Set-piece improvements at Liverpool benefit Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool’s latest victory – their sixth Premier League win in a row – was a mixed bag for Fantasy managers.

Both goalscorers were midfield differentials owned by 2.5% of FPL managers or fewer but there was a 19th clean sheet of the season for the Reds’ defence and assists for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah.

Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, however, both drew blanks in South Wales.

Our analysis of the Sunday tea-time game at the Cardiff City Stadium continues below.

Cardiff City 0-2 Liverpool

• Goals: Georginio Wijnaldum (£5.5m), James Milner (£5.6m)
• Assists: Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m), Mohamed Salah (£13.2m)

Jurgen Klopp hailed the importance of set-pieces after Liverpool saw off Cardiff City on Sunday without scoring from open play.

Georginio Wijnaldum (£5.5m) smashed in a well-worked corner delivered by Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.6m) to put the Reds 1-0 up before substitute James Milner (£5.6m) capped off the victory from 12 yards following a foul by Sean Morrison (£4.8m) on Mohamed Salah (£13.2m).

Liverpool have scored more goals from set plays (20) than any other Premier League side in 2018/19, with 13 of the assists coming directly from corners.

As well as being a budget-friendly route into the Liverpool backline, Alexander-Arnold has the added appeal of being one of the Reds’ two chief set-piece takers.

Milner actually trumps the England right-back for corners taken this season (90 to 67) but Alexander-Arnold has a higher success rate and Milner’s squad player status (he has started in just one of his side’s last seven Premier League games) has been to the benefit of the Liverpool full-back.

No FPL asset has taken more corners or successful corners than Alexander-Arnold since his return from injury in Gameweek 28.

Speaking after the game, Klopp said:

We put a lot of effort into set-pieces. We were not bad, first half. We knew that Cardiff are outstandingly strong at offensive set-pieces but from time to time they have some problems with defensive set-pieces. The boys obviously found out [how to work the corner].

If you make all of these runs and you’re on the pitch, no camera angle is as good as your own view, so they decided to play that flat ball and Gini could make the run. With all the blocks, it was man-marking and if three players are man-marked and then you bring a fourth or a fifth one, then he is free. Obviously, Gini was free during that moment, but still, you have to hit the ball like this. A brilliant goal, I loved it.

Speaking of his side’s improvement at dead-ball situations (the Reds scored only 11 goals from free-kicks and corners in 2017/18), Klopp added:

We had to improve on it, we didn’t really score a lot of goals in the past from this. A big compliment to all the boys involved in that – the analysts, Pete Krawietz put a lot of work into that but in the end, the boys have to do it.

We have two or three routines around set-pieces, then it’s about trying all of them and figuring out what caused them the most problems, then you try that one again.

If you are not happy with all of the things on the day then we have to try something different. That’s difficult on the pitch to decide because you need too many players being involved, it’s like taking a proper time out and saying, ‘now we do it like this’. But at half-time, it is possible, so they did it.

What may be a deterrent for those Fantasy managers thinking of bringing in Alexander-Arnold for the season run-in is the return to fitness of Joe Gomez (£4.8m), who got more minutes under his belt when replacing the Liverpool right-back in the closing stages of Sunday’s game.

With a Premier League title on the line, of course, there is no guarantee that Klopp will make a change at full-back (or centre-half) in any of the final three league fixtures of 2018/19.

The Liverpool boss indeed said in his post-match press conference that the Champions League semi-final, first leg against Barcelona, which takes place five days after the Gameweek 36 clash with Huddersfield, is not in his thoughts.

Klopp said:

Our next game is against Huddersfield, which will be difficult again for different reasons. I know already that if I say, ‘it will be really tough’ then people look at me and say ‘what are you talking about? Do you think about Barcelona already?’ or some b******t like that. We will be completely focused on Huddersfield but until then, we have to train, recover, rest.

There was no certainly no complacency against Cardiff, who came into this match having lost all ten of their previous league meetings with “big six” sides in 2018/19.

The Reds’ away victory was similar in nature to the ones over Southampton and Fulham, with their limited opponents offering stubborn resistance before finally being broken down in the second half.

