The Daily Telegraph - 19.08.2019

Total FootballTotal Football

By John Percy at Villa Park

It was barely an hour after the final

whistle on Saturday when Harry

Wilson, sat on the Bournemouth

team coach, received a WhatsApp

message from Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool’s manager sent Wilson

a “selfie” of him clenching his fist

with a message of congratulations,

after the winger marked his Pre-

mier League debut with the decider

in the 2-1 win at Villa Park.

Klopp agreed to loan out the

Wales international to Bourne-

mouth for the season as the latest

step in his development, and re-

mains convinced Wilson can even-

tually make the grade at Anfield.

Wilson’s hopes of progressing

into Liverpool’s first team next sea-

son could become a reality if he

continues to produce performances

like his debut against Aston Villa.

Eddie Howe, the Bournemouth

manager, said: “We’re very grateful

that Liverpool trusted us with

Harry for the next stage of his learn-

ing and development to try to play

in the Premier League. We hope he

enjoys his stay here.

How Alexander-Arnold has been targeted

In three of Liverpool's four games this

season, opponents have clearly targeted their

Man City, Aug 4 Norwich, Aug 9 Southampton, Aug 17

Shots faced per gameGames taken to face 26 shots

2017-18

2018-19

2017-18

2018-19

8.1 4

13 2

How Reds’ defence is being exposed

44.6% 21.2% 34.2% 49.8% 17.6% 32.6% 43.9% 22.8% 33.3%

right-hand side, perhaps sensing that Trent

Alexander-Arnold – for all his attacking

prowess – can be exploited defensively.

Klopp’s

message

boosts

Wilson

right is something that’s suited us

down the years, so we’re excited. He

can get better as he learns about us

and we learn more about him.”

Wilson impressed in the Champi-

onship on loan at Derby last season,

scoring 18 goals to help lead Frank

Lampard’s team to the play-off final,

where they lost to Villa at Wembley.

Klopp and Liverpool’s head of

loans, Julian Ward, decided the

22-year-old’s next step would be a

loan spell at a top-flight club.

At Villa it was Wilson’s first ap-

pearance for Bournemouth, with

his speculative 25-yard shot taking a

“The Premier League is such a

high level, it will be a very hard

challenge but he’s certainly started

really well. I think Harry’s an out-

standing talent. He’s got unique

qualities that will serve him really

well. He’s got that technical ability.

“The lovely left foot playing on the

Three games, 46

shots – Liverpool

look vulnerable

By Jeremy Wilson at St Mary’s

Top of the league with a handy two-

point buffer already to Manchester

City and the Uefa Super Cup safely

in the cabinet; it has ostensibly

been a perfect start for Liverpool.

Appearances can be deceptive,

though, and amid the plethora of

statistics that will be dissected this

week by the big brains inside Liver-

pool’s analytics department, one

piece of data will surely be prompt-

ing particular cause for thought.

Opening matches against Nor-

wich and Southampton hardly add

up to the most testing early schedule

and yet Liverpool have absorbed 26

shots. They went double that num-

ber of games for so many shots last

season, when they finished with the

meanest defence in the league.

Add in the 20 attempts that Chel-

sea had in Wednesday’s Super Cup

and, even allowing for obvious ca-

veats about being at only a nascent

stage of the season, Liverpool do

look surprisingly open in defence.

It was evident also in pre-season,

when the only clean sheet was

against Tranmere and, although

simply winning was the over-

whelming priority against South-

ampton after the squad arrived

back from Istanbul on Thursday

evening, they again rode their luck.

Had Danny Ings made contact

with a relatively simple late chance

in the 2-1 win at St Mary’s, the post-

match narrative would have been

very different.

So what explains this unexpected

vulnerability? The obvious starting

point is in goal, especially after Adri-

an’s second-half blunder ensured

such a nervous finale on Saturday.

Yes, Alisson also got away with

mistakes last season, and Adrian was

playing with a swollen ankle, but

there was still a definite wider air of

susceptibility. There were other

clearances that caused nerves to flut-

Meanest defence is still

searching for form

Adrian howler adds to

jitters in back line

ter and, in competing with a City

team who will drop so few points,

Adrian’s contribution over the next

six weeks could quite conceivably

decide whether there is another last-

ing Premier League title challenge.

“How is he going to react to the

mistake – I think that is more impor-

tant than the mistake itself,” said

Georginio Wijnaldum, who admit-

ted that it is now vital for the players

to improve their on-field under-

standing with their new goalkeeper.

“Of course it is different,” he said.

“He is just in for not even two weeks,

so we have to get used to each other.”

The statistics also suggest full-

back Trent Alexander-Arnold is per-

ceived by opponents as a potential

weak point. Manchester City, Nor-

wich City and Southampton have all

decisively attacked more often down

Liverpool’s right than their left.

Chelsea’s attacks were more

evenly balanced in the Super Cup,

and this was the one match this sea-

son that Alexander-Arnold did not

start, Klopp opting for Joe Gomez.

Andrew Robertson, the left-back,

felt the concession of a “stupid” goal

was the catalyst for the added South-

ampton pressure. “We will need to

be better, and we will be,” he said.

The key for Liverpool, however, is

probably in midfield and finding a

balance that combines attacking flu-

ency with the necessary defensive

protection. Alex Oxlade-Chamber-

lain’s first Premier League start since

April 2018 underlined Klopp’s op-

tions and it was interesting after the

game to hear how he is emphatically

not looking to find a settle three.

Indeed, with Liverpool making

no new signings but now having the

option of Oxlade-Chamberlain to

add to Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Jordan

Henderson, Naby Keita and James

Milner, Klopp suggested this

strength in numbers could be Liver-

pool’s biggest asset. “No player

should play 50 or 60 games a season,

especially not in these intense posi-

tions,” he said.

“Goalie and a centre-half maybe

do it but all the rest: give whatever

you have and next game maybe

somebody else will do the job.

That’s the plan, but we can only do

that if they all stay fit. I don’t have a

favourite midfield. I like them all.”

Klopp especially enjoyed how his

team battled after Wednesday’s ex-

ertions, most visually in the way

Milner returned following a head

wound with a bandage on his head.

“It’s this old-fashioned attitude I

really love,” said Klopp. “Not every-

thing was better in the past but a

couple of things were really good. I

like the attitude of the boys; coming

here and fighting for the three

points, like they were the last three

points ever in the Premier League.

“We don’t go for excuses. We de-

cide when we are tired, nobody else.

That’s the attitude which brought us

to the finals we played and that’s

what we have to continue.”

Big miss: Danny Ings spurns a late

chance to equalise for Southampton

Outstanding talent:

Harry Wilson

capped his Premier

League debut with

the decisive goal

14 *** Monday 19 August 2019 The Daily Telegraph
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