In the loss to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool was the team completely inferior. Despite their dominance in possession, the Reds were bullied by their opponents, winning only behind behind behind behind in duels.
Let's compare this with Liverpool's liver performance in the 2-0 win over Newcastle in the Premier League in February. The "Red Brigade" won 55.2% of their duels. It is clear that they lacked endurance and resilience in their return to Wembley.
This decline is even more noticeable when focusing on aerial disputes. According to coach Arne Slot, this is one of the main reasons why Liverpool lost to Newcastle.
"The match went as Newcastle wanted, with a lot of determination and competition. They passed our pressing system with long passes and slowed down the game," Slot said after the defeat to Newcastle.
However, in the last encounter between the two teams in the Premier League, Newcastle only won 35.7% of the air disputes. And their figure in the Carabao Cup final was 68%.
In midfield, there is also a clear contrast in the strength of the two teams. Liverpool's starting midfield trio of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch all deserve to be considered for the Premier League's typical squad. However, they were beaten in midfield at Wembley.
Gravenberch won 42.9% of the disputes, Szoboszlai 37.5% and Mac Allister just 16.7%. By comparison, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes - who anchored Newcastle's midfield - won 75% and 64.3% respectively in the challenges.
As of March 17 in the 2023-2024 season, Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai have played a total of 6,309 minutes for Liverpool. This season, that number has increased to a total of 9,480 minutes, with Gravenberch's contributions nearly doubled from 1,839 to 3,516 times. Sooner or later, Liverpool players' legs could not help but get tired.
One of Slot's greatest successes at Anfield has been his ability to keep injuries at a minimum. In 3 seasons at Feyenoord, Slot has been able to maintain the players' readiness level at over 90%.
Under Slot, a major focus was on " body waking up" including yoga sessions and early morning therapy. Liverpool players are now asked to spend more time at the training centre, arriving early to have breakfast together. They also spend more time in the gym under custom-designed personal programs.
But while those adjustments have paid off, only Nottingham Forest (39) have used fewer players than Liverpool (39) in the Premier League this season. Slot's side are in dire need of a rebuild.
Midfielders Elliott and Wataru Endo, both of whom have played brilliantly in their position, have not started a single Premier League game under Slot. Federico Chiesa, meanwhile, only played 25 minutes in the competition.
The lack of confidence in the substitutes may have cost Slot dearly in recent weeks. Especially as Slot's key players have been in decline after months of struggling.
