Claudius wrote:
Watch Pool games and then pick up StatsBomb and look at the stats as the games develop. The leading creator of progression and chances created is this guy. You’re right about Salah, but that’s also indicative of a functioning motion offense. Firmino was also doing what you describe, coming out to the right to attract defensive attention of Lodi and Saul, freeing Alexander-Arnold and Ox to go wide right. They kept doing these plays over and over, eventually pulling Partey out there as well.
Yes, but the chances created stat is a misnomer as far as the point you're trying to make is concerned; look at any team where there is one player that takes >80% of a team's set-pieces and you will see him at the top of the chances created list too.
Firmino may have pulled out to the right at times, but the difference between he and Salah is Firmino was absolutely appalling whenever he did; it's not about just being out there, it's about how that player impacts the game. Salah drew 2 over because the only way you could get the ball from him was if he messed up (which he did frequently last night tbf), but his driblbing, passing and link-play was a constant threat. He was the difference maker, the creative spark, it was absolutely not Alexander-Arnold, or Chamberlain, or Firmino for that matter. It's crazy talk to say otherwise. It's like calling Bellerin our key creative player because he played a few passes into Pépé, who then attracts 3 guys to him because that's the only way to stop him.
How many dangerous crosses did Alexander-Arnold put in last night? Because I only remember one: midway through the first half when Firmino failed to connect and Oblak made a half decent save. Chamberlain and Wijnaldum both put in crosses that led to goals from that right side, but the first was Salah playing a clever pass and the second was Wijnaldum outrunning Saul on the break, not because of any overload.
I really think set-pieces make Arnold appear more important and prominent than he is. Rio Ferdinand said at half-time that Arnold had "put on a clinic": it's absurd. The reel they then played showed a couple of hopeful long passes, one didn't find its target, a couple of good up the line passes, his one dangerous cross, and then shock horror; corner after corner that Liverpool's dominance had led to them getting. And they got no joy from those all night.
In my opinion, you're seeing something that isn't there. Arnold was not constantly getting in on the overlap: I'm not sure that even happened once in the 120 minutes. He was part of a coordinated attempt to overload the right hand, I agree with that, but he was a minor player; Salah was the key that made that effective, as he pretty much always is.
