Liverpool manager Arne Slot took another less than subtle swipe at Manchester United’s long-ball approach by highlighting Eintracht Frankfurt’s willingness to keep the ball on the ground.
The Dutch boss was notably unimpressed with United’s aerial assault at Anfield last Sunday. Ruben Amorim’s side rarely played the ball around their backline, robbing Liverpool of any opportunity to press and win possession close to Senne Lammens’s goal.
The tactic was advantageous both offensively and defensively. United’s opening goal came after Bruno Fernandes gobbled up a loose ball following a long punt forward. “It’s always difficult playing against a team that plays a low block and long balls,” Slot sniped after the 2–1 defeat. “It’s even more difficult when you concede a goal in the opening minutes with a man lying on the ground.
“When you play United, with all their talented players, and they’re playing a low block at our home and playing long balls, the last thing you want is to go behind because it gives them even more confidence,” Slot later added, the bitterness dripping off his words.
Eintracht Frankfurt were less reliant upon long balls but were thumped 5–1.
Frankfurt Pass Slot’s Eye Test—But at Their Own Cost
Stats via FBref.
“The biggest exception for me was, today compared to the other games we’ve played, was the playing style of our opponent,” Slot explained, the smile back on his face after the end of a four-game losing streak.
“We got some energy out of the moments we could press them, which in the last four or five games we’ve played we were not able to press the opponent because the ball wasn’t on the ground.”
Yet, what United’s approach lacked in aesthetic quality, it made up for in effeciency.
Why Man Utd Deliberately Went Long Against Liverpool
Lammens embodied United’s direct approach against Liverpool. Of the 47 passes he attempted on Sunday, 45 travelled at least 30 yards. The Belgian goalkeeper explained precisely why Ruben Amorim devised this strategy. “You have to be realistic,” Lammens reflected.
“They [Liverpool] are going to go man vs. man [off the ball], so coming to Anfield it is quite difficult to build up.
“So, we made the decision that we should get more of a long ball and try to win the second ball, even though we didn’t really have a target striker. We did it quite well, so that’s how we could still push them away.”
Whether this approach will work against teams below Liverpool’s lofty standard, those who are less willing to take on the initiative at Old Trafford, remains to be seen.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arne Slot Doubles Down on Bitter Man Utd Dig.