier to see on defense when goals happen. Which didn't here.
Both managers played it conservatively up until the 60th minute or so. Slot introduced Jones, a little more attack minded midfielder, for MacAllister who wasn't having a great game anyway and more importantly pushed Szobozlai into midfield thus flooding central midfield. Liverpool started to find their midfielders between the lines as a result and definitely started looking more dangerous from then on, even putting the ball into the net from an offside position. We were having a hard time with that adjustment even up to the point of the free kick, which was a foul by Zubi after van Dijk played a great ball between the lines to Jones(?).
Arteta put on Eze and Ødegaard around the 70th minute. Eze's first action was to receive the ball around the halfway line, spin away from pressure and advance us up the pitch. His second was driving infield from the wing and finding Ødegaard in a great position in space at the top of the penalty area. Gyorkeres was unfortunately not anticipating Martin's little slipped through ball, got caught on his heels, and it was cleared away. I have to believe that in a month or two Gyorkeres and Ødegaard will be more on the same wavelength in similar positions. Liverpool scores after that and the narrative that Arteta played for the draw starts, ignoring the that we immediately looked more threatening following those introductions. Both coaches played not to lose initially, and then went for it. Liverpool won and we are pilloried for not going for it.
I like your idea of moving Merino to the nine position. I don’t know what it would have done to Gyokeres’s confidence, but I had no idea he would be so bad at holding up play. He was just dominated all game.
You and your darn facts, what’s wrong with building a anti Arsenal narrative and sticking with it……