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Tiago Ilori
Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori made his second La Liga start for loan club Granada at the weekend, impressing as the Spanish side kept a clean sheet during their 1-0 win over Real Betis. Ilori signed for Liverpool for £7 million from Sporting Lisbon last summer, but has not featured in a Premier League game and left the club on loan at the end of the transfer window.
Reds boss Brendan Rodgers felt that the 20 year old would benefit from a spell away from the club in order to get some game time under his belt, and early indications from Ilori’s opening fixtures suggest the Northern Irishman made the right call.
Tiago Ilori stats
Ilori scored a Squawka Performance score of 57 against Betis, the second highest score of any player on the pitch. The Liverpool loanee made 13 clearances over the course of the game, many of which occurred inside Granada’s box, alongside two interceptions and one block. This comfortably gave him the highest total defensive actions of any Granada player.
Whilst their second highest contributor of defensive activity (blocks, interceptions, clearances) chipped in with seven, Ilori managed a staggering 16 defensive actions.
Ilori Duels v Betis
He also proved imperious in the air, winning three of his four contested headed duels, whilst his only tackle attempt was also successful.
Ilori Passes
In addition to his defensive contribution, Ilori also produced a game-changing impact at the other end of the field. He had a 77% pass accuracy over the course of the game – a figure that would have been higher but for the number of raking long balls attempted.
However, one of these long balls turned one point into three for Granada, with Ilori providing an assist for the winning goal with an excellent long pass forward.
Liverpool have high hopes for Ilori, evident from the amount they were willing to pay for him. His performance on Saturday showed why and, should he sustain his current levels of performance over the rest of the season, then Ilori could be making his Anfield bow sooner rather than later.
