EMRE Can had a bad day at the office on Sunday. You don’t need me to tell you that. He probably doesn’t need me to tell him that, either. Teeing up opposition strikers for shots in the box isn’t part of any coaching manual, anywhere, ever. It’s fair to say that, for all his strengths on the pitch, Emre has a error in him, to the extent that, according to Squawka player statistics, he has made more defensive errors than any other player in the Premier League this season.
Source: www.squawka.com
There he is, right at the top of the league with five defensive errors, two of which have led to goals. You remember them, there was one at Goodison Park, too. Only one player, our mate Gareth Barry from across the park, has been adjudged to have made four defensive errors. So it is fair to say Emre is comfortably in the lead.
Squakwa use the Opta definition of defensive error, by the way. Which is:
“A situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score usually in a one-on-one scenario or from very close range. “
Five of them from Emre this season. Not exactly one for the CV, especially considering the most any player managed the whole previous season was seven.
So what do we do? Drop Emre Can until he stops passing to the opposition? Well it’s not as easy as that. Because the stats also show that they are all at it. To a certain extent at least. Liverpool this season are comfortably top of the table of trying to let the opposition score, with 14 defensive errors, compared with Arsenal in second place with 11.
Considering the fact that, between 2011-12 and 2014-15, 39 per cent of these clear chances led to goals, it is fair to say that we’ve actually got away with not being punished for these errors more.
Now the positive among you might be thinking this is merely a blip. Wrong. We were second in the same table last season and easily top of the defensive errors table in 2013-14. With this in mind, the fact that we were only third in the defensive errors table in 2012-13 seems almost a cause for celebration.
It’s a remarkable run of rubbish that transcends players moving in and out. Pepe Reina was the worst offender in 2012-13, coming sixth in the league overall for defensive gaffs, so he was shipped out and replaced by Simon Mignolet, who was straight in the charts at second in his first season for the Reds, despite finishing as low as 95th the season before with Sunderland, with Steven Gerrard also managing to come 13th.
Those two managed to sort their heads out in 2014-15, only for Dejan Lovren and Martin Sktrel to completely lose theirs, coming fourth and eighth in the league respectively.
Now I know you all want to blame Brendan Rodgers, and he is a common denominator throughout much of the period, but that theory doesn’t particularly hold up when you consider that his Swansea City team were actually bottom of the defensive errors table in his last season with them, with just seven all season. It can’t just be the former manager, especially as it has continued since he left.
So, what on earth is going on? Well don’t expect me to have all the answers. I’m still staring at these numbers in awe. It was certainly the case that, in Brendan Rodgers’ first season, we tried to implement a strategy of passing it out from the back, that had mixed results, most notably for Martin Skrtel at home to Manchester City.
It is also fairly clear that, in scoring 101 goals in 2013-14, there were times when the defence weren’t given a huge amount of protection, which would naturally lead to more errors.
However, since then Liverpool have attempted to be more solid, and the goals have dried up, with no notable decrease in the defensive errors.
Teams with limited attacking ambitions are also often towards the bottom of the defensive errors league, just because you are more likely to have another player there to cover your mistake. This season Liverpool still manage to sit at the top of the defensive errors despite scoring less than Norwich City, and the same number as Sunderland. Good going, that.
It’s hard to know how to coach defensive mistakes out of players. Especially when it is different players making them, and it seems irrelevant what tactics, or attacking intent, you employ on the football pitch.
Can Jürgen Klopp instill confidence in his players to deal with situations with a clearer head? Or coach them just to concentrate more in the key moments? Do we need to look at the profile of defensive players we look at and sacrifice certain things, like passing and that, for a fella who just volleys everything into touch? Do the crowd need to stop having a collective heart-attack every time the ball goes into the box and making the players all edgy?
It’s probably a combination of many things. I can’t help but feel it might be a question of leadership again, though.
Who is there at the back to make sure everyone is switched on? Who is puling everyone into the right positions? Who can spot the key moments where players need reminding of their responsibilities? Who can anticipate when another player might get the team in trouble?
I’m not sure he has been at Liverpool for a while to be honest. Especially at that end of the pitch. I might be wrong, of course. But whatever is causing it, it’s gone on far too long, and involved far too many different players, to be a fluke.
