"Conte definitely didn't expect that after preparing for so long, Sánchez would end up helping Leo score first. So what are Tottenham supposed to do now?"
"This reminds me of when Conte was still managing Chelsea and faced Liverpool. Leo wasn't nearly as famous back then as he is now, but he was already a very dangerous player."
"In that match, Conte's tactic was to give Leo space on his left foot. That was also the game that made everyone realize he wasn't just deadly with his right. His left foot was just as dangerous!"
Conte thought back to his days at Chelsea.
After leaving Chelsea, one of the things he had been happiest about was no longer having to face Leo in the Premier League.
But now that he was managing Tottenham, there was no avoiding him.
Once the match got underway, Tottenham continued looking for attacking opportunities through their five-man defense, relying heavily on the two wingbacks.
Both Sessegnon and Emerson Royal were quick. Alli would play passes into space for Sessegnon from midfield, and once Sessegnon surged forward, he would either cross directly or find Son Heung-min.
Son Heung-min and Kane naturally played the center-forward role very differently.
"Even though Son Heung-min and Kane are both starting up front, their styles are completely different. Kane wants the ball played into areas where he can immediately shoot or make a pass, while Son Heung-min likes to drift wide to receive it!"
"That means Liverpool's defenders need very clear assignments. From what we've seen so far, Gvardiol and Alexander-Arnold are working together to deal with Son Heung-min, while Konaté is responsible for Kane."
Compared with Gvardiol, Konaté's defensive style was better suited to dealing with Kane.
In the 16th minute.
"Sánchez carries the ball forward. Is he trying to make up for earlier by creating a goal for Tottenham?"
"He gives it to Winks, but Sánchez keeps running."
"Back to Sánchez. Ndombele continues to cover for him, and as a defender suddenly joining the attack, Sánchez is carrying the ball surprisingly well!"
Sánchez kept driving forward before eventually passing to Kane.
Kane controlled the ball and initially wanted to lay it back to Alli so they could combine into the space behind Liverpool's defense.
But Konaté immediately leaned into Kane from behind and positioned himself extremely cleverly.
Then, as Kane turned, he knocked Konaté to the ground.
The referee called a foul on Kane because Kane's shoulder had caught Konaté on the chin.
"Ref, he deliberately put his chin behind my shoulder! I wasn't trying to hit him!"
Kane couldn't understand the decision, but the referee actually responded.
"So you're saying he went through all that trouble just so he could take your shoulder to the chin? Kane, you committed the foul."
Konaté calmly got back to his feet.
That was simply the way he defended.
He wasn't just physically strong. The longer Konaté played at Liverpool, the smarter his defending became.
Spending so much time eating with Leo off the pitch really did seem to be helping him.
With Kane unable to find a way through, Tottenham could only try to create something through Son Heung-min instead.
In the 22nd minute, Sánchez eagerly launched a long ball toward the left.
At this point, Sánchez seemed to be the Tottenham player most desperate to attack.
Perhaps it was because he had heard about Conte's temper.
Conte had only recently taken charge and was still in the crucial stage of deciding which players belonged in his preferred lineup.
After effectively assisting Leo's goal earlier, Sánchez had practically told Conte, "Don't start me next match."
Naturally, Sánchez wanted to prove that he deserved to remain in Tottenham's starting eleven.
Son Heung-min received Sánchez's pass and immediately pulled the ball past Alexander-Arnold.
He wanted to continue forward, but Gvardiol arrived from the side.
Gvardiol didn't stick out a foot or dive into a challenge.
Instead, he simply blocked Son's crossing lane while deliberately leaving him room to continue dribbling.
Son carried the ball forward.
Every time he advanced a few yards and prepared to cross, he found Gvardiol standing directly in the passing lane again.
So Son could only keep dribbling.
Before he realized it, he had been forced all the way toward the byline.
Only then did Gvardiol step forward.
Even then, he still didn't try to poke the ball away or use his body. He merely shaped as though he was about to challenge.
Son cautiously carried the ball backward toward what looked like safer space.
Without realizing it, he had moved sideways from the byline toward the touchline, all the way into the corner of the pitch.
At that point, Gvardiol had even less reason to rush.
Son could no longer create a chance for Kane, nor could he realistically break through himself.
With so little space available, even protecting the ball had become difficult.
Gvardiol eventually knocked the ball safely out of play.
By then, every Liverpool defender had recovered into position and picked up Tottenham's attackers.
Tottenham's attack had ended without them even managing to put in a cross.
"I think Klopp could pair Van Dijk with Gvardiol and make them Liverpool's most stable starting center-back partnership."
"Or Gvardiol could move to right back, although Joe Gomez has been playing very well there too!"
"Liverpool have gone from a team that once had to choose between challenging for the league or focusing on the cups to a squad with several excellent options in almost every position. The transformation is complete!"
Liverpool had shut down both of Tottenham's attacks.
Once the danger was dealt with, Liverpool began taking control again.
Leo, Mac Allister, and Szoboszlai started rotating positions.
Conte still remembered Leo joking in his interview that if he were the manager and got to pick the lineup, he would simply put himself at left wing.
Now Conte was watching Leo actually move into the left-wing position.
Szoboszlai dropped into midfield, while Mac Allister operated between the center and the left flank like a gear connecting the two.
Whenever Mac Allister carried the ball and shifted toward the left, Szoboszlai rotated from the left into midfield while Leo moved from midfield out to the wing.
Then, as Mac Allister changed direction again, Leo and Szoboszlai would rotate around him once more.
In the 33rd minute.
Leo dropped a few steps deeper in midfield.
Tottenham's midfielders immediately moved toward him.
That opened the space for Mac Allister to receive the ball, and Konaté played it forward from the back straight to his feet.
After controlling it, Mac Allister shifted slightly toward the left.
At the same moment, Szoboszlai ran from behind Mac Allister into central midfield.
That was when Alli suddenly realized that Leo, whom he had been following only moments earlier, was already sprinting toward the left flank.
Tottenham's two midfielders, Alli and Winks, both chased Leo toward the left.
Ndombele stayed with Szoboszlai, while Emerson Royal also stepped forward to help deal with Leo.
Three Tottenham players were now focused on Leo.
And that left Mac Allister completely free.
He simply carried the ball straight through midfield.
Leo and Szoboszlai's movement had pulled Tottenham apart perfectly.
Some defenders had followed Leo, while the rest were occupied with Szoboszlai.
No one was left to stop Mac Allister.
Mac Allister kept advancing until he reached the edge of Tottenham's penalty area.
Only then did Winks leave the left side and begin moving centrally to close him down.
The moment Winks vacated that space, Leo suddenly burst out from behind him.
Mac Allister released the pass immediately.
Winks was still halfway toward Mac Allister when the ball flashed right in front of him.
He hadn't even heard Leo coming.
Winks turned.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Leo appear from behind him, collect Mac Allister's pass, and adjust his body inside Tottenham's penalty area.
"Liverpool have opened Tottenham up down the left! Leo shoots!"
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (60 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.