Overall there was a lot to feel good about. The three points were well deserved, we played a lot of good stuff, had a very bad spell that we came through and in the end the score didn’t really do us justice.
The first half was impressive and we looked like I’d expect us to look. Very good pressing for the most part, some excellent football, we controlled the game and deservedly led by a couple of goals. Despite how well we played, Villa did have some very good chances though so something wasn’t quite working the way it should. That’s for people more qualified than me to identify though.
The second half wasn’t anywhere near as impressive, although we did show a different kind of quality and that half was a victory for Klopp and his staff, because it was their decisive actions that swung the game back in our favour after Villa had wrestled it away from us and were threatening an equaliser.
There were no surprises with the team selection. Klopp had said a few days ago that Ox had been in line to start at the Etihad until he got ill, so he was always going to come in on the left. Aside from that, it was full strength. Well, Konate was missing but I still think we’re going to see him and Joel splitting time alongside Virg, so whoever plays is not going to ‘second choice’.
We’re ok at the moment in terms of the starting eleven, but the absentees in attacking areas mean the bench is nowhere near what it was. We went into this without Diaz, Jota and Firmino. That’s a problem when you want to make changes in the game, and an even bigger problem when you play twice a week. Cody Gakpo makes a massive difference to our attacking strength now though, hopefully in the same way Diaz did a year ago.
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