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I can only speak about German football. Jerome Boateng was prone to woeful errors in his early twenties. Some looked as if he thought he was all by himself on the pitch. Years later he lifts the ultimate cup, showing an outstanding performance in the final vs. Argentina. Constant awareness and composure come with matchtime.
I am looking forward to seeing your players thriving under Klopp. It is inevitable. His success does not only derive from his qualities as a man-manager. He has clear pictures and knows how to implement them. He proved he can replicate (yes, replicate) success, no matter the level. I am sure he has reflected his last not-soo-successful season in Dortmund thoroughly. He is intelligent so he will adapt to the PL.
I have not the slightest doubt LFC will play at the highest level in the years to come. They will be nasty to play against, to opposing forwards it will feel like a dentist visit. Just allow the machine some time to gain speed.
Martin. thanks for the insights. encouraging, surely.
You are a true BELIEVER and May “Klopp” Bless You :) . cheers
This might sound really mad, cocky or whatever. But I am actually not a believer, I know it already, I have seen it happening, live and in colour. Twice in row. This is not a coincidence.
You know why Bayern Munich is so strong these days? They were scared. Big time. By Klopp’s Dortmund side. The first BVB title was sort of “can happen” thing. The second one though was different because Bayern was alerted. And what happened? Dortmund won with a new record point score. Bayern (yes, Bayern) got so scared (indeed, scared), they spent everything they had on new players. To do so, they restructured and sold shares of the club.
Imagine a club like LFC that has so much more potential on any level than BVB back then. Liverpool are going to set pitches on fire, no doubt. Just have a little patience, trust your players – and keep believing.
Premier League Wars: The Klopp Awakens.
It’s fair to say that you see on many many occasions the Liverpool defence jiggly-jaggying around and playing little pussyfooting passes just outside of the box and you just know that an opponent will either take the ball away or intercept one of these idiotic passes and punish us. Players who do this should be admonished in no uncertain terms and if continuing then dropped. A clearance is just that – to be cleared and moved out of dangerous strike range. Do they think they are being clever? All they are doing is endangering the team with this stupid and thoughtless behavious.
Stay on the post until the ball is clear. Stay on the post until the ball is clear. Stay on the post until the ball is clear. Stay on the post until the ball is clear… Should be every LFC players Lullaby to bed for the next year.
spot on. both near and far post… I thought it was defending set piece 101?
Agreed. I get it’s modern football think for every player to have a zone then break but I honestly wouldn’t mind fullbacks on posts, big for big on people’s center halves and someone up for a big clearance over the top who’s dragging two opposition players back with him on occasion. Just to mix it up. You don’t try the same corner every time you’ve got one so defending them should be changed up to give teams different problems to think about at different times.
Just on John’s article in general, those numbers are a disgrace. Some of the shit we’ve seen out of (in no particular order) Mignolet, Glen Johnson, Toure, Agger, Enrique, Moreno, Brad Jones, Skrtel, Lovren, even Sakho and now Can has been an embarrassment for the level they’re playing at.
It’s been amateur hour in the last couple years; surprised we’ve even made semi finals and nearly won the league with some of the belief-beggaring incompetence we’ve witnessed. If you’d have watched some of the dropped bollocks by Liverpool players happen for the local pub team you’d be appalled. We need a Carragher-on-Arbeloa-style throttling of people to wake them up.
one thing I know and truly believe is that Klopp will be able to fix this issue soon. may not be this season, even after some action in January window. But we will be flying in attack and tight as a super glue by the start of next season.
Keep the faith, lads….
and…give Can, Origi, Ibe, and other young guns time to develop and excel with us. Not everyone develop at the same pace. So let’s give them space and proper can support that they need. (But keeper Ming? no comment…:)
Ha, I love your comments Josh. I’ve got complete faith in Klopp to fix these things too. Just needs a bit of time and a new keeper. I’d expect to see the set piece conceding no different to any of the other top 4/5 by the end of the season. Shouldn’t take that long but I’d be happy if it’s absolutely not an issue at the start of next season.
Very sobering statistics.
Agree that a reliable leader – preferably 2 -in the back 4 would go a long way in cutting out these costly errors. To me, those leaders should be the goalie and centre back.
Sakho could have the potential but even he seems to have one howler in him per match. Mignolet looks a nervous wreck and spreads panic.
Houllier got it spot on by identifying the central pairing of Hyppia and Henchoz as his spine.
