Tactical Shift: Direct Play and Physicality Disrupt Elite Football Control

Key Quotes

"Liverpool’s spluttering season writes steve continued to stall as they struggled to secure a late point against Sunderland at Anfield. Talby gave the Black Cats the lead very exciting, and then they nearly came away with all of the cream, until Liverpool forced an own goal after Florian's shot."

Steve Devine notes that Liverpool's inconsistent performance continued with a draw against Sunderland. The quote highlights Sunderland's strong showing, nearly securing a victory before an own goal leveled the score for Liverpool.

"My biggest surprise for me having not really paid that much attention to Liverpool... was just how easy it was for Sunderland to play directly through them. It felt as though it was constantly one simple up, back, and through, and then it was a midfielder running at Van Dijk."

Seb Stafford-Bloor expresses surprise at how easily Sunderland were able to penetrate Liverpool's defense. He describes a consistent pattern of direct play that created numerous chances for Sunderland.

"I think what we're starting to see is a shift away from the ability for the elite teams to control games with possession in the same way that they used to be able to. Well, and that's that's exactly the same thing that we're seeing."

John McKenzie observes a tactical shift in football where elite teams are finding it harder to dominate games solely through possession. He suggests this indicates a broader change in how teams approach controlling matches.

"The biggest issue is probably how is it that they're not able to retain possession of the ball with the level of consistency they used to in the past and in part that is because opponents are now just much more aggressive out of possession."

John McKenzie further elaborates on Manchester City's struggles, attributing their decreased consistency in possession to opponents being more aggressive in their defensive pressing. He suggests this increased aggression disrupts the control City previously maintained.

"Mikel Arteta agrees with you. He said, 'It's unbelievable what he's done today,' speaking about [Mikel] Merino. Not only the goal because the goal is magnificent, the movement, the quality and the finish, how he times it, but his work rate, the way he does things, how smart he is, the intensity that he puts on every action, it's phenomenal."

Joe Devine relays Mikel Arteta's praise for Mikel Merino's performance. Arteta highlights not just Merino's goal, but also his exceptional work rate, intelligence, and intensity, deeming his overall contribution "phenomenal."

"I think the serious point here though is that there have been some fair and legitimate criticisms or concerns about Arsenal's ability to build up and create opportunities within open play, which sometimes is used as a kind of stick to beat them with."

John McKenzie addresses criticisms leveled against Arsenal regarding their open-play attacking effectiveness. He acknowledges these concerns but suggests they are sometimes used unfairly to diminish Arsenal's overall performance.