The very best striker within the Premier League versus the perfect defender within the Premier League in a one-on-one showdown with thousands and thousands of individuals watching internationally?
Liverpool vs Manchester Metropolis had far larger issues at stake on Sunday (it completed 1-1 for these of you who reside on Mars) however these few seconds when Erling Haaland took on Virgil van Dijk had been explosive and thrilling.
Two masters of their artwork had virtually 3,500 sq. metres of hallowed Anfield turf to themselves.
Haaland thundered in the direction of aim, dancing across the ball with protracted step-overs and feints, determined to tempt a problem from the sport’s most unflappable centre-half. However the Dutchman resisted, back-tracking in the direction of his personal aim, and although he finally couldn’t cease Haaland from slipping away and taking up the shot, it was an effort comfortably collected by his goalkeeper.
Improbable defending, or a slice of luck? The Athletic breaks it down, with the assistance of former Premier League strikers and centre-backs.
The Premier League title race on The Athletic…
So, the ball breaks, and also you’re staring down a single defender, with the liberty of the pitch to work with. What goes by your head?
“Effectively, you’re weighing up who you’re up in opposition to”, the Premier League’s all-time high goalscorer Alan Shearer tells The Athletic. “If, for argument’s sake, you’re up in opposition to a man who you already know shouldn’t be as fast, then the apparent factor you’re going to do is knock it and run it.”
“However he is aware of he isn’t going to try this to Virgil, as a result of the Liverpool defender is without doubt one of the few individuals who can sustain with Haaland — even working backwards.”
The answer is to unsettle Van Dijk, to throw him off steadiness with a sequence of twisting dummies and drives. Throughout a five-second stampede, the Norwegian throws in three physique feints, two adjustments of course and one devastating burst of tempo to lastly break free from his defender’s grasp.
Haaland’s first transfer is to dart onto his proper foot; that is throughout the defender’s physique and away from the place Van Dijk is attempting to point out him, however onto his weaker foot.
Notice Van Dijk’s physique form — side-on and crouched low, capable of shift his physique weight if required. That stance, based on former Ivory Coast centre-back Sol Bamba, is essential to the battle.
“Often, if I used to be teaching a younger defender, I’d not inform them to show their again to the ball a lot. However Van Dijk by no means loses sight of the place Haaland is — he’s low on his knees and side-on, which suggests he’s ready to spring in any course to comply with his run.”
Seconds later, and Haaland has modified tack as soon as once more.
“What he’s attempting to do is go left, go proper, go left, go proper, after which attempt to get Virgil off steadiness to realize management of the duel. However the defender doesn’t dive in, he stands up the entire approach,” says Shearer.
It’s a transfer for which Van Dijk has turn out to be famend throughout his imperious spell on the coronary heart of Liverpool’s defence, famously warding Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko onto his left foot throughout the same break again in 2019.
Statistically, that reveals by with the ‘true’ tackles metric, which mixes tackles received and misplaced, in addition to fouls dedicated whereas making an attempt a sort out, to measure how usually a participant seems to be to “stick a foot in”. During the last 5 seasons, Van Dijk averages simply 2.2 sort out makes an attempt per recreation, however crucially, his success charge is up at a really excessive 61 per cent.
“He by no means dives in and that’s an artwork”, says Bamba. “It’s so straightforward to be tempted to go in for the sort out, however in case you dive in, somebody like Haaland is simply going to push the ball previous you and beat you.”
“If it was me, I in all probability would have dedicated,” Bamba continues, “Neil Warnock used to say to us, ‘If the ball passes, the striker doesn’t!’.”
“Nevertheless it takes actual self-discipline to again off like that. Van Dijk is intelligent, performs together with his head and reads the sport very well.”
The relentless Haaland continues to twist and switch even because the areas proceed to be shut down.
Having already turned Van Dijk round twice, the striker crops his proper foot as if he’s about to tug the ball over together with his left, however as an alternative geese to the alternative aspect and continues onto his stronger foot.
Right here we are able to see the refined transfer in three frames, as Haaland nudges the ball beneath Van Dijk’s trailing boot and powers in the direction of the penalty space.
The ensuing shot, nonetheless, is weak, and Shearer places that all the way down to the defensive strain.
“As a result of he hadn’t had a lot pleasure in going left and proper, Haaland is considering, ‘Proper, I’m going to expire of time in a minute, so I’ve to get my shot away fairly rapidly’.”
“In actuality, he would have most popular to be one other three or 4 yards nearer, in order that’s a part of Van Dijk doing his job and making the ahead’s thoughts as much as take the shot the place he has carried out”
Having stored near Haaland throughout, the defender even manages to lean into the striker simply as he’s lining up his shot.
Off steadiness, pressured broad, and together with his angles narrowed down, affected person defensive play and fixed consideration to the ball have minimised the chance of the world’s most deadly striker getting a clear shot away, an effort valued at 0.10 anticipated objectives by Opta, primarily suggesting a median participant would have a ten per cent likelihood of scoring. Not a foul end result from an intimidating one-v-one.
“He makes it so uncomfortable for him,” says Bamba, “He’s so near him for 40 metres, and forces him right into a tough shot.”
“I’d’ve fancied it in my heyday, yeah!” chuckled Shearer, requested if he would have loved such a showdown in an enormous recreation equivalent to this. You possibly can’t begrudge the boldness from a person with 260 Premier League objectives.
However there aren’t many gamers in world soccer who can reliably beat Van Dijk in a one-v-one, as his newest titanic tussle confirmed.
“He would have believed in himself in that state of affairs, Haaland, but it surely simply didn’t occur”, stated Shearer, “and that was extra by actually, actually good defending than it was poor attacking play.”
Let’s hope we get a re-run once more quickly.
(Prime picture: Premier League)
