Caught out by a back five nobody expected, Liverpool adjust, press harder and come from behind again.
The numbers
| Liverpool | Atlético de Madrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 45% | 55% |
| Shots | 14 | 9 |
| xG | 1.62 | 0.91 |
| Touches in opp. box | 33 | 18 |
Result the chances deserved: Liverpool 54% / 25% / Atlético de Madrid 21% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet, van Dijk, Kerkez, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Barcola, Wirtz, Ngumoha, Isak.
Atlético de Madrid (3-4-2-1): Oblak, Pubill, Romero, Hancko, Llorente, Barrios, Koke, Simeone, Lee Kang-in, Baena, Álvarez.
Atlético de Madrid subs: Grimaldo & Lookman (59', Lee Kang-in & Koke), Jonathan David (73', Baena), Le Normand & Hjulmand (77', Romero & Barrios). Coach: Diego Simeone. FotMob lists a 3-4-2-1; Iraola described a back five, a 5-3-2 without the ball, with Giuliano Simeone on the left.
Key moments, move by move
- Atlético de Madrid win the ball and break through Liverpool's midfield.
- Llorente, starting at right wing-back, runs beyond Kerkez.
- Álvarez spots the run and threads the pass through; Kerkez is caught out.
- Llorente races clear and finishes calmly past Alisson: his fifth goal against Liverpool.
- Barcola gets in behind again and Oblak saves.
- Araujo, up in the box from right-back, reacts first to the loose ball.
- His flick sends Szoboszlai through.
- Szoboszlai rolls it past Oblak from close range.
- Liverpool break quickly early in the second half; beIN SPORTS says Wirtz led the counter.
- Ngumoha carries it down the left (The Will).
- Isak lays the ball back to the edge of the box.
- Mac Allister hits it first time with his left foot, hard into the corner.
A back five Liverpool hadn't planned for
- The surprise. Atlético de Madrid lined up with a back five, a 5-3-2 in Iraola's words, with Giuliano Simeone on the left. Iraola said he hadn't expected it because Atlético hadn't used it this season, and that Liverpool were slow to adjust.
- The opener. From right wing-back, Llorente ran beyond Kerkez and Álvarez found him: 1–0 after 17 minutes. It was Llorente's fifth goal against Liverpool, half of his ten in the Champions League (Opta Analyst).
- Runs in behind. Barcola was through on Oblak at 15', 40' and 49' and scored none, but the 40' save led to Araujo's flick and Szoboszlai's equaliser. Sky Sports' Adam Bate said his fitness looked sharper than his finishing. He went off with cramp just before the hour.
- After the break. Iraola said Liverpool pressed better in the second half, and Mac Allister's winner came five minutes in. With only 45% of the ball, Liverpool still had 33 touches in the box to 18 and 1.62 xG to 0.91 (FotMob). Frimpong had a late goal ruled out for offside.
Recreate it in FM26
Liverpool · Liverpool's second-half press against a back five · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Liverpool's second-half press against a back five
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Alisson | Goalkeeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Araujo | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Jacquet | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | van Dijk | Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Kerkez | Full-Back | Holding Full-Back |
| RDM | Szoboszlai | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Mac Allister | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Barcola | Inside Forward | Inside Outlet Winger |
| AM | Wirtz | Advanced Playmaker | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Ngumoha | Winger | Winger |
| ST | Isak | Centre Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Attacking TransitionCounter-Attack
- Passing DirectnessMore Direct
- TempoHigher
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Trigger PressMore Often
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
- Defensive LineHigher
The idea: Press Atlético de Madrid's back three and midfield high, and when the ball is won play it straight into the runs behind the wing-backs. Barcola as an Inside Forward attacks that space; you need a quick winger who runs in behind and a No. 10 like Wirtz who can play the pass first time.
What FM26 can't copy: Liverpool were slow to adjust to a back five they hadn't prepared for, and a fixed FM tactic can't show that in-game fix.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 3-4-3, Tsimikas on at 46' (for Kerkez). Match Atlético de Madrid's back five from the first whistle so Llorente has a direct opponent, keep the high press, and freshen the left side at half-time. It removes the slow start rather than the comeback. It moves Liverpool's win chance from 54% to 62% (xG 1.62–0.91 becomes 1.67–0.66). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Liverpool needed
Cody Gakpo
Against a back five that Liverpool took an hour to work out, Gakpo is the player who finds the pass in behind. Five days earlier at Ipswich he set up both of Isak's goals with passes into the channels. Barcola kept getting through on Oblak; Gakpo's passing from the left could have found Isak the same way and made the early spell less painful.
Nuno Mendes
Atlético de Madrid's goal came from Llorente running beyond Kerkez from wing-back. Nuno Mendes has the recovery pace to track that run and the carrying ability to push Llorente back when Liverpool have the ball. Against a back five that leaves the wing-backs as the main outlet, a left-back who wins that duel both ways changes the first half.
What the analysts said
“I take some blame, I take some responsibility because you prepare for a lot of things. I didn't expect a back five because they haven't done it this season.”Andoni Iraola
“I think the team [and] the players have shown big character - big character.”Andoni Iraola
“No, it's cramp. It's just cramp, there is no injury.”Andoni Iraola on Barcola
“We're in a building phase. People don't like to hear that, but we're building and we still have several things to sort out.”Diego Simeone
The fix came quickly. The slow starts are the pattern.
Liverpool deserved this. They had less of the ball (45%) but 14 shots to nine, 33 touches in Atlético de Madrid's box to 18, and 1.62 xG to 0.91 (FotMob; Opta Analyst has 1.68 to 0.81). Barcola alone was through on Oblak three times, and Isak dragged a shot wide in the first minute after Szoboszlai robbed Koke.
The problem was the first half-hour. Atlético switched to a back five they hadn't used this season, and Iraola took the blame for being slow to match it. Llorente's run from wing-back, past Kerkez, made the opener. Iraola counted it himself afterwards: in four games, Liverpool had come from behind three times. That shows character, but it also means opponents keep finding the first gap.
The fix worked. Liverpool pressed better after the break, and both goals came from players arriving late: Araujo in the box to flick the loose ball on, Mac Allister first time from the edge. Ngumoha started because Gakpo was rested with an adductor problem, and he was part of the move for the winner. Barcola lasted 59 minutes before cramp, so the front line that won this game is not yet a front line that can play every three days.