caughtoffside
·23. Dezember 2024
caughtoffside
·23. Dezember 2024
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has shed light on the tactical approach that guided the Reds to their emphatic win over Tottenham Hotspur yesterday.
The Reds were on fire as they scored 6 past Ange Postecoglou’s side to extend their lead on the top of the table.
They took the lead in the 23rd minute when Luis Diaz headed in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pinpoint cross, heading the ball past the goalkeeper. The advantage was doubled 13 minutes later as Alexis Mac Allister scored from close range, exposing Spurs’ defensive lapses.
Tottenham managed a brief resurgence when James Maddison curled in a spectacular effort just before half-time. However, Liverpool restored their two-goal cushion minutes later with Dominik Szoboszlai finishing a well-executed counterattack to make it 3-1 at the break.
Mohamed Salah added two quick goals in the second half to put Liverpool out of sight at 5-1. Despite late strikes from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, the Reds sealed the win with Diaz’s second goal in the dying minutes.
Most of the goals Liverpool scored came from the right-hand side and Gravenberch later revealed that it was part of their plan to target the right side of Spurs’ defence, with Radu Dragusin seen as the weak link.
Granvenberch told LFCTV:
“Yeah we had a really good game plan, we wanted to keep them on the right side and press the right centre-back. Sometimes it went well and sometimes they did it good but by the end, I think we did really well.”
Radu Dragusin endured a torrid evening, failing to spot Luis Diaz’s run for the opener and losing an aerial duel to Szoboszlai for Liverpool’s third.
Radu Dragusin struggled against Liverpool. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images2024 Liverpool FC)
The Romanian has not had the best of the starts to his Tottenham career. He joined them in January, choosing Spurs over Bayern Munich. However, the young centre-back initially struggled for game time given the presence of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven ahead of him.
With both first-choice defenders sidelined, the 21-year-old has been given an extended run in the team, but his displays have highlighted his inexperience at the highest level.
Ange Postecoglou now faces a critical decision about how to address his side’s defensive vulnerabilities. The absence of Romero and Van de Ven has left Tottenham exposed, with makeshift pairings struggling to cope against top-tier opponents like Liverpool.