There have been some magnificent performances for Liverpool of their 6-3 win over Tottenham on Sunday but it surely was Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pleasant cross to Luis Diaz that set Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders on their solution to this emphatic consequence.
“The cross is something else,” stated Gary Neville, on co-commentary for Sky Sports activities. “It is precision. There are very few players in Premier League history who can land it on a sixpence like that, with that level of accuracy, speed and whip. It is absolutely perfect.”
Alexander-Arnold’s crossing was a function of the match, his 4 profitable balls in from open play being the joint-most he has ever made in a Premier League recreation. In reality, it’s two-and-a-half years since he final did it – additionally in opposition to Spurs, because it occurs.
Nevertheless it his passing vary extra broadly that makes Alexander-Arnold such a uncommon expertise. A lot has been product of the management that Slot has tried to introduce at Liverpool however their right-back stays an outlier, usually on the lookout for these riskier however extra rewarding passes.
He has made essentially the most progressive passes of any participant within the Premier League this season – 205 of them – and his common cross distance is nineteen.1 metres, which is longer than some other Liverpool outfield participant. His first thought is methods to harm the opposition.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passes steadily break the again line of Liverpool’s opponents
That’s clear by the variety of passes that he makes breaking the again line. Alexander-Arnold averages 11.5 such passes per 90 minutes this season, rating second solely behind Kevin De Bruyne. However the Liverpool man is managing that from deeper areas.
In opposition to Tottenham, seven of his passes bypassed six or extra opponents. It’s over a 12 months since he did that in a Premier League recreation however it’s indicative of his capability to chop via a crew. There may be certainly no extra spectacular passer of a ball within the nation.
Rogers’ dribbling in opposition to Man Metropolis
“He exploded last season and this season. I think he’s a really top-class player. England have another exceptional player.” That was Pep Guardiola’s verdict after being reduce aside by Morgan Rogers in Manchester Metropolis’s 2-1 defeat away to Aston Villa on Saturday.
It was maybe essentially the most eye-catching efficiency this reporter has seen within the flesh all season, bullying the reigning champions along with his energy, operating away from them along with his velocity and punishing them along with his ability. He was excellent in opposition to his previous membership.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Aston Villa’s match in opposition to Manchester Metropolis
He arrange Jhon Duran’s opener after which scored the second himself. He has 5 targets and three assists within the Premier League now this season however that solely hints at his function underneath Unai Emery.
Rogers, 22, ranks among the many high 10 gamers within the Premier League for accomplished dribbles and through-balls, however what is especially fascinating is his outsized significance to Emery in opposition to what could be considered the hardest opposition.
He accomplished 5 dribbles in opposition to Metropolis, having additionally finished the identical in opposition to Arsenal. Rogers has not finished that greater than twice in any of his appearances this season in opposition to groups aside from final season’s high two. Villa use him to rise up the pitch in these video games.
“We needed to connect,” defined Emery afterwards. “He was really doing a fantastic job in this situation. One of the qualities he showed was his drives. He did a fantastic drive, he broke the lines and we could get through him. And he scored a fantastic goal.”
There have been some recommendations that Rogers has appeared drained at instances this season and that will be comprehensible. This was the primary time in a month that he has been taking part in on the weekend having not additionally appeared for Villa in a midweek recreation too.
Apparently, 4 of Rogers’ 5 Premier League targets this season have are available video games the place he has not performed a recreation within the earlier midweek. When he is filled with vitality, there’s merely no stopping him – as Guardiola and Manchester Metropolis came upon.
Leicester’s contrasting ‘keepers
If the significance of Mads Hermansen to Leicester Metropolis was nonetheless in any doubt, the goalkeeper’s absence in opposition to Wolves underlined it as Danny Ward got here in for criticism from the house help because the Foxes have been crushed 3-0 on the King Energy Stadium.
In accordance with Opta, not one of the three targets have been ascribed to him as errors – James Justin being extra clearly culpable for the second – but it surely was tempting to assume that the hugely-impressive Hermansen might have stored out each one of many Wolves targets.
The boos for Ward have been unseemly however mirror the fan frustration and the statistics help the attention check. In Hermansen, Leicester have the goalkeeper who has prevented essentially the most targets of anybody within the Premier League to this point this season – 6.44 in whole.
Mads Hermansen has prevented extra targets than some other Premier League goalkeeper
Hermansen has confronted the second most photographs within the Premier League this season
That’s partly as a result of he has confronted the second most photographs of any goalkeeper within the competitors, a sign in itself of how precariously positioned Leicester are. With virtually anybody else there, they’d certainly be sitting within the relegation zone already.
If Hermansen is out for any size of time, the concern is that that is the place they are going to find yourself. And Leicester have been right here earlier than. The place was an issue of their 2022/23 relegation season, Ward and Daniel Iversen each struggling throughout that marketing campaign.
Ward’s file that season highlights the distinction. Whereas Hermansen helps to stop 0.42 targets per 90 minutes this season, Ward ranks in direction of the underside amongst Premier League goalkeepers over the previous three years – costing 0.28 targets per 90.
On common, that implies the distinction between the 2 might quantity to 2 targets each three video games. No surprise Leicester will probably be anxiously awaiting his return. The defeat to Wolves was somewhat unwelcome style of how issues might go with out him.
