Joel Matip’s late winner kickstarts the Reds European campaign at last
Liverpool 2 Ajax 1, 13th September 2022
Liverpool 2 Ajax 1, 13th September 2022
Tactics and formations, transitions of play and counter press, we can all be armchair tacticians. But sometimes it’s the plain and simple and old school football of straight forward balls for a striker to knock down into the path of his striking partner or supporting midfielders that gets the job done, and that was partly the success of the Reds late winning goal this evening against an accomplished Ajax who looked comfortable and calmly confident all evening long. Despite wholesale changes in the summer (10 players out, 11 coming in) and a new coach and backroom staff steeped in the Ajax way of playing, the visitors in their change colours of ivory gold and black were assured on the ball, comfortable playing out from defence and whilst they only really created two goal scoring chances all evening, were well worthy of the drawn point snatched away from them by “Man of the Match” Joel Matip’s towering header from a Kostas Tsimikas corner with just a minute of normal time remaining.
Despite the huge overhaul of their playing staff during the summer, Ajax continue to play the “Ajax way”, ball on the surface, playing out from the back through defence into midfield and quick one/two touch football transitioning play from midfield into the opponents defensive third of the field. Skippered by Dusan Tadic (who barely featured for 60 minutes), a defence marshalled by Calvin Bassey and veteran Daley Blind and big summer signing Steven Bergwijn supplying the energy and pace to open gaps for their goal scorer this evening Mohammed Kudus, the Dutch champions may not have been a huge attacking threat but their way of playing (arguably similar to a Jurgen Klopp team in their pomp) forced a change of tactics from the Reds German manager and a change that quixotically led to the opening goal of the evening.
A rather quiet and apprehensive Anfield crowd (except for the incredibly noisy contingent of Ajax fans in the Away End) burst into life on 17 minutes when with their first chance of the game, the Reds took a valuable lead. It was old school football, very un Liverpool like but equally very effective. A long straight ball was headed down by a leaping Luis Diaz to striking partner Diogo Jota who calmly placed a simple pass to Mo Salah who stayed onside and his quick shot flashed past veteran goalkeeper Remko Pasveer and into the Ajax net. The Reds then played in phases of intense attacking pressure but being unable to “play through” the tightly packed Ajax midfield and defensive unit they resorted to the old school approach time and again. Kostas Tsimikas, only edged out of a Man of the Match display by his defensive mate and match winner Joel Matip, crossed soon after the opening goal for Virgil van Dijk to “knock down” the ball in the penalty area for an onrushing Luis Diaz who fizzed a snap shot inches wide. The direct style of attacking football kept coming from the home side with another long straight ball finding Diogo Jota who with a half yard of extra pace created a long range shooting chance that whistled narrowly wide before Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s quick and accurate long kick sent Jota running free on the left wing and from one end of the field to the other, Becker and Jota had turned the play over in a matter of seconds, forcing yet another corner.
Corners were plentiful for Liverpool in the first half (they would force 10 in the entire game to Ajax’s 0) and with a weakness seemingly found, Virgil van Dijk forced two saves in quick succession from goalkeeper Remko Pasveer as did arguably the smartest move of the half involving great interplay between a marauding Joel Matip and Diogo Jota that saw the veteran goalkeeper deny Trent Alexander-Arnold not once but twice in a matter of seconds. The Reds pressure was constantly building as the half-time whistle approached but all of the above comprehensive attacking from the Reds had come after Ajax’s only attacking endeavour of the first half, and it’d resulted in an equalising goal just before the half hour mark.
From nowhere, a position of real strength and a crucial 1–0 lead, Liverpool folded during a sweeping move started by Edson Alvarez, continued by Daley Blind and with a Liverpool defence retreating and trying to plug the defensive holes, Ghanaian striker Mohammed Kudus smashed an unstoppable equaliser in off the crossbar and past a stranded Alisson Becker in the Reds goal. It was Ajax’s only real attacking threat of the entire first half but it mattered not, the teams entered the half-time break all square at 1–1.
