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Alright so I’ve been tracking Premier League formations all season, right? When I saw Villa hosting Liverpool this weekend, I grabbed my notebook immediately. Figured there’d be some tweaks after both teams had midweek games.
Starting Point
First thing I did was pull up my notes from Liverpool’s previous match against Spurs. Had to flip through three pages because my handwriting’s messy – been scribbling formations during coffee breaks at my day job. Clear as day though: Konaté, Jones, and Díaz all started that one.
Then I brewed another coffee and booted up the Villa-Liverpool broadcast. Eyes glued to the lineup graphics scrolling at the bottom. Boom! Three changes jumped out at me straight away:
- Konaté OUT ➡️ Quansah IN
- Jones OUT ➡️ Gravenberch IN
- Díaz OUT ➡️ Gakpo IN
Spotting Patterns
Watched the first half replay twice after the match. Noticed Klopp pushed Trent way higher up when Liverpool had possession – practically playing as a right winger! Made sense bringing in Quansah’s fresh legs with Konaté sitting. That kid covered so much ground clearing loose balls near VVD.
Gravenberch surprised me though. Saw him tracking back constantly when Villa countered through the middle. Way more defensive hustle than Jones showed last game. And Gakpo? Subbed him off at 65 minutes looking knackered after all those pressing runs.
Took screenshots every 15 minutes to sketch the shape changes. My toddler started crying during the 30th minute capture – ended up drawing Connor Bradley’s position with crayon on the edge! Least his scribbles matched Bradley’s actual crazy forward runs.
Final Thoughts
Finished my notes around midnight. Three changes looked scary on paper before kickoff but honestly? Klopp nailed this rotation. Quansah didn’t put a foot wrong, Gravenberch’s work rate saved us twice on counters, and Gakpo’s pressing forced two Villa mistakes. Shame about dropping points late but these subs made sense when you see how stretched the squad is.