Dier Ligt

https://x.com/TheEuropeanLad/status/1875960070678388929

To play Devil's advocate, here's a pretty similar position at the other end of the pitch which Van Dijk was rightly praised for. It was great defending. But if Dalot decides to check back on his right, does he not end up in the exact same position as De Ligt did?

Couldn't find more than a screenshot, so I take the point that Dalot was probably running at greater speed and therefore less likely to cut back. And its also about knowing your opponent - will take Hoody's word for it that Gakpo doesnt use his left much. But still, I find it hard to be overly critical of a defender in that kind of situation.

Point is, ultimately, I think De Ligt had an alright game yesterday.

I thought about bringing that up myself but two things are different.

VVD is having to cover for both Trent and Konate.

He won the ball after waiting for him to cross.

comment by Robbing Hoody - keepy up arbiter. Don’t talk to me unless you can do ten (U6374)
posted 2 minutes ago
I thought about bringing that up myself but two things are different.

VVD is having to cover for both Trent and Konate.

He won the ball after waiting for him to cross.
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But De Ligt is having to recover for Ugarte (who has slotted in for Mazraoui before going AWOL).

Gakpo isn’t De Ligt’s man; he has to drop his man and try (desperately, because he’s way behind Gakpo) to come across to get a challenge in.

I can’t see how he can possibly get to Gakpo in time whilst staying on his feet, unless he’s sure that a forward who is already ahead of him is going to decide that he has to cut back rather than playing a pass across the box.

Funnily enough, if one of Liverpool’s other forwards had seen Gakpo’s run and made a burst to the edge of the six yard box (something De Ligt can’t know anything about, but if I were him, I’d also be assuming), Gakpo looks at that, sees a tap in, squares the ball, and then we’re talking about a superb last ditch recovery by De Ligt.

Like I said, agree to disagree, but I feel it was poor defending and he was taken out of the game by a very simple bit of skill.

comment by Robbing Hoody - keepy up arbiter. Don’t talk to me unless you can do ten (U6374)
posted 23 minutes ago
I’ve just rewatched it myself and that is not exceptional skill by Gakpo in anyway, shape or form. It’s a bog standard drop of the shoulder.

Agree to disagree on this one I reckon.
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We might have to agree to disagree, but I think you’re being very harsh on both Gakpo, who does absolutely brilliantly in literally everything he does from spotting the opportunity all the way to his finish, and De Ligt.

The finish was great, but my eldest daughter can drop a shoulder. It’s easy.

Digressing a bit but if Trent had defended like that I feel the appraisal by many would be very different indeed.

comment by Robbing Hoody - keepy up arbiter. Don’t talk to me unless you can do ten (U6374)
posted 2 hours, 17 minutes ago
It was poor defending, Gakpo is good at that but you’re taught to stay on your feet there when you’re about 8
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Yep. And always to keep the attacker on their weak foot. This applies especially when the attacker has no option other than to shoot from a tight angle.

comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by Robbing Hoody - keepy up arbiter. Don’t talk to me unless you can do ten (U6374)
posted 2 hours, 17 minutes ago
It was poor defending, Gakpo is good at that but you’re taught to stay on your feet there when you’re about 8
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Yep. And always to keep the attacker on their weak foot. This applies especially when the attacker has no option other than to shoot from a tight angle.
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But MDL couldn't know that Gakpo had no options if shown onto his left foot. As Rosso has pointed out, there could well have been a cut-back across the goal available to him, which may have resulted in an easier scoring chance than the one Gakpo manufactured by checking back onto his right foot. It wasn't outstanding defending, but having been caught on the back foot by the combination of Ugarte's error and Mac Allister's superb pass, it would have required pretty incredible speed and balance to get to a position where De Ligt could both make up the ground to cut out a dangerous cut-back while also being able to react to the change in direction. Maybe an elite, rapid and agile defender like prime Varane manages to do that. I think most have to make a choice there, and then it comes down to luck. If Salah makes a run across the goal, maybe we're praising De Ligt today for preventing a certain goal. But overall, I think if Mainoo slipped in that pass and Fernandes had sat down a defender before finishing like that, we'd see it as a really high quality goal, not as a gift from a clown defence.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 5 hours, 53 minutes ago
comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by Robbing Hoody - keepy up arbiter. Don’t talk to me unless you can do ten (U6374)
posted 2 hours, 17 minutes ago
It was poor defending, Gakpo is good at that but you’re taught to stay on your feet there when you’re about 8
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Yep. And always to keep the attacker on their weak foot. This applies especially when the attacker has no option other than to shoot from a tight angle.
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But MDL couldn't know that Gakpo had no options if shown onto his left foot. As Rosso has pointed out, there could well have been a cut-back across the goal available to him, which may have resulted in an easier scoring chance than the one Gakpo manufactured by checking back onto his right foot. It wasn't outstanding defending, but having been caught on the back foot by the combination of Ugarte's error and Mac Allister's superb pass, it would have required pretty incredible speed and balance to get to a position where De Ligt could both make up the ground to cut out a dangerous cut-back while also being able to react to the change in direction. Maybe an elite, rapid and agile defender like prime Varane manages to do that. I think most have to make a choice there, and then it comes down to luck. If Salah makes a run across the goal, maybe we're praising De Ligt today for preventing a certain goal. But overall, I think if Mainoo slipped in that pass and Fernandes had sat down a defender before finishing like that, we'd see it as a really high quality goal, not as a gift from a clown defence.
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Whether De Ligt knew if there was anyone in the box for Liverpool is irrelevant. Gakpo was on a tightt angle on his weak foot. He either had to find a great finish or put a cross in and beat the defenders and keeper. De Ligt had a chance to block any such cross if he had stayed on his feet. As soon as Gakpo checked back he had the full goal to aim at on his stronger foot, as well as the option to cross/pull the ball back if he wanted to. The percentage play from De Ligt was to stay on his feet, keep Gakpo on his weaker foot at the tighter angle and try to block the shot or cross, in the knowledge that his keeper and defenders might be able to cover him if he failed.

But as I've said a couple of times, I don't think it was a huge error. Especially when the move happened so quickly and he was trying to cover for Ugarte's mistake