The Premier League‘s strength in depth was on show again as Liverpool were made to win it late against West Ham, but is there more to say about Arne Slot‘s game management?
Liverpool were slow and lacked tempo, though it did allow Virgil van Dijk‘s winning goal to give us the euphoric moment worthy of moving to within six points of the title.
Arne Slot‘s changes were questionable as he, again, turned to his more ‘trusted’ figures but they struggled to have the influence he would have hoped for.
Here, Joanna Durkan (@JoannaDurkan_) and Sam Millne (@sam_millne), who was at Anfield, take a look at the highs and lows of the victory and debate Slot’s choice of substitutions.
The good…
SAM: We’re another three points closer to the title and that’s all that matters ultimately.
On the performance side of things, though, it was a strange game in many ways.
The first half was perhaps the sharpest Liverpool have looked since beating Newcastle in February.
Buoyed by a new contract, Salah’s touches were as decisive as they were exquisite, while Diaz’s relentless energy caused havoc down West Ham‘s right.
Conor Bradley‘s performance also acted as reassurance that the Reds are in safe hands next season at right-back, even if a handful of Slot tinkering will still be required.
JOANNA: Definitely agree with you over Bradley, Sam. He was bright and full of energy and it’s a shame he had to be withdrawn early to manage his injury return.
It was a strange game with the early and late moments of euphoria, but we really have Alisson to thank for the victory – he was incredible!
I was a bit perplexed by the lack of reaction to how integral he was and no offence to Mo, but how was he Sky’s Man of the Match over the Brazilian?
He underlined why he is still and will remain Liverpool’s No. 1 despite incoming competition in the summer, few can come close to how many points and goals he has saved the club over the years.
He shouldn’t be the talking point, but here we are.
The impeccable moment of silence is also worth mentioning here.
The bad…
SAM: As good as Liverpool were in the first half, they were arguably just as poor after the break.
The Reds seemed determined to allow West Ham‘s runners space in behind. While we should be thankful for Alisson and all his brilliance, it shouldn’t be the case that the goalkeeper is man of the match at Anfield against the league’s 17th-place side.
In the stands, there was a strange sense of quiet as Liverpool looked complacent on the pitch. It was as if the team decided to rest their legs, despite the advantage only being one goal and having no game for another seven days.
JOANNA: It just felt complacent, as you say Sam, and indicative of the style Slot has brought with him, which is not conducive to blistering days at Anfield.
Once we reached the halfway stage of the second half without another goal it felt inevitable that they would get their chances and even punish us – turns out we would just turn it in for them anyway!
What I will also say is that it was another example of why the No. 9 position needs addressing in the summer, sadly Diogo Jota is not the player he was. We need a presence up there.
And what did you make of Slot’s choice of substitutes? Did he make the wrong decisions or should we be giving West Ham credit?
SAM: While Bradley’s withdrawal was possibly unavoidable, Slot’s other substitutions were perplexing and seemed to signal that the game was won.
The Reds got progressively worse with each of their changes, first Gakpo for Jota then Tsimikas for Robertson.
With West Ham winning more battles in midfield, Szoboszlai came on for Jones in the 68th minute but didn’t make any impact and instead only served to make things more chaotic.
We got the usual closing cameo from Endo, but even the decision to take Salah off at the same time was questionable in hindsight.
JOANNA: Progressively worse is certainly the way to describe it, we lost any control we did have as Slot continues to only turn to his ‘trusted’ players who we know haven’t been in the best form.
You lose an injection of hunger when you overlook the likes of Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa, for example, as they have something to prove while Szoboszlai does not.
Slot’s substitutions were rightly praised earlier in the season but he’s lost his way a little bit of late, throwing every forward on at Fulham last week is another example of that.
Credit definitely needs to go to West Ham but Slot was too predictable and Liverpool almost paid the price for it.
Not bad as far as problems go at the top of the league, but it needs looking at in the final run of games and into next season.
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