Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passes in opposition to Tottenham, Morgan Rogers’ dribbling and Leicester goalkeepers | Soccer information

There have been some magnificent performances for Liverpool of their 6-3 win over Tottenham on Sunday, but it surely was Trent Alexander-Arnold’s scrumptious cross to Luis Diaz that noticed Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders attain this categorical outcome.

“The cross is one thing else,” stated Gary Neville, co-commentary for Aerial sports activities. “It is precision. There are only a few gamers within the historical past of the Premier League who can do it on sixpence like that, with that stage of precision, pace and whip. It is completely excellent. “

Alexander-Arnold’s cross was a function of the match, his 4 profitable balls from open play being essentially the most he has ever made in a Premier League match. In actual fact, it has been two and a half years since he final did so – additionally in opposition to Spurs, because it occurs.

However it’s extra broadly his vary of passing that makes Alexander-Arnold such a uncommon expertise. A lot has been manufactured from the management Slot has tried to introduce to Liverpool, however their right-back stays an exception, typically on the lookout for riskier however extra rewarding passes.

He has accomplished essentially the most progressive passes of any Premier League participant this season – 205 of them – and his common passing distance is nineteen.1 meters, which is longer than every other participant within the league. Liverpool area. His first thought is harm the opposition.

That is evident from the variety of passes he makes to interrupt down the backline. Alexander-Arnold averages 11.5 such passes per 90 minutes this season, rating second behind Kevin De Bruyne. However the Liverpool man offers with this from deeper areas.

Towards Tottenham, seven of his passes went round six or extra opponents. It has been over a yr since he is performed this in a Premier League match, but it surely’s indicative of his means to interrupt via a crew. There’s certainly no extra spectacular ball passer within the nation.

Rogers’ dribble in opposition to Man Metropolis

“He exploded final season and this season. I believe he is a very prime participant. England have one other excellent participant.” That is Pep Guardiola’s verdict after being introduced down by Morgan Rogers in Manchester Metropolis’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.

It was maybe essentially the most eye-catching efficiency this reporter has seen within the flesh all season, intimidating the defending champions together with his power, working away from them together with his pace and punishing them together with his talent. He was distinctive in opposition to his former membership.

He arrange Jhon Duran’s first recreation, then scored the second himself. He has 5 objectives and three assists within the Premier League this season, however that solely hints at his position beneath Unai Emery.

Rogers, 22, ranks among the many Premier League’s prime 10 gamers for dribbling and thru passes, however what is especially fascinating is his outsized significance to Emery in opposition to what might be thought of the hardest opposition.

He accomplished 5 dribbles in opposition to Metropolis, having additionally performed the identical in opposition to Arsenal. Rogers hasn’t performed this greater than twice in his appearances this season in opposition to groups aside from final season’s prime two. Villa makes use of him to rise up the pitch in these matches.

“We would have liked to attach,” Emery defined afterward. “He actually did a incredible job in that scenario. One of many qualities he confirmed was his drives. He had a incredible drive, he broke the strains and we had been capable of go him. And he scored a incredible objective.”

There have been solutions that Rogers has regarded drained at occasions this season and that will be comprehensible. It was the primary time in a month that he had performed on the weekend, having not additionally appeared for Villa in a midweek match.

Curiously, 4 of Rogers’ 5 Premier League objectives this season have are available in matches the place he had not performed a single recreation within the earlier week. When he is filled with vitality, nothing can cease him, as Guardiola and Manchester Metropolis have found.

Leicester’s contrasting goalkeepers

If Mads Hermansen’s significance to Leicester Metropolis was nonetheless unsure, the goalkeeper’s absence in opposition to Wolves highlighted it as Danny Ward was criticized by the house help because the Foxes had been overwhelmed 3-0 on the King Energy Stadium.

Based on Opta, not one of the three objectives had been attributed to him as an error – with James Justin extra clearly culpable for the second – but it surely was tempting to assume that the very spectacular Hermansen might have prevented every of Wolves’ objectives.

Ward’s boos had been inappropriate however mirror the followers’ frustration and the statistics help the attention check. In Hermansen, Leicester have the goalkeeper who has averted essentially the most objectives within the Premier League up to now this season – 6.44 in complete.

That is partly as a result of he has confronted the second highest variety of photographs of any goalkeeper within the competitors, a sign in itself of Leicester’s precarious scenario. With virtually anybody else there, they might certainly already be sitting within the relegation zone.

If Hermansen is out for some time, the worry is that that is the place he finally ends up. And Leicester have been right here earlier than. Place was a difficulty throughout their 2022/23 relegation season, with Ward and Daniel Iversen each struggling throughout this marketing campaign.

Ward’s document that season highlights the distinction. Whereas Hermansen helps to forestall 0.42 objectives per 90 minutes this season, Ward ranks close to the underside amongst Premier League goalkeepers during the last three years, costing 0.28 objectives each 90 minutes.

On common, this means the distinction between the 2 might quantity to 2 objectives each three video games. No marvel Leicester are eagerly awaiting his return. The loss to Wolves was a little bit of an unwelcome style of how issues would possibly go with out him.