Another Q and A with The Liverpool Offside

Heres another interview with  Latortillablanca from The Liverpool Offside before our second leg against them this week.

BM: Liverpool played very well against us away from home last week.  Do you think Liverpool had one of the best games of their season against us, or is the way you play just good at throwing off BVB.

TLO: Portions of that game were certainly as good as anything that this team has put together since Klopp came in. What was heartening were the partnerships: Dejan-Mama, Milner covering Moreno, Emre-Allen coming into their own in the second half. There have been probably only two other more complete games this season, against Manchester City and Southampton, where Liverpool dominated start to finish. But in those games, City were still kind of finding their feet, and Southampton was a midweek cup game in the first half of the year when plenty of wonky results come out of nowhere.

This one felt more earned, somehow. We set out an honest gameplan that was built on the winning of matchups more so than smoke and mirrors, and the lads simply competed well. And in that sense, considering how important it is for a young team to learn how to execute under pressure, it was our best game of the season.

BM: Your defence played very well against us, do you suspect you'll line up the same back 4 again. What do you think their biggest weakness is going to be heading into our match after watching them play BVB?

TLO: The defense will most likely be the same, barring some sort of freak injury. Our biggest defensive weakness has also been one of the most consistent traits of this Liverpool team: we have zero clue how to defend a set piece.

We saw in the first leg, with Hummels' goal. We saw it at the weekend, where Stoke were inches away from matching Liverpool's four goal output off of Shaqiri's deliveries, alone.

The other areas of defensive weakness aren't unfamiliar, and we also saw them in the first leg. Both fullbacks will push up, leaving the central defenders, and the deepest midfielder(s) to cover. While that's our jam, in general, and we are well drilled in those movements, it's no less of an area for concern when you have guys like Auba and Reus drifting around as targets for Mkhitaryan. You guys had plenty of chances straight up the gut in possession, as well, so it basically feels on a knife edge where that stuff is concerned.

Who will hold their nerve, basically.

BM: What do yo think about Liverpool banning drums from the away stands during the game? Many BVB fans are very upset about it, being that they have been allowed to bring drums into other English stadiums like White hart Lane and The Emirates.

TLO: Seems pretty unnecessary, if we're honest. It seems to be part of the standing security policy, with an Exeter City fan having been denied bringing his drum in during that cup tie early this year. Not sure what is more or less safe about having one fan or many banging drums to cheer their team on. There would be plenty of fanbases around the world who would raise eyebrows at the idea--it is a long standing footy fan tradition, after all.

We've also been digging the German-Liverpool love that seems to be happening ever since Klopp's appointment (#AugsburgBFFs.com), so anything that puts that in jeopardy will earn serious stink eye from our corner of the web.

BM: What surprised you about the way Dortmund played last Thursday?

TLO:So, it was less a surprise and more like that moment when you get to the peak of a roller coaster and right before you plunge down towards earth you have that "Oh, shit, this is happening isn't it" moment. Exhilarating. Fast. Scary. Skillful. Expansive.

And surprisingly--oops, guess there was one in there after all--livable. You guys let us play so that you could play, and that's ultimately what lets us into any game we get joy out of.

The big question is will that still be the case at Anfield? Will both teams go for the win from the start, or will it get cagier and muckier? We know which game we're hoping for!

BM: Liverpool just blew out Stoke in their last EPL fixture, what did Liverpool do right there and do you think they will be able to carry that momentum into our 2nd leg fixture?

TLO: The main thing we did right was carry the ethos of the team over into a heavily rotated squad, and rode out the rough points while taking our chances on goal. In that sense, we didn't approach the Stoke City game any differently from how we approached the first leg against Dortmund.

We relied on a blue collar midfield three to take advantage of its numbers, and make things easier for the backline and forwards. We would expect that in the second leg. We pressed well. We would expect that every time. And Divock Origi showed up again.

There was one thing that would be nice to carry over to the Dortmund game, which was teed off by Sturridge's presence. Him and Origi have this alternating movement they get into where they both will pull wide on opposite sides, and whichever one of them that is closer to the possession will drop down almost to midfield, while the other will make a run either across the face of defense, or just off the shoulder looking for the pass over the top. Sometimes the pass will come from the other forward directly, or sometimes it's just that movement that opens the window for the crossfield ball from someone else.

It's the sort of thing, though, that you won't see with Coutinho and Lallana in those positions in the game. Either because of the forward instinct it takes, or something that's been specifically worked on in training for those players, or both, it's this pet Origi-Studge movement that has big potential. It's unlikely we start with both those strikers, but look out for it if they both take the field.

BM: Origi is definitely not a household name yet yet played very well against us last Thursday scoring the opening goal. Was this a random blip of success for the lad or will he continue his success against us and beyond?

TLO: He might actually be our form player at the moment. Aside from the Dejan-Mama partnership, it's become a go-to force for the team.

Origi hasn't been playing like this all season, but he has definitely been building up to it since Klopp came in. Klopp's very first game was against Tottenham, actually, another team that presses well despite what you all saw against them. And because of injuries, Origi got that start, and he had spurts throughout that game where he was doing the stuff you see him doing now.

Battling CBs, drawing them apart from each other, picking up possession wide to dribble at a fullback, getting into the box, making the little lateral runs on the combination that you saw in the first game. That stuff is all such high level forward play, it's really hard to argue that the kid's not for real. It's early days, yet, but perhaps we're looking at the first steps of the next great Liverpool striker.

BM: Did the YNWA both sets of fans did before our match give you goosebumps as it did for me?

TLO: Depends--were you able to wash your linens on your forearm afterwards? Because we were.

BM: Score?

TLO: 1-1. Penalties. Liverpool go through with Mignolet making one stop to Weidenfeller's none, and Lucas scoring the final spot-kick.