Digging Deeper into Liverpool’s 2-1 Loss to Crystal Palace

Liverpool entered this match as not only unbeaten, but with a perfect record intact. Riding what some cautioned was a bit of good fortune – which some might also term ‘strong mentality’ – given the nature of their last-gasp wins, some looked to this fixture with similarly unbeaten and incredibly stern defenders, Crystal Palace, as a test. Unfortunately, Liverpool came out on the short end of what was a hotly contested match that went down to the wire. Let’s take a deeper dive into the happenings of the match.

Talking Tactics

Liverpool started out the match with an interesting personnel wrinkle: Florian Wirtz got the nod ahead of Cody Gakpo. Wirtz has played on the left prior but has mostly liked to take up space at the 10, so I wondered what it could look like. In the first half, it was clear Flo was tasked with roaming across the space between Palace’s defensive and midfield lines in order to pick-up the ball and knit play. I also think there was a hope to overload, mostly on the right, in order to spring the attack.

Unfortunately, it led to a tilted pitch and an isolated Milos Kerkez who did his best to man an entire flank with limited outlets. With all that space, Oliver Glasner’s men quickly saw the gaps and overloaded that area. They also switched play often – especially in that really shaky first 30 minutes – to Liverpool’s left and found a lot of joy.

There’s a lot to unpack here as that tactical choice really meant a lot of Liverpool players struggled. Most notably – and perhaps worryingly given they encompass each of the departments on the pitch – Wirtz, Kerkez, and Alexis Mac Allister, who was playing a sort of half-wing role to support Kerkez. Unfortunately, the quick switches and the lack of real outlets for Kerkez made things very tilted.

Things obviously improved at the half with the introduction of Cody Gakpo to force Palace’s defense to stretch. But I want to highlight the vast improvement in Wirtz and Kerkez’s respective performances after the half. The German playmaker in particular stood out and was unlucky to walk away with neither a goal or assist to his name. I also need to note here that while Chiesa did get the goal and generally played well, Liverpool missed Wirtz’s control and sharpness – I’m kind of in love with how accurate and well-delivered his passes are – at a few moments. Highlighting here mostly to note that I’m charting clear growth for the German.

We won’t spend too much time talking through missing Hugo Ekitike because, truly, we could and should have been able to take home points on the strength of the squad we put out. But, maybe, I could be convinced of bringing in one more wide attacker – preferably one who can play on either flank – to ensure we don’t have to endure another half like this one.

Tough not to feel sore cause we did enough to claim a draw, but the tactical flub feels pretty obvious here.

Winners and Losers

Winners

Alisson Becker
If Liverpool had held on for the draw, he’d have been the Man of the Match. As it stands, he was Liverpool’s best player and, arguably, the only bright spot in that first half. Liverpool’s defense – more on them later – gave him very little cover early and gifted a few chances that, had they fallen to a sharper finisher, might have seen Liverpool run right off the pitch. The Reds needed a big day from their number 1 just to stay in it and he delivered.

Federico Chiesa
The Italian cult hero continued to write his name into the hearts of fans by bagging the equalizer. This after literally playing his way into contention for the Champions League squad – which he did following center-back Giovanni Leoni’s unfortunate season-ending injury – is such a boost for the winger.

Midfield Flexibility
It might feel a bit much to award the unit with this given both Flo and Macca struggled in new roles, but this is really my opportunity to highlight Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, who are currently duking it out for the honor of Liverpool’s Best Player. Both midfielders have stepped into different roles throughout this early campaign and both feel as close to undroppable as it gets. On a day where there weren’t a ton of winners, big shoutout to them.

Losers

Liverpool Defending
Tough here cause I do think the tactical choices in the first half, meant to unlock one of the best defenses in the league, necessarily meant there’d be less protection for the backline, but no one covered themselves in glory today. It may feel harsh but I was most disappointed with Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate. Bradley likely struggled a bit with spacing due to Wirtz roaming, but he looked incredibly disjointed and misplayed a few simple passes. Konate, meanwhile, struggled mightily with the physicality of Jean-Philippe Mateta. I have to believe the staff and players understand the risks here – there’s a reason Mateta is at Palace and not, say, Bayern. Because if a player that good at breaking the lines finished even half the chances he got today, they’d be the most desired attacker on the planet. So, I get it. But boy did it look bad out there today.

Alexis Mac Allister
The midfield engine seemed a step off of it and unlike Wirtz and Kerkez, didn’t seem to find it with the tactical shift in the second half. I know he may still be working his way back from injury, so here’s hoping it’s not something more serious.

Giving Credit to the Opponent

Lots of credit due here to Oliver Glasner and his crew. They fought tooth and nail, were incredibly committed, and eeked out the win on the strength of that performance. It’s tough to say now, but Glasner’s ability to maximize this squad will be one of the things that I’ll be keeping an eye on as he looks to make the jump to a higher club level. Glasner’s approach, while defensive, wasn’t as dour as other clubs’. And while their threat going forward did feel a bit enhanced by both Liverpool’s failed approach and uncharacteristic mistakes, it’s tough not to like how they look in transition. It will be interesting to see how they approach a more full schedule with a smaller side.

What Happens Next

Liverpool visit Galatasary as they lock horns at Rams Stadium on Tuesday. Then, they take on Chelsea next Saturday. Thankfully, the club will have Hugo Ekitike back for both matches and with the obvious improvement week-on-week with Alexander Isak, I can only imagine it’s not too long before we see a more fluid attack.