1. When Coutinho comes alive, he’s unplayable.
Coutinho has come under fire in recent weeks. His pre-Christmas form seemed to have gone out of the window; he’d only scored one goal since returning from injury in mid-January and had looked well short of his usual form in nearly every game in 2017.
However, he came alive today for the derby. His clever forward run on eight minutes pulled Everton’s centre-backs off Mane, allowing the winger to roll the ball through their legs and into the bottom right corner for 1-0.
Then, mere minutes after Pennington equalised, the ‘little magician’ left Everton’s defence in tatters with dazzlingly-quick feet and curled the ball past the hapless Joel Robles. It was a crucial goal at a crucial time in the match, one that swung momentum immediately back to the Reds. He also added an assist on 60 minutes for Origi’s goal.
Klopp withdrew Coutinho shortly afterwards to preserve his energy for upcoming fixtures, but his contribution was already massive. This was the Coutinho we all know and love, and it was a pleasure to see him back again. Hopefully, this will springboard his form for the remainder of the season.
2. Lucas still has a role to play.
Klopp opted to play a three-man midfield of Emre Can, Georginio Wijnaldum and Lucas Leiva rather than going with a more attacking option, and it paid off.
The three central midfielders dominated their less-experienced counterparts, constantly pressing and winning the ball back during Everton attacks, while also driving forward in support of Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Mane.
In all this, Lucas provided supporters with a timely reminder of why he was once considered integral to the Liverpool setup. As the most experienced player in red today (in derby terms, at least), he put in a solid performance at the base of the midfield, shielding the back line while allowing the younger players to get forward and support the attack. His passing, tackling and reading of the game were all top drawer, even if his legs started to go towards the end.
Lucas will more than likely move on to pastures new in the summer, but he’ll always be looked on fondly by the majority of fans and [probably] teammates for his loyalty and consistency in his role. For now, he still has a part to play this season.
3. Liverpool miss Lallana’s pressing.
While the whole Liverpool team put in a good shift chasing Everton down and winning the ball back high up the pitch, Adam Lallana’s absence was notable, and not just for his creativity and goal-scoring.
There were plenty of occasions, particularly in the first half, when Everton’s defence had more time on the ball than would have been the case had Lallana been on the pitch.
Lallana typifies Klopp’s ‘gegenpressing’ philosophy – he constantly charges down the opposition and forces them into a hurried pass, which in turn usually leads to the Reds regaining possession. This is part of the reason why he’s thriving under Klopp. And while his fellow players also utilise this approach, no-one does it quite as well as Lallana – the rest tend to follow his lead.
The Reds will benefit hugely when Lallana makes his return from injury – he’s more important to the team than he’s often given credit for. Liverpool play better with him in the side.
4. Give Origi the chance and he will produce.
Origi’s been complaining of late that he’s not been getting much of a chance in the first team. With Lallana injured, it was possible that Klopp could have started the young Belgian in the lone striker role today and dropped Firmino deeper, but he chose to stick with the Brazilian up top and draft in another midfielder instead.
After Mane’s unfortunate injury during the game, Origi came on to lead the line. Three minutes later, he had the ball in the back of Everton’s net.
I’m a fan of Origi. I think he produces when given the opportunity, whether that be goals or assists, and if Klopp were to start him regularly up top he’d score at least as many as Firmino. Only time will tell, but with Lallana and Mane out of the next game, Origi will surely be given the chance to prove himself once again.
5. If Mane’s injury is serious, Liverpool have a problem.
Mane’s been a revelation for Liverpool this season with 13 goals and seven assists in the league.
His fantastic attacking ability often swings games in Liverpool’s favour. His late goal in December won the last Merseyside Derby, for example – and he’s generally been an ever-present on the pitch.
Supporters naturally looked on with concern, then, when he went down 12 minutes into the second half with a knee injury.
Klopp said “hopefully it’s not that serious”, and millions of fingers around the world will be crossed in the hope that he’s right. Mane’s been Liverpool’s best player so far this season and to lose him at this stage would be a huge blow to the Reds’ top four hopes.
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