After a hard-fought and statement victory in West London, the Yellow Submarine are next up for Liverpool in the Champions League as they return to Anfield for the first time since the 2022 semi final. A win here would put us in a commanding position in the massive European table, and though they are a plucky outfit, which we can see through limiting Real Madrid to a singular goal recently, I do think we should be expecting a Reds win here.
With that said, though, how do Villarreal like to set up? Let’s take a look at the Yellow Submarines’ tactical approach and what Liverpool can do to overcome it.
Compactness Key To Their Plan:
They will pose a unique challenge as one of Spanish football’s most balanced teams. Villarreal will usually set up in a compact 442 mid block with set spaces between each player to try and limit central progression. They will look to force opposition wide and press in these opportunities, where they can form numerical advantages.
An illustration of Villarreal’s mid block in action, note the equidistant spacing throughout.
An example of how and where Villarreal like to target their press, in this hypothetical scenario, they would use the 4v3 as a pressing trigger.
Left-Sided Build-up Preference:
When they win possession in this mid block, some of the other key playing patterns from the Spanish outfit come to the fore. Two of which that we can see in action at this point are third man midfield runs and high full back positioning on the left wing. The second striker in the pairing, usually the partner of veteran Gerard Moreno, also drops in on the left side in this sequence. Due to this, I’d like to see Araujo more subdued in his positioning, occasionally staying back as the third man in the first line of build-up.
An example of where Villarreal players run and target when in possession.
How Liverpool Can Overcome Villarreal:
In terms of personnel, I’d actually like to see Ryan Gravenberch come into the midfield for this contest. The tight spaces Villarreal like to create could be to his advantage, as he thrives on turning and beating the press in said spaces. This also manages Trey Nyoni’s minutes well considering his age.
Another pattern of play I’d like to see involves something that we saw against Brentford, where Wirtz and Ngumoha combined and rotated within the right half space. Wirtz could also drop deep to influence and link up play in this matchup, using his game intelligence via scans and deft touches to draw in opponents and slip balls in behind for pacy wingers, whether Barcola, Ngumoha or Munoz.
Wirtz noticed the defender and used his momentum against him with a clever touch before playing Munoz in behind. This emphasises the importance of scanning.
Just to note - Ngumoha’s awareness and ball carrying are improving week after week, and I think he could really have a chance to shine here. The first goal initially comes from his close control to bypass Brentford’s wide press, similar to the one Villarreal like to employ.
Just before the previous image, Ngumoha plays his way out of this 3v2 press. This originally started the attack, and highlights how Rio is becoming more well-rounded.
When in a low block, Villarreal’s left-sided bias could also become their undoing, as Barcola is more likely to be left 1v1, or can contribute to overloads on the back post, which is how he got his assist against Brentford.
Before the winner, this is how the situation looked. Wirtz occupying an extra man allowed this overload, and we could exploit this against Villarreal with how they play off the ball.
Score And Lineup Predictions:
Now for the all important bit, how do I see this game going? Well, following a big win against Brentford, Wirtz having good performances back-to-back, and Isak being back in the lineup, I think we’ll win this one fairly comfortably. I’ll go with a 3-0 win, and this XI to start out:
Alisson, Araujo, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Ngumoha, Wirtz, Barcola, Isak
Make sure to submit your score and lineup predictions via the homepage if you haven’t already. Up the Reds!