Monday, February 01, 2021
Was that still football or art?
An attack that fascinates Jürgen Klopp
By Tobias Nordmann
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In the battle for the championship in the Premier League, Liverpool landed an important victory. Jürgen Klopp’s team impressed against West Ham United, which was surprisingly strong this season, with a perfect counterattack.
Jürgen Klopp was amazed. And when he was no longer astonished, he found the right words for what his team had celebrated against West Ham United within eleven seconds. In the 68th minute, three Liverpool FC footballers had constructed a remarkable attack. After a fended off attack by the Hammers, the ball landed at right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. He looked up briefly, saw a lot of space and Xherdan Shaqiri, who was running very quickly into this room. So Alexander-Arnold crossed the ball over 40 meters across the field to the other side. And when Shaqiri had reached the pass, he artfully lifted it further on Mo Salah, who took the ball gorgeous and successfully processed it to 2-0 with the outside instep.
This pass from Shaqiri was really “unbelievable”, enthused Klopp after the 3-1 success that brought his team back to third in the table, one point behind Manchester United and four behind Manchester City. Josep Guardiola’s team, however, has one game less, so they could extend their lead over the defending champions from Liverpool to a stable cushion. Well, hardly anyone talked about such things that Sunday evening. On the contrary, a wild Twitter debate flared up among social media scholars as to whether this attack was actually still bashful football or already high art. Result of the debate: more like art.
And if the second goal of the last phobic Salah that evening – eleven minutes earlier he had already scored 1-0 – should actually be nominated for a “Goal of the Month” or something, then only because of the story of the attack, not because of the Graduation. Even though it was of course very high-quality technically. And possibly this attack will suffer the fate of other gates in the next few days, the uniqueness of the moment being dismantled by all kinds of surveying techniques. Like Cristiano Ronaldo’s overhead kick, which hit the center from eleven meters and a height of 2.38 meters. But neither the exact length of the feeds, nor the chosen pace of the Liverpool three-contact spectacle will provide insights that make this attack even more remarkable.
Strange moment brings happiness
So be it. This game tells another, thoroughly cheerful story. Because Curtis Jones had prepared the 1-0. He had only been substituted a few seconds earlier. For James Milner. Who couldn’t really understand that at all. That became very clear through facial expressions. But as soon as the anger really germinated, it was already gone – and Milner lay in Klopp’s arms and laughed. But why actually? “He said to me: If a goal is scored immediately after being substituted, then he understands my decision,” joked Klopp after the final whistle at Sky Sports. And was satisfied.
Because with the second win in a row, the minor league crisis – before the win against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday (3: 1), Liverpool had not won five games in a row – should have finally settled. Both that of the team and that of the goalscorer. Because Salah, who is so important for success, ended his week-long lull and now has 15 league goals in 21 games this season on the account. Incidentally, Georginio Wijnaldum (84th) scored the third goal for the “Reds”. For the surprisingly strong hosts so far this season, who are still on the astonishing fifth place in the table despite the defeat, Craig Dawson scored (87th). “These guys are really a great group,” enthused Klopp a little later. “They’re not happy when they’re not successful, when they don’t win, but they always have the right attitude.”
And sometimes very brilliant moments that even astonish their trainer. Despite already jointly achieved triumphs in the Champions League and the championship.
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