West Ham should be optimistic despite Liverpool defeat
West Ham may have been beaten by title-chasing Liverpool on Saturday but the overall performance was one to be optimistic about.
Jurgen Klopp’s side will always have plenty of chances, especially at Anfield but the Irons created a load of their own by exploiting some of the Reds’ weaknesses.
On another day, with much better finishing and composure in front of goal, the Hammers may have taken a point or even all three back to the capital and they have to believe the clinical touch will come to them.
Not many teams will have worried Klopp and Liverpool as much as West Ham did with 13 shots on goal, five of which were hitting the target.
You would struggle to find any team who have managed that many away at Anfield this season and this is how they did it.
The biggest flaw in Liverpool’s tactics is how high they hold their defensive line.
Central defenders Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate both push right up to the halfway line even when the ball is only a few yards further back and that allows acres of space in behind.
It’s not easy for strikers to exploit that space but as shown above, midfield runners (Pablo Fornals in this instance) can reap the rewards time and time again.
It happened again in the second half as both Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma looked to use width to get in behind the defence.
The Reds’ full-backs are often pushed right up which does expose space in the wide areas going forward and the Irons were able to fill that space with ease.
Something else few teams have managed against Liverpool is getting numbers into the attacking areas.
In the above attack, the Hammers actually outnumber the retreating Reds and had Soucek managed to whip this cross all the way to Benrahma at the back stick, he may have had a tap in.
In other West Ham news, a supercomputer has predicted the Irons’ chances of qualifying for the Champions League this season.
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