Eintracht Frankfurt 1-5 Liverpool: Ruthless Reds Expose Defensive Flaws
Liverpool produced a commanding Champions League show in Frankfurt, dismantling Eintracht 5-1 in a match that highlighted the gulf in defensive organisation between the 2 sides. For Frankfurt, it was one other evening of frustration, whereas for Arne Slot’s Liverpool, it was a welcome return to fluid attacking soccer after a stuttering few weeks.
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Early Promise Rapidly Undone
Eintracht Frankfurt started brightly and even drew first blood by way of Rasmus Kristensen, who struck throughout purpose to beat Giorgi Mamardashvili. For a second, the Deutsche Financial institution Park crowd sensed an upset is likely to be brewing. Nonetheless, that optimism rapidly pale.
Liverpool equalised simply ten minutes later when Andrew Robertson’s lofted ball break up the hosts’ excessive line of defense. Hugo Ekitiké latched onto it with tempo and precision, slotting residence on his return to Frankfurt. The purpose underlined the house aspect’s lack of positional consciousness, a recurring weak spot that will outline their night.
Photograph: IMAGO
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Set-Piece Woes Proceed
Defensive frailty from set items compounded Frankfurt’s issues. Virgil van Dijk rose highest from a Dominik Szoboszlai nook to make it 2-1, earlier than Ibrahima Konaté added a 3rd earlier than half-time, once more from a Szoboszlai supply. The Hungarian midfielder’s precision proved lethal, whereas Frankfurt’s marking was nowhere to be discovered.
After the interval, Liverpool’s dominance grew. Florian Wirtz discovered house between the traces and teed up Cody Gakpo to attain Liverpool’s fourth. Wirtz, arguably the perfect participant on the pitch, later turned scorer himself, drilling a long-range strike past Zetterer for 5-1.
Defensive Collapse and Tactical Issues
Eintracht’s again line appeared disjointed from begin to end. Through FotMob, the German aspect allowed Liverpool 14 pictures on the right track, with an anticipated objectives on the right track (xGOT) worth of 4.31 and 11 huge probabilities conceded. These numbers inform a narrative of structural collapse, fairly than simply particular person errors.
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The midfield pairing of Mario Götze and Hugo Larsson provided little safety to the defence, whereas even Ellyes Skhiri’s later introduction did not stem the tide. An absence of a real holding midfielder is turning into a significant difficulty, one that may absolutely want addressing in January if Frankfurt are to stay aggressive in Europe.
Participant Scores
Eintracht Frankfurt
Michael Zetterer (3), Rasmus Kristensen (5), Aurele Amenda (4), Robin Koch (4), Arthur Theate (4), Mario Götze (5), Hugo Larsson (5), Ansgar Knauff (5), Ritsu Doan (5), Nathaniel Brown (5), Jean Bahoya (5).
Substitutes: Jonathan Burkardt (5), Nmandi Collins (5), Fares Chaibi (5), Can Uzun (5), Ellyes Skhiri (5).
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Liverpool
Giorgi Mamardashvili (6), Jeremie Frimpong (5), Ibrahima Konaté (6), Virgil van Dijk (6), Andrew Robertson (6), Dominik Szoboszlai (8), Curtis Jones (6), Hugo Ekitiké (7), Florian Wirtz (8), Cody Gakpo (6), Aleksander Isak (5).
Substitutes: Conor Bradley (5), Federico Chiesa (5), Mohamed Salah (5), Alexis Mac Allister (5), Joe Gomez (5).
Participant of the Match: Florian Wirtz (8)
Wirtz’s affect was immense. After a quiet begin to life at Liverpool, he appeared revitalised towards acquainted opposition, registering two assists and a purpose. “Wirtz offered two assists this night, and even created essentially the most probabilities in the entire recreation (4),” highlighting his rising confidence in Slot’s system.
Frankfurt’s struggles, in the meantime, present little signal of easing. One other 5-1 defeat, following their loss to Atlético Madrid, has left die Adler looking for solutions in each personnel and method.