The Technical Area – Assessing Liverpool’s Wing-Backs

Brendan Rodgers’ recent shift to 3-4-1-2 has clearly made an impact up front for Liverpool. Luiz Suarez’ return from suspension has allowed the Reds boss to pair the Uruguayan with Daniel Sturridge and with both players showing scintillating form, the Merseysiders have racked up eight goals in three games in their new formation, compared to five goals in the opening five fixtures whilst operating with a 4-2-3-1.

Suarez and Sturridge have understandably hogged the headlines. The former has produced 29 points in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, whilst Sturridge continues to find the net at a remarkably consistent pace and has grabbed three goals and a pair of assists since operating as part of a front two.

The change in system, however, brings the Liverpool full-backs onto Fantasy radars. Glen Johnson’s return from injury in Saturday’s trip to Newcastle earned the 5.7 priced defender a spot on the right of the midfield four, whilst Aly Cissokho was afforded his first start on the opposite flank as a result of Jose Enrique’s knee problem.

Ahead of a run of games which sees the Reds welcome West Brom, Fulham, Norwich, West Ham and Cardiff to Anfield in the next nine, in addition to a trip to Hull, we take a look at all three full-backs displays from midfield and, in the case of Johnson and Enrique, compare it to their previous performances as part of a four-man backline.

Average Positions versus Newcastle

As shown by the average position map from the St James’ Park clash (left), Johnson (2) played a significant part in the visitors’ attacking forays. Granted, Liverpool’s prospects were boosted by the dismissal of the Magpies centre-half Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa just before the break but even compared to his team-mates, Johnson’s advanced position when on the ball bodes well for those eyeing up his acquisition – he was further forward on the back Cissokho (20) on the left and, significantly, Victor Moses (12), despite the fact the latter was playing in “the hole” behind Sturridge (15) and Suarez (7). It also should be noted that Rodgers switched to a back-four late on in the St James’ Park encounter.

Liverpool’s Wing-Backs

First of all, let’s take a look at Johnson and Cissokho’s stats from the Magpies match and also factor in Enrique’s couple of appearances in the role over Gameweeks 6 and 7 – where Liverpool faced 11 men for the entire 90 minutes.

Against Newcastle, Johnson and Cissokho were more or less identical for many key indicators. In terms of touches (65 to 64), touches in the final third (28 to 32), passes received in the final third (20 to 18) and successful passes made in this crucial attacking area (17 to 16), there was little to separate the pair. Cissokho, however, had a tendency to deliver ball from out wide with far greater regularity, making double the number of crosses (6 to 3) than Johnson but in terms of overall Fantasy potential, it’s Johnson who looked the more dangerous. The fit-again defender created 3 goalscoring opportunities for his team-mates compared to Cissokho’s 1 and whilst Johnson also managed a couple of attempts on goal, the Frenchman failed to register a single shot.

Looking at Enrique’s stats against Sunderland and Palace over the previous two, he average more touches (78) per game than either of the two wing-backs yesterday. While he received a similar number of passes in the final third as Cissokho down the left (16 to 18), the Spaniard made less touches in this area (23.5 to 32) and registered more or less half the number of successful passes (8.5 to 16) – a sign that his distribution doesn’t quite compare in the danger area. Enrique’s 6.5 crosses per game and average of a single key pass was virtually mirrored by Cissokho (6 and 1) yesterday, though his ability to forage forward allowed him 2.5 touches in the box over his couple of appearances at wing-back, compared to Cissokho’s grand total of 1 on Tyneside.

Johnson and Enrique – Full-Back versus Wing-Back

As the graphics above illustrate, both Johnson (Gameweek 8) and Enrique (Gameweeks 6 and 7) have benefitted from the shift to 3-4-1-2 in terms of average position when on the ball. While Johnson seen less of the ball on Saturday than usual – an average of 79.3 touches over the first three Gameweeks dropped to 65 at Newcastle – the stats in the final third are encouraging for those looking to invest.

A previous average of 23 touches in this area rose to 28 (this equates to 43% of all touches in the final third compared to 29% beforehand), while the upturn in both passes received further up the pitch (13.7 up to 20) and successful passes made, in particular (from 9.7 to 17) bode well. Again, this pattern continues when you look at Johnson’s previous crossing (1.3 up to 3) and “key passes” – he failed to provide a single goalscoring opportunity for his team-mates over the first three matches compared to Saturday’s tally of 3. Perhaps surprisingly, his touches inside the box failed to improve, though his eye for goal also rose – he had previously managed 4 shots over the first trio of league fixtures.

Enrique’s touches in the final third have risen substantially from the tactical alteration. The Spaniard managed just 11.8 per game at full-back – more or less half Johnson’s 23 – but this rose to 23.5 as a result of his midfield move. Indeed, whilst Johnson’s overall touches dropped, Enrique’s improved from 65.4 to 78, with his final third stats for passes received (9.6 to 16) also seeing a significant increase.

In spite of the upturn, the number of successful passes in the final third barely rose, from 7 per game to 8.5 (half of Johnson’s 17 at the weekend), though a more advanced berth has seen Enrique deliver 6.5 crosses per game, compared to just 1.2 beforehand. In terms of creating chances for others, the Spaniard has remained steady (1.2 to 1 key pass) and while he has registered a total of 5 touches in the box over his two appearances at wing-back, compared to an identical amount across five matches at full-back, Enrique has failed to produce a single attempt on goal from his more advanced position – previously, he had managed 3 over the first five fixtures.

Liverpool Attack and Defence Stats – Gameweek 1-5 versus Gameweek 6-8

Finally, we take a look at the overall team stats over the two featured periods. Liverpool started off with a run of three clean sheets but have now conceded in each of their last five – however, as mentioned above, the shift to 3-4-1-2 has helped increase their attacking potential and with goals arriving a little easier now, it may well be that Rodgers decides to retain the new formation.

Certainly, as the data shows Liverpool have improved across many areas. An average of 748.2 touches per game has risen to 821.7, whilst the Reds have seen far greater possession in the crucial final third – an improvement of 60 touches per game, from 177 to 237 highlights the offensive potential on offer.

Liverpool have improved markedly when it comes to touches inside the box – a total of 112 over Gameweeks 1-5, or average of 22.4, has jumped to 108 over Gameweeks 6-8; up to 36 per game now. Furthermore, this has led to an increase in shots of 12.6 to 17 over the two windows and with Suarez installed alongside Sturridge and the two wing-backs pushing on, the Reds new approach has led to 10.3 attempts in the box compared to 7.4 beforehand.

At the back, while Rodgers’ side have conceded slightly more attempts (from 13.8 to 16 per game), a move to a three-man backline means they have actually afforded their opponents less efforts inside the box (down from 7 to 5 per game), though the number of big chances conceded, ie – where opponents are expected to find the net, has increased from 5 conceded over the first five Gameweeks to a similar tally over the last three.

Going by the upturn in offensive output, it seems likely that Rodgers will continue with the same system, as he looks to hand Suarez and Sturridge the chance to wreak havoc on opposition backlines – perhaps against tougher opponents, a back-four will be re-installed but the positives certainly outweigh the negatives here.

Potentially, the stats suggest the wing-backs should benefit from an offensive perspective and as the shots conceded in the box above indicate, the Reds haven’t been quite as porous as we’d assume.

With Enrique and Cissokho likely to battle it out for the role on the left, Johnson may be the one to profit most going forward – Fantasy suitors will be hoping that his final third statistics, creativity and goal threat against the Magpies are a sign of things to come.