While Liverpool were not at their fluent best, there were chances aplenty for Salah, Sadio Mane (£10.0m) and Roberto Firmino (£9.3m).

The Reds’ front three had ten shots between them, with Firmino blazing over an excellent chance when one on one with Neil Etheridge (£4.6m) before the Philippines international denied Salah with a reaction stop just after half an hour.

Mane then diverted an Alexander-Arnold cross over from the edge of the six-yard box and rippled the roof of net after the break, before Salah – who spurned a couple of breakaway situations similar to the one he scored from at Southampton – drew a superb save out of Etheridge following a neat one-two with Firmino.

This was the first league match since the Merseyside derby in Gameweek 29 in which none of Liverpool’s front three had found the back of the net but there was still plenty to encourage owners ahead of that much-anticipated meeting with relegated Huddersfield this Friday.

Mane, indeed, carved out four opportunities for his team-mates, including the aforementioned gilt-edged chance that Firmino spurned from close range and a presentable opening that Jordan Henderson (£5.3m) ballooned over late in the game.

Henderson was again playing in a more advanced role in the middle of the park, with Wijnaldum as the defensive anchor in the midfield three.

Fabinho (£5.5m) was brought on for Naby Keita (£7.1m) on the 70-minute mark but lasted all of three minutes, with the Brazilian forced off following a clash of heads.

Klopp said of his midfielder’s condition:

It was very unlucky. Fabinho is OK but he had a bit of shaky legs and that’s of course not a good sign in the moment.

It’s a 100 per cent ‘yes’ or go off; if it’s 95 per cent in that game in that position, we cannot make that decision [to stay on]. It’s all good.

Fabinho’s swift exit meant that Milner took to the pitch in his stead and, for the second time in five Gameweeks, the former Manchester City midfielder’s on-field presence meant that Salah had to cede spot-kick duties to the undisputed number one penalty taker at the club.

We say “undisputed” but Salah did initially try to claim responsibility for the spot-kick and was visibly disappointed when Milner wrestled the ball from his grasp.

Virgil van Dijk (£6.6m) banked a bonus point to go with his clean sheet but the Bluebirds sporadically caused their visitors some problems and had their chances.

Junior Hoilett‘s (£5.0m) miscontrol allowed Andrew Robertson (£6.8m) the time to block the Canadian’s goalbound shot before Oumar Niasse (£5.0m) forced a save out of Alisson with a hooked effort from a corner.

Cardiff’s best opportunity came after the break, however, when Morrison mistimed his header with the goal gaping.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (£4.8m) was again impressive down the left flank, meanwhile, causing Alexander-Arnold plenty of problems in the first half.

Warnock praised his spirited side after full-time, saying:

The lads did really well. We wanted to give Liverpool a game and attack them when we could. We didn’t want to just sit back and have a boring 0-0, but they’re just a good side and there’s not a weakness in their team or on their bench.

I did feel that we could get something, but one bit of slack marking from a corner demonstrated the quality that they’ve got and I thought it was a soft penalty.

We’re still fighting and I’m really proud of them because I couldn’t fault one. They really gave their best and when you’re coming up against such quality, it’s great to give them a game and give the fans exciting moments because we knew we were going to be under the cosh for large parts it.

Harry Arter (£4.9m) missed out with a calf problem while Joe Ralls (£4.6m) limped off injured in the second half.

Warnock said of Ralls’ condition:

That, I don’t know. I’ve not had a chance with all the commitments that you media guys have. I haven’t been in the physio room yet. It looked like a hamstring [injury] to me, he stopped short, didn’t he? I honestly don’t know yet.

Cardiff City XI (4-1-4-1): Etheridge; Peltier, Morrison, Manga, Bennett; Gunnarsson; Hoilett (Murphy 83′), Camarasa, Ralls (Bacuna 78′), Mendez-Laing; Niasse (Zohore 66′).

Liverpool XI (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold (Gomez 85′), Matip, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Wijnaldum, Keita (Fabinho 71′, Milner 75′); Salah, Firmino, Mane.