How Forest Tactically Exposed Liverpool

What is going incorrect astatine Liverpool?

Saturday's 3-0 conclusion astatine location to Nottingham Forest intends nan defending champions person now mislaid six of their past 7 convention games.

The nonaccomplishment was Liverpool's joint-heaviest location conclusion of nan Premier League era and leaves them 11th successful nan table.

So wherever did it spell incorrect for Arne Slot's broadside - and really did Sean Dyche's strategies utilization their weaknesses?

Forest opened nan scoring by taking advantage of Liverpool's mediocre shape from set-pieces this season.

Excluding penalties, Slot's broadside person conceded 9 convention goals from set-pieces this play - arsenic galore arsenic they did successful nan full of past season.

For nan first goal, Liverpool had six players successful nan six-yard container including goalkeeper Alisson, while nan visitors smartly only placed 2 successful there.

One of these players applied ray unit connected Alisson while their different subordinate duelled pinch Virgil van Dijk, impairing his movement.

The existent conflict happened successful nan mediate of nan container wherever Forest and Liverpool group up successful a 4v4 business pinch Liverpool's 4 consisting of Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah.

Early successful nan routine, Salah gestured to Mac Allister asking nan Argentine to prime up 1 of Forest's astir vulnerable players, Murillo.

Mac Allister was incapable to do this arsenic he was preoccupied pinch nan subordinate he was designated to mark. As a result, he stayed attached to his subordinate passim nan area meaning Murillo was a spare man.

Szoboszlai was tasked pinch marking Morgan Gibbs-White, but decided against search him to nan adjacent station - alternatively attempting to prime up nan free Murillo astatine nan past minute.

As nan transverse was played in, Gibbs-White narrowly missed heading nan shot astatine nan near-post unmarked.

Him being free was a by-product of van Dijk being occupied by different Forest subordinate and Szoboszlai picking up Salah's man alternatively of Gibbs-White.

The inswinging transverse and nan corporate activity towards nan extremity forced nan Liverpool players person to their ain goal. It was Murillo's clever activity backmost into abstraction that allowed him to people pinch minimal unit astir him.

Ultimately nan mediocre connection betwixt nan 4 Liverpool players successful nan mediate of nan box, including Salah's nonaccomplishment to prime up a man, enabled Forest to score.

Questions possibly could beryllium asked astir why Salah was tasked pinch this domiciled fixed he is not a earthy defender - and tin beryllium a threat connected nan counter-attack.

For Forest's 2nd goal, Salah's protect publication was again exploited.

The visitors recovered themselves pinch 3 players connected nan near flank. Liverpool matched them up numerically pinch Salah, Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai.

Liverpool's players defended this move focusing connected individuals alternatively than defending zones - and Forest utilized rotations to propulsion their opponents of position.

Gibbs-White's activity from cardinal midfield retired into nan near helping cleverly drew Ryan Gravenberch out.

Neco Williams was Salah's man successful this business but his tally from nan touchline into nan mediate wasn't tracked.

This meant Mac Allister had to time off his cardinal midfield position to prime up Williams.

As Forest moved towards Liverpool's goal, they committed galore players into nan container causing Liverpool to driblet deeper too.

This opened up abstraction successful beforehand of nan backmost statement for Nicolo Savona to get successful and score.

Although some nan first and 2nd goals don't look excessively similar, 2 cardinal themes arise.

Firstly, Salah mislaid way of his man for some goals arsenic Liverpool aimed to take sides successful a man-to-man fashion.

Secondly, abstraction opened up for nan scorer successful beforehand of a Liverpool protect statement that had dropped heavy pinch nary screen successful beforehand of it.

Last play nan Egyptian's output outweighed immoderate deficiency of protect effort but pinch Liverpool struggling successful attack, this imbalance raises concerns.

For Forest's 3rd goal, a speedy move was played to find Omari Hutchinson successful abstraction connected nan wing.

Hutchinson received nan shot facing nan extremity pinch clip and abstraction to transportation it forwards pinch momentum.

This thought was seen successful nan build-up to Manchester United's first extremity against Liverpool this play too.

Amad Diallo picked up nan shot connected that juncture pinch separation. The region betwixt Amad and his full-back allowed him to dribble astatine nan defender unopposed earlier assisting Bryan Mbeumo.

These situations are incredibly difficult to take sides against arsenic they springiness nan winger power of nan situation.

Ideally a full-back would purpose to power nan business by preventing nan shot reaching nan winger aliases by forcing them into playing from a opinionated position aliases astatine an unfavourable angle.

Hutchinson's individual value stood retired arsenic he hit Andy Robertson connected nan wrong and took a changeable that Alisson saved.

What stands retired present is Mac Allister's position. Sensing danger, nan Argentina midfielder came crossed attempting to artifact nan changeable - but successful doing truthful again vacated nan cardinal position successful beforehand of nan protect line.

This was nan abstraction that Gibbs-White arrived successful to people unopposed.

This abstraction opened up for each 3 goals successful nan aforesaid measurement and is thing Liverpool will person to reside - among different issues.

Defenders could measurement retired much proactively to artifact shots, chances could beryllium stopped astatine source, aliases a much positionally alert protect midfielder could attraction connected defending this zone.

When nan 3rd extremity went in, Slot's substitutions meant his squad was skewed heavy towards attacking pinch Mac Allister short of protect midfield partners.

For this reason, each nan blasted cannot dishonesty pinch him individually.

What nan goals conceded against Forest do item nevertheless is nan deficiency of balance, strength and chemistry - traits that person underpinned Liverpool's occurrence for truthful long.

None of this is to return distant from Forest's capacity either.

Their physicality, expertise to triumph 2nd balls, and committedness to moving disconnected nan shot and get successful vulnerable areas were cardinal to them getting an awesome win.