If Liverpool wants to solidify their fourth place standing and keep their razor thin hopes of third alive, they must secure a win on Friday when they travel to face Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Unai Emery has overseen an incredible transformation at the club, taking them from relegation threatened just a few years ago, to now having them in the Europa League final and battling the Reds and others for a Top 4 spot once again.
They are a dangerous side that are capable of producing strong showings against anyone, and Arne Slot will need to make sure he has his tactics on point for this one.
While both sides come into this match in patchy form in the league, that does not mean there will be a lack of talent on the pitch at kickoff. Liverpool must find ways to contain these Villa stars if they hope to secure the three points.
Morgan Rogers
Once briefly linked with a possible move to Anfield, the 23-year old has flourished under Emery’s tutelage and is one of England’s brightest young stars.
He has 14 goal contributions in the Premier League this season, but his impact goes even further than that, with his ability to attack from a variety of angles making him difficult to track at all times.
He’s playing with the confidence of a player who knows how good he is, how good the team he is in is, and that has no fear of the opposition. I’ll be looking at someone like Ryan Gravenberch or Alexis Mac Allister to be one of the main tools for Liverpool to slowing him down.
If Gravenberch can break up even 20-30% of the wok Rogers wants to do in the final third, that could go a long way towards helping the Reds secure a good result.
His ability to explode on the break also means we will need to see the defense getting back and reading those runs early and often. That means Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate ideally will be parked in a solid spot.
If we’re relying on coverage from the fullbacks in these moments, Rogers could have a field day. As much as Milos Kerkez has improved, if he is stuck 1-on-1 in this matchup, I don’t favor him.
Knock him off his rhythm early and often, make him work for the simple things and don’t let him get in space. That’s the blueprint to containing this burgeoning star.
Youri Tielemans
One of the things that have made Aston Villa so strong in this new iteration has been their solidity in the midfield. One of the key architects of that is the 29-year old Belgian.
Just like Rogers, in a different world, he could have been plying his craft at Liverpool. As it were, he is now a firm obstacle for the Reds to overcome if they hope to get the attack up and running again.
He runs the show for Unai Emery, and he is a key piece in their pressing and passing game. He can sit deeper and spread the ball around while breaking up any dangerous moves, or he can get forward as needed to be another asset in attack.
The battles he has with Mac Allister or Dominik Szoboszlai, if he’s in the midfield, will be a key outcome to watch in this match.
The Reds must put Tielemans on the backfoot in this one. If they let him dictate, that could spell trouble for a troubled Liverpool defense.
Florian Wirtz, Szoboszlai and Co. must make him defend as often as possible, and if they can, get him in space where his slight lack of pace could be exploited by a number of players in Slot’s side.
Ezri Konsa
I was very close to putting star striker Ollie Watkins in this spot, but we all know how dangerous of an attacker he is and his presence goes without saying. He will need to be accounted for and handled if Liverpool want to win.
However, Konsa has quietly been one of, if not the best, Villa player all season. He is the anchor of their team and is responsible for a lot of what they do defensively.
He can play in several spots at the back, but his level does not drop wherever he is lined up on the pitch. He has elite discipline, particularly in 1v1 situations. The Reds would be wise to not go to that well too many times on Friday.
Like van Dijk, he reads the game so well and often has himself in the best position before the attackers even get there themselves. Liverpool will need to diversify their attack to keep him off balance.
Fluid motion and a lot of forward and angled runs could be a key to pulling Konsa away from where he wants to be so we can target other aspects of the Aston Villa defense instead.
If Alexander Isak does start this match, his positioning in and around the box will also be hugely important as it is likely that Konsa will be reading him like a hawk, so the Swede must be ready.
If Liverpool can stretch the Villa defense wide often enough, it could put Konsa in some more difficult situations than he is used to, which might give them a better shot of breaking through. Finally, they cannot let him spring a counter attack using his underrated passing skills.
The fullbacks in particular will need to be ready to fly back if they see Konsa on the ball at any point.
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