John,I claim £5 for unmasking you as head of the “Transfer Committee!”
Those stat’s are amazing and if you apply them to rest of the team;well,what’s the point of having any of them here?
Have you got any stat’s on Souness,Dalglish,Heighway and Rush?What about Barnes,Beardsley and Emlyn Hughes?
We weren’t always a perfect team playing perfect football you know.Have a look at some of the performances in the 60’s ,70’s and 80’s.We weren’t brilliant in every game.The main thing was always that we had a winning mentality.We never gave up.
Was that down to the fans and singing or statistics?
We’ve got to get real here about fans singing and chanting.This is now a different world.When I stood on The Kop chanting and singing I used to get there about 1.00p.m. on matchdays.It was the only thing we looked forward to.But do the statistics say the lack of singing confirms our recent decline?
In those days if you wanted to see a new film (movie) you had to go to a cinema or wait 7 or 8 years for it to come on T.V.There were no fancy restaurants;you were sophisticated going to a Berni Inn.And Me Mam never cooked me Cod with Chorizo and Asparagus for my tea.In fact till I saw the Keith Floyd cookery programme I thought Asparagus was a Greek philosopher who worked out the square of a balloon.
There were no Big Macs or KFC only Wimpeys and Hot Dog stands.Then there was the Golden Phoenix in Hanover Street.And everybody;including a lot of players went there on Saturday night.
I’ve driven cars capable of 180 mph,but the best I could do was 140mph but I still got round first sometimes.
There are “Lies lies damned lies and statistics” John and we get enough of them on SkySports and Match of the Day,never mind the daily papers.
We’ll be a good;even great team again with Klopp.Despite what the stat’s say!
But,if you’re looking for an answer try factoring all those things into your equation.
well said. The first thing a scientist learns is that correlation does not equal causation. Statisticians should remember that. For the first goal against Palace the stats blame Can, they tell us he is the worse in the league if Moreno doesn’t shit out of a tackle he would still be level with the fat arsed crab from Goodison. If any of our defence had bothered to pick up Bolasie…I am not saying Can was blameless he made a right pigs ear of it but he wasn’t alone , he was just last in line.
I picture the side Klopp is building, i think it will be really good, i doubt he is worrying over these opta stats too much.
My take on the defensive errors is Mignolet. If I were a cb I’d be filling my pants every time the ball got past me.
I’m the days of Clemence and Shilton, for example, I’d still
expect the keeper to be a barrier, a hurdle. I feel no such confidence in Simon. His most impressive shot-stops occur because he has no positional sense, needing him to fingertip shots other keepers might catch. I honestly believe most of our defensive problems stem from lack hc confidence in him. Having says that, I do not excuse the errors of Can, and Skrtel is also wanting positionally.
A goalie that stays on his line will never command the area, by staying on his line he might save it but if it goes in it is not his fault, but in most cases he could have come and claimed the ball. What i dont understand is that in the time he has been here his goal keeping has stayed the same, he has not improved his kicking or distribution and over a two year period that is woeful, you buy a young keeper and expect them to improve not get worse or stay the same. Hansen and Lawro always said that defending with Brucie was easy because you knew he would come for every ball, he may drop it or make a mess of it but you knew he was going to come and so you could position yourself. He could also play the ball out quickly with feet or hands. On Sunday for the second goal Minger starts to come, then goes back and then punches it to their player. Just catch the cross or punch it away it is only 6 yards out. A solid goalie gives the defense confidence, many of the individal errors come from hesitation
Sorry about the typos…
Squakwa sounds like a young false-9 we would pay 20 million for, after monitoring some encouraging cameo performances in Ligue 1.
I’d suggest the coaching staff to make the players box. I’m head coach at a tennis academy in Pakistan. Tennis is more dependent on good split second reactions and decision making than football and I’ve seen with a 100 plus 16-18 year old”s that boxing improves just that. I’m sure the coaches at Liverpool know better than me but this is just what I think
By box I mean make them do boxing
well, interesting comment. BUT, there must be a more appropriate training for a ‘quick reaction’~~such as the £6 million or 60million machine that Klopp and his team ‘invented’ at his former club.
Having said that, I honestly do not mind if ALL our Liverpool players do Boxing training as you suggested…it nothing else we can beat the hell out of some thugs such as Costa and co. :)