The Premier League game between Southampton and Liverpool at St. Mary’s Stadium on November 19, 2016 ended in a goalless stalemate. The visitors continued their unbeaten run in the league to 10 games and still remain top of the table (because of more goals scored than Manchester City), but Liverpool will rue their missed chances in the game which has left the door open for Chelsea to move above them in the table after their game tomorrow.
While Liverpool had the majority of possession and more chances to score, both teams were unable to find the back of the net because of a combination of wasteful finishing and some solid defending.
We take a look at the talking points of the game:
#1 The much talked-about Liverpool attack looked rusty after the international break
The triumvirate of Coutinho, Firmino and Mane, who have been so effective in the attack for Liverpool this season, failed to fire in the game. It appeared that the international matches (and the travel) seemed to have affected the trio, especially Coutinho, who looked tired and off-colour especially in the first half.
Liverpool missed some relatively easy goals, which the team would have scored otherwise on recent form. The delayed introduction of Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi caused a lot of frustration among the fans as well.
While getting a point from a tricky away fixture was credible for Liverpool, the team will surely rue the missed chances which would have consolidated their position in the league.
#2 Solid game for the Southampton defence
While the Saints enjoyed a memorable win over Inter Milan earlier in November in the Europa League, Claude Puel’s team came into the game after two successive defeats in the Premier League and many wondered how they would cope against the challenge posed by the leaders Liverpool.
However, the Southampton defence put in a dogged display and held its own against the Liverpool attack and kept a clean sheet.
Their cause was definitely helped by Liverpool’s profligacy in front of the goal, but the Southampton back four made some key interventions to keep the Liverpool attackers quiet and ensure that Liverpool couldn’t add to their impressive league goals tally this season in the match.
#3 Possible bid by Liverpool for another Southampton player in the near future?
Virgil van Dijk has been very impressive for Southampton this season, which included the brilliant performance against Inter in the Europa League. The Dutch international put in another solid performance against Liverpool, and he was instrumental in keeping the trio of Coutinho, Firmino and Mane quiet.
While van Dijk was lucky to escape being penalised for pulling Firmino’s shirt, his performance in the defence caught the attention of the Reds’ fans, who wondered if Jurgen Klopp also took note.
Could it be a matter of time before there is yet another contact from Liverpool to Southampton over a possible purchase of a first-team player?
#4 Importance of Adam Lallana to the Liverpool system
When Jurgen Klopp joined Liverpool last season, many tipped Adam Lallana to struggle to find an important role for himself in the side. However, the player has proven his critics wrong as the England international is enjoying a brilliant season where he’s established himself as a key member for the English national team and Liverpool, with many crediting the turn-around in his fortunes to the German coach.
His injury early in the international friendly versus Spain meant that Lallana had to be left out of the squad for the game against Southampton, and the impact of his absence in midfield was evident for Liverpool as the side missed his pressing game to unsettle the opposition defence. The player’s influence was clear in the game against Manchester United earlier this season, when he started on the bench and the team’s performance was raised significantly after his introduction.
It has been reported that Lallana could miss two or three more games for Liverpool because of the injury. The English international is a vital cog in Klopp’s system for Liverpool and the manager will hope that Lallana makes a quick recovery and returns to the first-team soon to help continue their quest for the elusive Premier League title.
#5 A rare clean sheet for Liverpool
Twelve games into the season, Liverpool find themselves provisionally top of the table. And yet the team managed to keep a clean sheet for just the second time in the season – coincidentally the other clean sheet also came in a 0-0 draw (against Manchester United).
The Liverpool defence wasn’t stretched too much because the team dominated possession, but there were certainly some nervous moments which were well handled by the defenders. Despite being booed by the home crowd, former Saints player Dejan Lovren put in a cool and composed performance.
Joel Matip continued to enhance his reputation at Liverpool with another assured display, and the clean sheet will add to his confidence, just like it would for keeper Loris Karius – who didn’t have much to do in the game. The German keeper would have come away feeling very positive of not conceding a goal after failing to do so in most of his games for the club.
