Misery in Merseyside: tactical analysis of Leicester City’s Anfield agony

It was a case of misery in Merseyside for Leicester City as they left Anfield with nothing for show for a gritty performance against Liverpool.

First versus third was always going to provide either a spectacle or stalemate. The match played out as a blend of the two, with Liverpool enjoying the larger spells of control throughout the match.

After the hosts inevitably took the lead just before half-time, the Foxes did grow into the game and had spells of quality themselves during the second-half, which rewarded them with a leveller in the 80th minute as James Maddison scored his third of the season.

However, a moment of madness in the defensive half from Marc Albrighton – and perhaps some simulation from Sadio Mane – proved to be the difference maker. Much to the elation of the home crowd, James Milner dispatched the subsequent penalty in the 95th minute.

Controversies aside, the game was a fascinating watch. A tactical game focused on defensive pressing highlighted the disparity in quality between the two sides.

With Leicester, Brendan Rodgers has only had 20 competitive fixtures to implement his philosophies. In comparison, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are close to reaching four years together. During this time, the German has managed to instil his gegenpressing philosophy – a style based on high-pressing immediately after losing the ball rather than falling back into formation.

The difference in the presses was obvious. Leicester pressed well but didn’t come close to the efficiency and effectiveness of their opponents. What Liverpool do is that they block all passing lanes while also closing down the player in possession, ultimately suffocating the opponents in their own defensive third.

Beating the gegenpress requires confidence in your play. You have to beat the initial wave of the press before you can start building your attack. Leicester managed this during the second-half through a clever use of small triangles to beat the first man in the press.

After this, you normally play your numerical advantages across the pitch, mainly in wide areas, to cause problems. Leicester’s chances predominantly stemmed from the wings as Maddison operated on the left and Harvey Barnes on the right. It was more the overlapping runs of Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira, though, that created chances for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Maddison struggled in the first-half, as did most of his teammates. His role when on the wing is to start wide and roam centrally when the opportunity arises. This frees him up, as marking him is difficult, although Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold were able to mark him effortlessly.

In possession, Leicester struggled to get the ball to Maddison or indeed the midfield. Liverpool’s press almost forced the visitors into playing the ball for Jamie Vardy to run onto. This bypassing of the midfield neutralised Leicester’s creativity.

Leicester’s backline, however, was superb – again. Çağlar Söyüncü delivered another standout performance – again. He controlled the defensive line and still played with a degree of confidence while in possession. That shouldn’t be possible for a 23-year-old playing his first full season in the Premier League, not at Anfield anyway.

He single-handedly beat the gegenpress on multiple occasions, either dribbling past an onrushing Roberto Firmino or finding a pass in behind.

Eventually, the second-half performance did reward Leicester with a goal. Maddison got on the end of a through ball from substitute Ayoze Perez to level the score as the second-half substitutions allowed the former Norwich City midfielder to operate purely in the middle.

But the balance of play for the game had favoured the home side. Liverpool had far too many chances to finish the game, and while Marc Albrighton will be frustrated with the decision against him, he shouldn’t have allowed the referee a chance to give a penalty in stoppage time.

Leicester will be disappointed that they could not break Liverpool’s unbeaten run of 43 games at home yet again, as it’s Leicester who stopped their run of 63 unbeaten home games in 1980, too. They are also the last team to take points off the European Champions at home.

Regardless, Leicester’s status as the best of the rest favour after another impressive showing against the league leaders has been further solidified. Having played five of the last season’s top seven, to be sitting fourth in the table is truly astonishing and shows that Leicester truly deserve a UEFA Champions League spot.

They next play Burnley at the King Power Stadium.