When Liverpool met Villarreal in the Champions League semi-finals, the biggest attraction was the managers of the two teams. In the past, the two have played each other 5 times, and Klopp has the advantage of 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. However, Emery's only win was in Europe, leading a La Liga team.
In the era of VAR, will Emery, who has lost his "handball advantage", still be Klopp's opponent? Liverpool's goal this time may have pointed to the four champions.
01. Old grudges: Klopp once knocked Emery to dust
'Handball Wrongful Conviction': Bringing Liverpool's rise a year late
In the 2015-16 season, Klopp, who took over Liverpool halfway through, opened the first chapter of his own red metal rock. Despite their poor performances in the league, the Europa League has eliminated Dortmund and Villarreal in a row, and Liverpool are only one step away from the Champions League ticket.
Helplessly facing Emery Sevilla in the final, Liverpool, who were leading at half-time, suddenly collapsed in the second half, and finally finished second 1-3, and the rise of the team was postponed by a full year.
Originally, Sturridge opened the scoring with a brilliant outside-foot shot in the first half, and Liverpool seemed to be very close to winning the title.
The team was full of momentum, completely suppressing the other side, and the offensive wave was higher than the wave.
However, in that era without VAR, Sevilla had 3 handballs in their own penalty area, but none of them were blown on penalties.
In the future, when Liverpool fans talk about Sevilla, they will always use "handball" as another name.
It was Klopp's first year of taking over the team, and from top to bottom, he had not fully understood the german coach's thinking. The team is like an ignorant adolescent teenager, after a hard punch, often they will be dizzy.
At Liverpool's fitness point, the team suddenly collapsed in the second half, conceding consecutive goals that led to a 1-3 loss.
b. From fascination to ignorance: Klopp knocks Emery to the dust
After winning the Europa League, Emery chose to go to Paris Saint-Germain to coach. After two years of winning the Champions League round of 16, he was sacked by the team and immediately ascended to Arsenal's position as Wenger's successor.
After a period of adaptation, Emery and Arsenal quickly entered the honeymoon phase. At one point, he won 11 consecutive games, and won the team's longest 22 unbeaten games in 2 years, and even completed a classic goal after completing 9 consecutive passes by 9 players in 19 seconds.
Ecstatic Arsenal fans even gave the manager Emery's song: "Start at the bottom, don't give up, win streak and get points I'm not tired, work hard!" Work hard! I'm going to become a million fans! ”
But just when Emery and Arsenal thought everything was okay, and even Emery threatened to beat Liverpool to enter the title race, Klopp proved with practical actions that everything changed after 2 and a half years.
Klopp, posing in a 424 offensive formation, relied on strong pressure from the middle and ultra-fast offensive and defensive conversions, and finally tore up Emery's defenses.
Although it was actually Arsenal who scored the first goal, breaking Liverpool's golden body of not conceding a goal in many games.
However, Liverpool then broke through the defense with two crushing middles, leaving the Arsenal team desperate.
That match was Firmino's personal masterpiece, and these two goals were all through rapid passing and offensive and defensive conversions, playing the effect of forcing the defense in the middle.
Emery's side also attached importance to pressure and counter-attack confrontation, the problem is that after they put pressure on the front, their own backs cannot withstand the impact of Liverpool.
It can also be seen from the top point that once Liverpool starts to speed, Arsenal's midfield defense can do too little.
After the fiasco defeat to Liverpool, Emery also ended his sweet time at Arsenal, the team finally ranked fifth in the Premier League, while the Europa League was relegated to the runner-up, and the Champions League qualification was missed, and what awaited him could only be the fate of the class.
02. Successfully transforming the "nuclear submarine" in 2 years: Emery is confident this time
a. 2 possession points + 2 speed points: can release backcourt pressure
Emery's Villarreal team has played an offensive and defensive conversion decompression effect through Lo Celso and Moreno as the point of possession, while Danjuma and full-backs are also the speed point (and Chuk Uze in the backhand).
