Expected goal data does not fully reflect the situation of this match. Hugo Ekitike was supposed to be able to open the score after Jeremie Frimpong's shot, in a situation where Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri was defeated, but the ball went straight to him. Immediately after that, Florian Wirtz's shot was also completely blocked by the opponent's defense.
Total xG reaching 1.96 shows that Liverpool was somewhat unlucky in the goalless draw against Leeds. However, the reality is that they were tightly defended by the opponent, while Liverpool themselves lacked the idea to penetrate the low defense. Frimpong's speed and breakthrough ability are rare bright spots in a deadlocked game.
Wirtz had previously scored his first goal for the "Reds" in the match against Wolves, after an assist in the victory against Tottenham. However, a minor injury significantly affected his performance in this match, failing to put enough pressure on James Justin.
With such a quality squad, Liverpool could have unlocked Leeds' defense at any time. However, they have never really created an attacking momentum, even when putting pressure towards the end of the match and adding personnel, even pushing Virgil van Dijk up high.
As coach Arne Slot frankly pointed out after the match, against deep defense opponents, the most effective way to create opportunities is to take advantage of set pieces - something Liverpool is not doing well - or look forward to individual breakthrough moments, a factor that they are also lacking.
Liverpool's finishing chart in the match against Leeds clearly shows the difficulty in creating truly dangerous opportunities. "It would be better if there were more players in the penalty area" - Slot said, referring to three situations in the first half when the ball was crossed from both wings. That requires the midfielders to take more risks, as well as Wirtz and the wingers need to perform better.
2 consecutive home matches against Wolves and Leeds, taking place before and after the New Year's transition, were once considered opportunities for Liverpool to create momentum to break through. A victory will help them widen the gap to 5 points compared to Chelsea and consolidate their position in the rankings.
Instead, the new year opens with more questions than answers. Liverpool still has difficulty converting ball possession into goals. Goal expectations are always present, but the ability to create opportunities is the most worrying issue for them at this time.
What Liverpool is missing in this match is a goal. They defended very well in the area around the penalty area, they played disciplinedly and caused many difficulties for us. We had 8 chances, unfortunately we didn't score.
In some set pieces, we were very close to a goal, but in the end it still didn't appear. After the first half, I told my students that there must be more people in the penalty area. When we cross, it would be better if there were more players in the opponent's penalty area" - Slot added.
