Set-piece praise, Arne Slot tactics & Gravenberch debate – AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool – Liverpool FC

Liverpool eased supporters’ worries from the weekend’s defeat, as they went to AC Milan and won 3-1 in the Champions League.

While we saw the Reds’ shortcomings against Nottingham Forest and in the first few minutes at San Siro, we were also shown how Liverpool can play when everything is going to plan.

Arne Slot‘s side held their nerve after going a goal behind and several individuals stepped up to overcome a difficult test in the Champions League.

Here, Sam Millne (@sam_millne) and Adam Beattie (@beatts94) discussed Liverpool’s 3-1 win against Milan and what it could mean going forward.

The good…

SAM: I think you’ve got to praise Slot as well as the players for this one.

While Saturday’s Anfield display was disjointed, Liverpool looked comfortable in their system against Milan with each player given clearly defined roles, unlike the last 20 minutes against Forest.

This allowed Trent Alexander-Arnold to be particularly effective as it was his quick switches that proved one of the best ways to exploit Milan in the first half.

The night was also a success for the coaching staff who saw their hard work on the training ground pay off with two goals from corners.

Of course, Liverpool will usually need to play well to beat teams, but when they can’t, threatening from set-pieces is vital to picking up points across a whole season.

Set-piece coach Aaron Briggs and the coaching staff can be very happy with their night’s work!

ADAM: I think the most pleasing thing for me was the response to the opener. It would have been easy to panic and revert to type, but they stayed patient and stuck to Slot’s new principles.

Cody Gakpo was also a big positive. The left-hand side of the front three was seen as an area we could upgrade in the summer, but the starts he and Luis Diaz have made have been hugely encouraging.

It was interesting to hear afterwards that Slot had initially planned to start him against Forest – you’d expect he’s right in contention for Bournemouth.

A perfect start in one of our tougher away fixtures. You sense if we take care of business at Anfield we should be in good shape to land a top-eight finish.

The bad…

ADAM: Conceding first and early was a harrowing flashback, it was a well-taken goal but we could have done without Kostas Tsimikas giving them such a gift to hit us on the break with.

Diogo Jota’s close-range miss was also very unlike him. He’s looked a touch out of sorts and with the competition we’ve got up front I expect we might see a bit more rotation across the five games we’ve got before the next international break.

SAM: It seems harsh to criticise after such a good result, but if there were any drawbacks, they came in the opening minutes.

Tsimikas looked like the player we know he is, decent at times but someone who needs time to find his feet. The Greek’s early erratic decision-making was the perfect case in point.

Being ultra-critical, you could also say Liverpool lost some control towards the end but the match was all-but over at that point.

Another brilliant Gravenberch display…

ADAM: I was actually slightly surprised to see Ryan Gravenberch named man of the match again, though I think that speaks more for the level he’s currently at.

It has been a breath of fresh air to see him slot so seamlessly into that midfield as a regular starter. His defensive work was especially promising, something that will be a massive help to the back four if he can sustain it throughout the season.

The midfield unit as a whole worked really well at San Siro, alleviating some of the understandable concerns stemming from Saturday.

SAM: It feels like we’ve said this after each of Liverpool’s games bar Forest this season, but Gravenberch was excellent again – he just suits Slot’s needs in a holding midfielder so well.

Countless times, he received the ball on the turn in half spaces from the centre-backs and was also brave enough to make those vertical passes into the forwards, too.

The 22-year-old is also developing his defensive side and suddenly will feel like a massive miss when he is out of the side.

Who is best-suited to replace Gravenberch when he can’t play?

ADAM: I’d personally look to get Curtis Jones alongside Alexis Mac Allister in that scenario, but I fear we’re only a couple of absences from being somewhat exposed there.

SAM: While I love Endo, it is difficult to see him playing exactly as Gravenberch has. As Adam says, Jones and Mac Allister seem the most technically proficient to play like their Dutch teammate.