On the one hand, the team's midfield has a strong ability to control the ball (center-back Paul Torres is very strong with the ball), on the other hand, once the opportunity is found, it can instantly move forward.
Villarreal's goal against Bayern can be said to be very typical.
The team dares to take the ball in the backcourt, dares to carry the ball, and once there is a chance to counterattack, there are also speed points that can directly pound the Yellow Dragon. In addition to Danjuma, there is also Chuk Uze at the back (scored in the first and second legs respectively).
Because there are people like Lo Celso and Moreno who can hold the ball, even if they can't find Danjuma or Chuk Uze directly, they can at least control the ball.
In this way, Villarreal's backcourt can be breathed in stages.
Villarreal's problem is that the team's scoring points are not reliable enough. Most of the time they will fly good scoring opportunities.
The team was able to win juve and Bayern by chance, but the question is that no one can guarantee whether their striker will play the plane or score a goal next time in the cup environment. (In the long-term environment of the league, the low efficiency of the front line is naturally unstable)
So it would be unwise to underestimate Villarreal's competitiveness in the Cup just because of their current average league record.
b. Villarreal's hidden danger: the only support in the middle of the defensive line is Capué
Villarreal's hidden danger is that there is only one Capué on the central axis of the team's defensive line. As mentioned above, Paulo Torres's shot is worth a lot, but he and Albior are both types of consciousness that are better than confrontation.
Parejo is also better at making up positions and card slots, and is not a scary choice. Without Capué, Emery would probably have no replacement.
In particular, Capué also has a certain ability to push back, which will give the team a lot of help. If he is injured or suspended from the two-legged match against Liverpool, it will be a fatal blow to Emery.
03. Liverpool's strength is that the forward line is manpower & the flaw is that the midfield is aging
a. The catfish effect: Liverpool's core competencies to continue to move forward
After Liverpool introduced Díaz in the winter window, the team could discharge more and more combinations in the front line. However, one thing that remains unchanged in essence is that Liverpool's central attackers play a part of the role of front and midfield, and the winged wingers are ready to become strikers at any time.
The value of Díaz's new entry is that he has a high degree of effort, can take into account the three functions of left forward, left winger and forward, and make up for salah's increasing "laziness" on the defensive end.
Liverpool's biggest move is still in the moment of attack and defense conversion, because there are too many attackers who can be inserted in an instant, and it is difficult for the other side to take care of all of them on the parallel cross-section.
When Liverpool can score such goals, it is really difficult for opponents to limit. The team has a number of midfielders who excel at long passes and straight blocks (Arnold, Thiago and Fabinho), and the forward insertion on the front line is not just a point.
Díaz even assisted Mane this time, and it was difficult for the opponent to follow the defense.
b. The midfield is aging: liverpool's hidden dangers
Under Klopp's tactics, the midfielder needs to have a strong ability to strangle and move, and at the same time requires the front to retreat quickly, so as to complete more on-the-spot counterattacks after breaking the ball.
The problem is that Liverpool's midfield is gradually aging a little sharper, and the team's success rate of single-handed confrontation is declining.
Liverpool's most idealized state is that the opponent enters his own defensive pocket line, and then completes the break, so that the front waist or the retreating midfield pseudo-nine becomes the starting point of the attack, so that the wingers on both sides instantly become arrows.
The problem is that the efficiency of the three midfielders is declining, which leads to sometimes being broken.
If Everton can break Cornett's tackle this time, Liverpool's defence will be in big trouble.
The problem was that Henderson closed the door and Milner turned around slowly, and even if Díaz fought hard, he wouldn't be able to make up for it completely.
Considering that Villarreal has ball-holding points such as Lo Celso and Danjuma, if Liverpool's pocket formation is broken, it will also be a winner-loser.
Conclusion:
Liverpool, which are now juxtaposed in the Champions League, premier league and FA Cup, and already have a League Cup title in hand, do have ambitious goals.
Can Klopp do it? Faced with Emery, who once had many grudges, this pass must be passed by three armies with their lives.