There was a type of goal that Liverpool very rarely conceded but now it is a serious problem for Alisson Becker.
What impressed you most during the remarkable 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Arsenal last weekend? If you're Constantine Hatzidakis, the answer might be "Andy Roberton's throat."
But for everyone else, it's been a rollercoaster ride and a bunch of real highlights (good and bad) for the Reds' season. Jürgen Klopp's side in the span of a game have shown how badly they can sometimes play while still being able to score seven or more goals on three occasions. One thing that caught the eye of this modest statistic was Arsenal's second goal. Its simplicity is clearly an issue from Liverpool's point of view, with a common ball in the channel allowing one of the Gunners' Gabriels to pass to another. Greater interest came because it was a header from open play conceded by the Reds, which used to be rare for a unicorn but became much more common in 2022/23.
That's been an issue since the tournament's opening weekend. The first goal for or against Liverpool this season was scored by Aleksandar Mitrovi?, the Serbian who edged past Trent Alexander-Arnold in the far corner to take the lead over Fulham. Like many other issues, it has evolved since the World Cup. Ollie Watkins scored with a header in the opener in the Reds' 3-1 win at Villa Park, before Yoane Wissa did the same to put Brentford in their favor the following week.
It seems unlikely that adding Gabriel Jesus' effort to bring the total to four won't be such a big deal, even though Liverpool only won one of the games mentioned. However, this seemingly innocuous total must be placed in the context of what preceded it. In his first four seasons in the Premier League, Alisson Becker conceded just five goals from open play, and just three if you rule out subsequent counter-attacks from other shots. These also happen mostly in winless games – goals conceded can have that impact, funny enough – but the backline with Alisson and Virgil van Dijk is anything but impregnable. in the air in open play. Adama Traore may have been criticized for his lack of end product, but his cross at Molineux in January 2020 provided the only assist from open play for a header. which Liverpool allow with their number one goalkeeper and his centre-back in the field for four seasons. That is a truly amazing record, and one that has unfortunately been wiped out.
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Fans and pundits agree that Van Dijk hasn't had his best season yet. That may be true, but the cause of the headers being too rushed to concede could lie elsewhere. In the 2018/19 season, the Red Devils saved 10.2% of the crosses they faced. This number increased slightly the following year, which clearly explains fully how Liverpool were then able to win the title.
Although lower since then, 9.3% of opposing crosses blocked last season is still well above the league average of 8.9%. However, the class of 2022/23 has fallen below that and we saw on Sunday .
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