

And while it would be unfair to pin all the blame on manager Rafa Benitez as he has only just joined the club, he is still quite culpable for his squad selection and tactical choices.
Benitez is rightly being panned for lining up his players in a 4-4-2 that only played right into Jurgen Klopp’s hands, with his Liverpool in a 4-3-3 with a false 9.
In fact, in our Merseyside Derby tactical preview, this was exactly the worry Matt had in his analysis. He even called out how Benitez can and should take on the Reds.
“... some key players harbour concerns over a style of play they feel limits their own ability to impose themselves on games and places a cap on the side’s potential. One key figure has gone as far as to describe it as ‘ugly football’.”