their sides first goal with players from the bench during the FA
Cup Third Round match between Aston Villa and Liverpool at Villa
Park on January 08, 2021 in Birmingham, England. | Photo by Shaun
Botterill/Getty Images
After being made to work hard for the victory, Liverpool’s
second half performance was more than enough for the Reds to return
to winning ways.
It briefly looked like a (hilariously?) frustrating day, but
thankfully when Liverpool needed to turn it on this time
out they did so, turning possession into goals in the second half.
Perhaps somewhat ironically given the strength of the manager’s
starting XI, Jürgen Klopp’s first three substitutions were major
difference-makers as the Reds left Villa Park victorious (!!) and
are on to the next round (!!!) of a domestic cup competition
(!!!).
Below, I dig a bit deeper into the magic of tonight’s FA
Cup victory.
Winners
Klopp’s decision-making — and squad depth: We
(and by “we” I do mean Twitter) can debate the starting XI,
particularly as a failure to score loads early coupled with the
mistake that led to their goal, but we cannot argue with his
substitutions.
Jürgen Klopp acted decisively to bring on Thiago for captain
Jordan Henderson at the half, and brought on Xherdan Shaqiri and
Roberto Firmino just after Gini Wijnaldum scored Liverpool’s
second. All three substitutes drastically improved the performance,
adding composure and creativity in the midfield along with movement
and decisiveness in the final third. That we can take off first
team players like Henderson and bring on Thiago speaks volumes for
our current squad depth, as players slowly return from injury.
Klopp’s men got the win and now have nine (9!) days to train and
prepare for their next match — enough time to take a breath and
attack the league with all they can muster.
Thiago. He’s quite good, isn’t he? Can
certainly pick a pass. You can’t really get the ball off him. He’s
the type of player who gets on a pitch and you just want to watch
him forever. If he can stay fit for the rest of the season he could
make a real difference in what this side accomplishes.
He played 55 accurate passes in his 45 minutes on the pitch with
83% success. Four of his passes were long balls, and while this
seems like a small number, the quality of vision in his passing
gives these balls makes up somewhat for the absence of Virgil Van
Dijk, whose ability to pick out Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah,
especially, adds to Liverpool’s attack. Having Thiago in the
midfield takes the onus off of the fullbacks in terms of attacking
creation, which will hopefully lead to more stability and
creativity.
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Losers
Jordan Henderson and Takumi Minamino: This
feels (and is) a bit too harsh, as Minamino didn’t play
terribly by any stretch and Henderson did pick up from an
almost anonymous start to play some promising balls in to Salah,
especially by the end of the half. That said, though, you never
want to be the player who’s taken off to see your replacement have
an immediate and important impact.
Thiago came on to start the second half and was immediately
everything that was lacking in the first: always available as an
out ball, making smart decisions in possession and picking out
smart passes. While Minamino would have wanted to use this start to
earn more minutes in a way Henderson (who might frankly need a
rest) would not have been aiming for, both players would have hoped
to do more with the time they had on the pitch.
I won’t delve too much into our negatives, though; the FA Cup is
meant to be fun, isn’t it? And it was.
Aston Villa’s U18s Had a Night to
Remember
Though they clearly tired over the full ninety minutes (I think
there were about five of them down with cramp at one point), you
cannot have watched that match without feeling as though Aston
Villa’s future is in capable hands. Mark Delaney coached a
defensively well-drilled side who deserved to go into the break on
even terms, and who should be proud of their effort despite the
eventual scoreline.
Goalkeeper Ákos Onódi had a standout night, making a total of
eight saves (six from shots inside the box) and keeping his side in
the match, and his defensive line, too, deserve plaudits. Striker
Louie Barry also had a night to remember, scoring a composed finish
to bring his side level in the first half. After initially trading
shirts with Fabinho, his coaches reminded him that he might want to
keep his shirt (it was his debut and he did score, after all), and
he subsequently rushed back to Fabinho to take his shirt back. The
boyhood Villa fan grew up just six miles from Villa Park, and his
goal — and the jersey antics afterward — maybe remind us of the
magic of the FA Cup after all.
What Happens Next
On Sunday afternoon we can all tune in and watch José Mourinho’s
Tottenham take on Merseyside minnows Marine A.F.C., who currently
play in the Northern Premier League — a tie that is very much what
the FA Cup is all about. We have time to watch it since the Reds
aren’t back in action until January 17th. Take a breath.