THE BREAKDOWN: How Liverpool pressed to perfection in win over Real Madrid, the major flaw it fixed, why Florian Wirtz may finally have found his role and how Arne Slot used his goalkeeper to turn the tables

That was more like it. Few results quieten your critics like a victory over Real Madrid.

On another famous night at Anfield, Arne Slot found the answers to questions that have dogged his side all season. The Dutchman not only found a solution to his pressing problems but also utilised one of Liverpool’s own key weaknesses against the might of Madrid.

This is how they did it.

SLOT SOLVES PRESSING CONCERNS

Liverpool have been far too easy to play through this season. Slot has tried, and largely failed, to integrate his £400million shiny new signings into the side all at once and it has often left Liverpool's shape all over the place.

One of the biggest things that has suffered is Liverpool’s press. For so long one of the best in Europe at closing down opponents, this season Slot’s side have struggled to stop teams finding a way through. 

Liverpool are winning the ball back in the final third less often in the Premier League, for example, than at any time under Slot or Jurgen Klopp and are giving up more shots on their goal than ever too.

Slot’s desire to reshape his team around Florian Wirtz in the No10 position, when it functioned so well without an out-an-out No10, left Liverpool struggling to find the right balance and often far too exposed.

There have been multiple examples this season of teams being allowed easy passes into midfield because of gaps in Liverpool’s press, even in games Slot’s side won...

Liverpool, as they did towards the back end of their win over Aston Villa, shifted to a man-to-man marking system when they pressed high up the pitch against Madrid and it worked much, much better. 

The title-winning trio of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch provided the dynamic midfield trio, pressing and rotating, as Wirtz started off the left but with the freedom to drift inside.

‘The whole team defended really well, in the high press and the low block,’ said Slot after the game.

This passage of play early in the first half shows exactly how Slot wanted it to work.

As Real Madrid look to play out from the back, Liverpool pick up a man each. Hugo Ekitike signals to Mac Allister behind him to make sure he’s picking up Real midfielder Arda Guler in the same area of the pitch that their previous opponents had enjoyed so much space to receive the ball, turn and attack.

Mac Allister jumps on Guler as soon as the ball is played, Ekitike cuts off the return pass to centre back Eder Militao while Szoboszlai closes down Aurelien Tchouameni. It forces Real to shift the ball out wide to Alvaro Carreras.

Liverpool kept letting Real funnel the play down that side and, likewise, the visitors were always keen to do so because it allowed Vinicius Junior, one of the best attacking players in world football, to get on the ball and into one-on-one situations with Conor Bradley.

It was a calculated risk on Slot’s part but it just so happened that the 22-year-old full back had the game of his life.

And, on this occasion, by the time Real have moved the ball to the flanks and up the field, in the space of less than 20 seconds Liverpool have all 11 men behind the ball again.

This happened all night. Liverpool were disciplined, compact and controlled. They frustrated Real Madrid to such an extent that the Spanish giants attempted five of their eight shots from outside the box and mustered just 0.45 expected goals (xG) all night.

It also provided Slot with the blueprint of how his Liverpool side can function against Manchester City this weekend.

SLOT TURNS THE TABLES

If you haven’t heard, Liverpool have a problem with long balls. They can’t defend them so opponents use them and reap the rewards. Hit them with long, direct passes. Win the second and third balls and exploit the space and chaos.

Manchester United did it, Brentford did it, Chelsea did it, Crystal Palace did it. Liverpool had little answer to it.

Well, as the old saying goes, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Xabi Alonso also instructed his side to press high man-to-man so, to bypass it, Slot told his players to go direct. Giorgi Mamardashvili, the Liverpool goalkeeper, frequently pinged long passes to the front.

Mamardashvili hit nearly two thirds of his passes long (63.6 per cent), the highest percentage by a Liverpool keeper in a game this season. As a team, in only the victory over Arsenal (13.8 per cent) did they go marginally longer on average than against Real Madrid (13.6 per cent).

It worked. 

Mamardashvili often targeted Mohamed Salah on Liverpool’s right and the Egyptian used his underrated hold-up play to feed his team-mates in dangerous areas. Twice in the space of three first-half minutes, the two of them combined to produce openings for Liverpool.

On 23 minutes, Liverpool went short with a goal-kick to entice Real Madrid to close the keeper down only for Mamardashvili to fire a long pass at Salah.

He holds the ball up while Bradley makes an underlapping run from full back. Salah picks him out and Bradley drives forward with Ekitike out wide for support and Wirtz making his own charge through the middle. Vinicius Jnr has no choice but to haul Bradley down and receive a yellow card.

Three minutes later, Mamardashvili aims for Salah again. This time, Real try to win possession back but can only knock it into space behind their defensive line. Wirtz, now on the right, picks it up, races forward and crosses for a great chance for Szoboszlai whose shot is saved by Thibaut Courtois.

It was a frequent tactic. In the second half, Mamardashvili receives the ball and waits almost 10 seconds until Real Madrid’s front line have moved into their press before going long towards Salah.

It was a ploy that helped win Liverpool the game. Join ‘em, beat ‘em.