It’s a football adage as old as time that even Trent Alexander-Arnold was reaching for earlier this season. “Defences win championships,” declared the Liverpool right-back after keeping a clean sheet in the 3-0 win over Bournemouth last month.
That particular shutout was the fourth of five recorded by Arne Slot’s miserly Premier League leaders this term and, while back-to-back victories against Wolves and Crystal Palace have hardly been sparkling, the Reds have kept balance at the summit based largely on their defensive qualities.
The two goals shipped so far in the seven league games can be attributed to a stunning strike from match-winner Callum Hudson-Odoi of Nottingham Forest and a lapse in concentration from Ibrahima Konate to let Rayan Aït-Nouri in for an equaliser in the recent 2-1 win at Molineux.
While individual mistakes are not exactly desired by Premier League managers, the nature of the two goals they have conceded to date at least suggest it is a defensive framework that is thriving at Anfield. Neither Hudson-Odoi’s strike nor the leveller from Ait-Nouri in the Midlands were down to a spluttering defensive system. Individual mistakes can be ironed out easier than structural flaws, after all.
At this same juncture last term, the Reds had shipped seven compared to two this time out and the number of expected goals conceded per game is down on last year, with this term’s average of 0.73 the lowest of any Premier League side. That is the major statistic that most highlights the defensive improvements being made.
Key to that has been the imperious partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Konate, who have played 585 of the 630 Premier League minutes to date. During that time the Reds centre-backs rank joint top with an aerial duel win percentage of 85.7% across Europe’s top-five leagues.
Van Dijk says: “We need everyone to be at their best. Ibou is an amazing, fantastic player who can still be better. He is defensively solid and was a bit unlucky with the goal that we conceded but the qualities he has, he is outstanding.
“He is learning and he is growing, getting better and looking after himself much better, to be ready every three days — and also he has a young player behind him in Jarell [Quansah] who is also a good one, so they keep pushing each other.”
Reflecting on his own performances this term, Alexander-Arnold was illuminating when discussing the work that now goes into making the improvements to the defensive side of his game, which has come under scrutiny in recent years to various degrees.
“We kind of talked about targets and aims and I said to him that I would like to be the defender that no-one wants to come up against in Europe,” says Alexander-Arnold. “We agreed that he will be harsh on me. If any time an attacker gets by me and gets past me he will call it out in meetings and individual meetings and say this cannot happen.
“We go through every game together and he highlights where he wants me to improve. Even in the Milan game (which Liverpool won 3-1) we had about 20 clips going through what I could have done better and the good parts as well.
“It is really refreshing to have a manager who will help and guide and teach me how to be better as a player. I am someone who wants to learn, someone who wants to be the best and someone who strives to be the best ever.”
Andy Robertson, another long-term starter at the back for the Reds, says: “It changes every single game in terms of the positioning in terms of what Arne wants from you. I’m embracing it. I’m enjoying it. We knew there was going to be a change after seven years of playing in a similar way.
“It worked really well and we all enjoyed it. We knew a new manager would come in and change things and make it different. I’ve enjoyed the change. I’ve embraced it. I think I’ve done well at it. I’ve grown into it. The positioning all over the pitch, attacking and defending is different. You can see the older lads are in full flow.
“You can see we know what he wants from us. And obviously the Ipswich game was very early considering it was a tournament season when the lads didn’t come back until late on. We’re doing what the manager wants from us and the results have been relatively good.”
The in-form Van Dijk also has the most interceptions in the Premier League this season with 16 in total and a comparison with Arsenal’s William Saliba, the France international who many are suggesting is next in line in the list of potentially great Premier League defenders, throws up some interesting figures with regards to the enduring class of the Reds’ captain.
Van Dijk’s interceptions of 2.4 per game is far higher than his rival’s figure of 0.7, while clearances (5.6) and aerials won (4.3%) all comfortably outstrip the Gunners star. Saliba’s tackles come in at 2.9 per game compared to Van Dijk’s tally of 0.4, but statistics compiled from WhoScored.com suggest the LIverpool skipper’s overall performances are rated at 7.35 compared to the Frenchman’s 6.94.
This is not to directly compare and contrast for the sake of bragging rights, but the figures give a good indication as to how impressive Van Dijk has been this term when judged alongside the numbers posted by a defender who many are championing as an elite-level centre-half after two outstanding campaigns at the Emirates.
“There are definitely some changes,” adds Van Dijk. “I wouldn’t say the whole dynamic at the club has changed but it is a different person with different principles. [Slot] doesn’t differ that much from Jurgen Klopp but he has his own way of what he wants from the team, on and off the pitch. The transition has been quite smooth but we are still learning.
“In possession, especially, we try to find different ways to hurt opponents. We have to be able to sort that on the pitch. It’s an interesting challenge but I personally really enjoy it — and the rest of the boys as well — but it is a learning curve. We keep going and at the end of the day, it is all about results.”
Another major factor behind such defensive numbers has been the introduction of two more controlling midfielders in front of the back five in Alexis Mac Allister and the in-form Ryan Gravenberch, who has been something of a revelation under Slot.
Speaking after the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace before the international break, Slot outlined why his Dutch compatriot is thriving in his fixed position as the deepest of the midfielders at Anfield. “Ryan has certain characteristics to play in that position and one is that he is really comfortable with the ball and he knows what to do, so he is really good with his one and two-touch passes,” Slot said.
“But he is also comfortable turning away from his man to create overloads. And apart from that, I think the main thing for people probably – because you make highlights of him – you are showing mainly his offensive work. He can run, he is strong in duels and the positive for him in this position, if plays higher people talk about goals and assists and that he needs to do more but in this [deeper] positions that is not why we play him.
“But it is also very helpful for him to play in front of Virgil and Ibou (Konate) and next to Macca (Mac Allister) because they are a big help for him in those positions.”
The former Ajax and Bayern Munich midfielder has won 12 of his 15 tackles in the No.6 position with nine blocks that are bettered only by Dominik Szoboszlai and Konate’s total of 10 each and Mac Allister, who is way out in front with 17 this term; a statistic that highlights the Argentina World Cup winner’s ability to read the game.
Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold have all posted numbers for their combined tackles and interceptions between 20 and 27, highlighting the sort of defensive work that is rarely shown on the highlight reels.
Defences win championships, they say. This sort of form is hugely encouraging for Slot then.
