Everything has a limit and a ceiling. “Villarreal”, based on their resources, has already jumped above his head. Of course, especially romantically inclined persons could expect that the “yellow submarine” would repeat what they did with Juventus and Bayern, but the majority believed that Unai Emery’s team still did not succeed. I must say that at the previous stages they also thought so. But if a miracle happens once, a miracle happens twice, then the probability of a miracle happening a third time in a row is very low. Otherwise, the very concept of a miracle will have to be reconsidered. 22 Bet is the most reliable bookmaker for your bets
But it should be noted that Villarreal remained true to itself and in the first part of the match it clearly reminded how it took Bayern and Juventus. Yes, probably, this time they pressed him especially hard and powerfully, but the main thing remained – at the maximum concentration, Villarreal avoided conceded goals. The “Reds” thrashed from afar, beat on the move, staged mass raids and filled up with innings and lumbago. But in those situations where others would have been dizzy, the Villarreal players kept calm. Previous successes with this tactic gave additional confidence. Even the ringing of the bar after Alcantara’s savory blow did not bother them.
However, when applying such a very dangerous and yet focused on some kind of luck, and not just on one’s own skill, an approach can run into trouble.
Shots on goal (on target): 20 (5) – 1 (0)
Here we can talk about the complete neutralization of Villarreal, which carried out only 15 attacks in the entire game. Liverpool, in 90 minutes of the game, carried out 93 attacks, that is, approximately one attack per minute. This machine was extremely difficult to resist. And in the attack, Villarreal scored only one hit for the entire game. Yes, and that one attempt by Lo Celso was inaccurate. Liverpool scored a standard 20 shots for a dominant team.
But only five hit the target, that is, the defense of the guests left the opponent in a rather uncomfortable position for him to hit without preparation. Therefore, for example, in the first half, long-range strikes or shots on the move prevailed, which lacked accuracy. The merit of defending Villarreal is also hidden here. And Luis Diaz became the most hitting on the field with five attempts. Salah and Mane have four each.
Ball possession (passing accuracy): 68% (89%) – 32% (72%)
Here, too, everything is to be expected. Liverpool had total possession of the ball, not allowing the opponent to even enjoy control a little. Although it is unlikely that Villarreal counted on this – the essence of his game is not at all in this. The Reds’ passing accuracy is high, based on the constant control of the ball. But at Villarreal, it is rather low even for a counterattacking model. Usually, with a good counterattack without possession, the figure tends to 80 percent.
Here, the pressure of Liverpool is just noticeable, which quickly and high covered the enemy, depriving him of the opportunity to raise his head to start an operational counterattack. In total, Villarreal made only 182 accurate passes, and Liverpool – 645. At the same time, the guests ran 110 kilometers, and the hosts – 108. Quite a bit for a Champions League match. More “ran” the ball. The “Reds” passed it on, and the “yellows” tried to intercept it.