The first ten or so minutes of the second half were a carbon copy of the first with a quietened Anfield witnessing a Reds team trying and pushing for a second goal but without that footballing cliché of a “cutting edge”. Again a long ball opened up both the game and the Dutch team’s defence, this time from Virgil van Dijk to a marauding Trent Alexander-Arnold who backheeled a pass to Mo Salah before the Egyptian set Harvey Elliott free for a curling shot that Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer snaffled comfortably. In truth, this was the only clear cut chance created by either side before the introduction of Roberto Firmino and Darwin Nunez on 65 minutes and although Nunez would have a greater impact the longer he was on the field, 10 minutes later saw Ajax’s only goal scoring chance of the half appear, and Daley Blind should have scored. Dusan Tadic was finally in the game and it was his cross on 75 minutes that evaded everyone in the Liverpool penalty area except for Daley Blind who stole in behind the defence and with only Alisson Becker to beat, screwed his header a matter of inches wide when, in truth, the ex Manchester United player should have scored.
With just a quarter of an hour left to play (and the BT Sport commentator insisting on counting down the minutes adding an air of desperation with each passing announcement), Thiago Alcantara tried his luck from long range (easy save for Remko Pasveer) Darwin Nunez’s cross shot forced a fingertip save that evaded a desperate dive from Luis Diaz who was ready at the far post for an easy tap in goal but with time running out, it was the old and the new Liverpool who struck the winning blow. This Reds team press constantly for attacking opportunities and corners and when they earn them, they push and push to make them count. Mo Salah’s deflected shot looped over a stranded and beaten Remko Pasveer, but the angle of post and crossbar came to his rescue and the ball ricocheted for yet another corner. Kostas Tsimikas corner was met not by the head of Virgil van Dijk this time but his reinstalled central defensive partner Joel Matip and although Remko Pasveer punched the header clear, the ball had clearly crossed the line, an almost certain winning goal had been scored, and cue lift off this European campaign for Liverpool!
This wasn’t vintage Liverpool or a typical performance from Jurgen Klopp’s Reds but it was a win, a deserved win and a much needed win too. This was an evening of real positives from a den of possible adversity, so we’ll skip over Harvey Elliott’s ineffectual and quiet game and the culpability no doubt already being hurled at Trent Alexander-Arnold for the Ajax goal and stick with the positives. Joel Matip is back, back, back! The surging, galloping runs forward, the attacking intent, the calm assurance next to Virgil van Dijk and, rather pleasingly, *that* winning goal. Thiago Alcantara is clearly fully fit and with two games under his belt looked supreme as well as firmly back in the starting XI. Diogo Jota started, isn’t fully fit but has another 65 minutes of match time under his belt too after returning from injury, Fabinho looked solid (with Thiago next to him) and both Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold had very good first halves this evening. Luis Diaz never stopped running all evening and continues to be the brightest of lights that refuses to be dimmed and Kostas Tsimikas was only shaded out of the Man of the Match award by the match winner Joel Matip.
With Sunday’s league fixture at Chelsea postponed, Jurgen Klopp has 18 or so days in which to prepare his team for the visit of Brighton in the Premier League, Rangers in the Champions League and Arsenal away when the hectic footballing schedule recommences in earnest. Perhaps more crucially, this two week plus period allows for the recuperation from injury for Andy Robertson and skipper Jordan Henderson as well as more practice match time for Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara.
This evening was a much needed win, even if it did take that beautifully crazy and one-off Cameroonian defender Joel Matip to secure it.
Old school? New school? Who cares!
Thanks for reading. My three most recently published articles on the Mighty Reds of Liverpool this season are linked below:
Neapolitan nightmare symptomatic of Reds “Sword of Damocles” season
Napoli 4 Liverpool 1, 7th September 2022medium.com
Merseyside Derby stalemate just desserts for Reds and Blues alike
Everton 0 Liverpool 0, 3rd September 2022medium.com
Last gasp Carvalho breaks Newcastle hearts
Liverpool 2 Newcastle United 1, 31st August 2022medium.com