Liverpool’s attack makes the headlines but trophy trail is built on rock-solid defence

If it’s true that the back line wins titles, the Reds are well-set for the run-in across three competitions

(Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

If Liverpool do go on and make up enough ground to lift the Premier League title, or indeed beat their domestic and European rivals to win the Champions League this season, the owners of the blue half of Manchester may want to have a word with a former employee.

Patrick Vieira, once a Man City midfielder and New York City FC head coach, saw his Crystal Palace side slice through the Reds’ defence multiple times in an eventual - and perhaps undeserved - 3-1 defeat back at the end of January and, since then, Jurgen Klopp has effectively reverted to a different type of lockdown.

Having left Selhurst Park with a somewhat fortunate three points that day - the second victory in a current eight-game win streak in the top flight - the Reds have conceded just once. In 11 games in all competitions since then, including a cup final, it’s just three goals conceded with two of them coming amid much-changed line-ups.

Luis Diaz’s fast start, Mohamed Salah’s ongoing contractual wrangles, the attack-minded style of play and all the goals going in to win games mean that it’s often the attack that continues to make the headlines where the Anfield club are concerned, but this end-of-season surge has been built firmly on a defence which is increasingly difficult to penetrate.

A 2-0 win at Brighton on Saturday was Liverpool’s fifth clean sheet in six league games and, once again, the lack of serious threat to Alisson Becker’s goal spoke volumes as to the levels of control and confidence exuded by the visitors.

That’s not to say there were no scoring chances of course.

Brazil’s No1 was called into action with a fine late tip-over and Joel Matip, of late enjoying easily his best run of continuous form in almost two years, was superlative both with his timely clearances and a series of blocks near the end of the game.

But beyond a skied Leandro Trossard effort from the edge of the box with the net gaping, there was rarely a clear sight of goal for the Seagulls, as their expected goals tally of just 0.63 attests to.

They aren’t alone in such struggles to evade Virgil van Dijk and his cohorts, with the No4 vocal in berating and cajoling his own teammates if they even think of presenting a chance to the opposition.

With a near fully fit squad to choose from, Klopp has the luxury of subbing or rotating even marginally tired or underperforming faces at present.

The midfield, in particular, is setting a gruelling tempo for opponents to keep up with.

It means if they do manage to stop the multi-faceted attack, and they do manage to avoid that first pressing line, and do manage to surge past the all-action midfield or somehow bypass the man-mountain of a Dutchman in defence, the chances of a very clear, high-quality opportunity on goal are exceptionally low.

(Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Since Michael Olise, Odsonne Eduoard and Jean-Philippe Mateta gave them the runaround, the goals Liverpool have conceded have shared a theme: from distance, perfectly struck and almost impossible to replicate, given the chance.

Norwich’s Milot Rashica was outside the box and sent a right-footed effort into the far corner, but it was hugely deflected off Matip. Infogol’s xG rating for that effort gave the original strike just a 3% chance of ending in a goal.

Inter’s Lautaro Martinez managed to better that: his looping volley from 25 yards into the top corner had a 4% chance.

And while FA Cup xG data is not readily available in the public domain, both Cardiff’s Rubin Colwill and Norwich’s Lukas Rupp buried efforts from just either side of the penalty box line, under pressure from centre-backs.

Neither were exactly tap-ins, lashed in with power and not far from one-off precision, given their season hauls of six and two respectively.

Leeds didn’t even get the sniff of a chance, registering a mighty 0.12 xG during the 90 minutes at Anfield toward the end of Marcelo Bielsa’s reign, while the total combined xG from the Reds’ six opponents since the Palace game is just 4.64.

Liverpool registered six actual goals against Leeds, with the attack as impressive on that occasion as the defence but a good example of how one overshadows the other even when truth lies in parity.

Greater tests lie ahead, starting with Arsenal in midweek.

A title shot can be lost with a simple error of technique or momentary lapse, but the recent evidence suggests Klopp has the entirety of his side, and especially those surrounding the demanding Van Dijk, entirely attuned to the need for near-perfection.