A rotated Liverpool lineup got the job done at Brighton to progress to the quarter-finals of the League Cup, but Arne Slot still smartly used his stars late in the game.
Brighton 2-3 Liverpool
Carabao Cup Fourth Round | Amex Stadium
October 30, 2024
Goals: Gakpo 46′, 63′, Diaz 85′; Adingra 81′, Lamptey 90′
Gakpo double good
Cody Gakpo scored twice in the previous round of the Carabao Cup against West Ham and starred once again in the cup for Liverpool with a brace against Brighton.
He looks dangerous whenever he gets the ball in a clear shooting position, cutting in from the right as his compatriot Arjen Robben once did from the left, and hitting the ball with the force of another fellow Dutchman, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
He opened the scoring with a convincing finish inside the far post past Jason Steele.
There was a chance shortly before the second goal where he broke through and tried to set up Dominik Szoboszlai, who couldn’t finish.
When presented with another chance shortly after he took matters into his own hands and powered a shot into the net without standing on ceremony.
This is the kind of play a team needs if they’re to progress in multiple competitions, and Gakpo is now pushing for a place in the first-choice XI ahead of Luis Diaz.
Perhaps Diaz realised this, too, scoring himself from a similar position to seal the win in the final 10 minutes.
Mixing it up in the forward line
Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai started the game as the most advanced central players in Liverpool’s 4-2-4.
The striker in Liverpool’s system is usually the player on the left of the central pair in attack as the attacking midfielder, usually Szoboszlai, pushes up to the right of the striker when pressing high.
It might not be logically possible for there to be two false nines, but both Jones and Szoboszlai were dropping deep from the front line against Brighton.
Through the pair swapped sides, the Hungarian was on the left more often than not, so could be considered the designated striker, but neither was really effective and needed Gakpo, a player more comfortable in these areas, to get the goals.
Two players for each position
Though there appeared to be lots of improvisation in this game, Slot generally looks to be aiming for two players in each position, and he commented as much after the game against RB Leipzig.
If those two players for the one position are available, it looks like Slot will not veer from this plan.
Arne Slot on Kelleher (TNT): “Very fortunate [to have him], but it’s also a normal thing at a club like ours that you have two very good players in every position, and we are happy that we have two excellent goalkeepers.”
— James Nalton (@JDNalton) October 23, 2024
For example, whenever Conor Bradley has been available to deputise for Trent Alexander-Arnold, he tends not to use Gomez as an option at full-back, only as an alternative to Virgil van Dijk, as was the case in this game.
Throughout a season there will be areas where it’s not possible to have two players in each role. With Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa currently out, there is no readily available second player at centre-forward and right-wing.
It’s in these instances that there’s improvisation, such as playing Jones in the forward line and Diaz on the right wing. He has used Gomez at right back to provide respite for Trent Alexander-Arnold, but only when Bradley was injured.
These Carabao Cup games are a good example of how Slot will rotate, having not had to do much of this at Feyenoord, and he has a clear plan for how he will use his squad.
It also shows where there is room for improvement in the squad, and that Liverpool might need reinforcements in attack where there have been injury issues.
Minutes managed nicely – but Quansah sub harsh?
It’s not the first time Slot has used key players in moments when you think he might rest them completely.
Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah came on with a good 20 minutes to go, and the Sky Sports commentators, no doubt along with many others, were questioning why.
Though there is always the risk of injury, you get the impression Slot likes to keep his players in a rhythm.
Subs not used at all in a game, or subs only used for a small number of minutes, will emerge on the field after the final whistle to do some running. Maybe Slot thinks they may as well do this running in a match.
It could always backfire in a match situation with a contact injury, but it appeared a positive pre-planned move rather than a risk for them to remain inactive on the bench.
We’re still learning about Slot’s methods, and these Carabao Cup games can sometimes reveal more than the league matches – with Jarell Quansah‘s late withdrawal proving to be just that.
The young centre-back, making only his third appearance, was guilty of a lapse in concentration that carelessly gifted a way back into the game for Brighton and then his deflection helped steer in their second.
His late withdrawal for Ibrahima Konate proved a rough ending to his night – which many will deem as harsh – but there are brighter days ahead for him.
Jaros settles and makes standout saves
Have Liverpool found another standout backup goalkeeper?
Vitezslav Jaros made two outstanding saves in this game, and though he eventually ended up conceding twice, looked comfortable in this team.
He saved well from Tariq Lamptey, making himself big and stopping the full-back’s shot from close range.
Then made a different kind of save from Simon Adingra, at full stretch to tip a shot wide. It was especially impressive as he had to change direction.
Caoimhin Kelleher will likely leave next summer in search of first-team football, and as the Irishman leaves, Giorgi Mamardashvili will arrive.
Jaros has shown that he could develop into a viable option from Liverpool’s academy system having joined in 2017 from Slavia Prague, in the same way Kelleher has been.
Brighton 2-3 Liverpool
