{"id":1175791,"date":"2020-11-10T11:59:51","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T11:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1175791"},"modified":"2020-11-10T11:59:51","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T11:59:51","slug":"jurgen-klopp-liverpool-less-predictable","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/jurgen-klopp-liverpool-less-predictable\/","title":{"rendered":"The predictability of Jurgen Klopp\u2019s Liverpool is now \u201cwater under the bridge\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Virgil van Dijk went down injured against Everton, many Liverpool fans feared the worst for their season\u2019s prospects.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not only was Van Dijk the best centre-back in the world, but he was (along with Alisson) the lynchpin of Liverpool\u2019s approach to the vast majority of games over the past two seasons where they finished second and first with a total of 196 points.<\/p>\n

Liverpool set up to be solid at the back, hard to score against, and then took just enough risks in attack that his world-class forward line could get him enough goals needed to win. It was an incredibly successful formula but it falls to pieces without Van Dijk.<\/p>\n

Even with the Dutchman, Liverpool had begun to change this season as Jurgen Klopp attempted to stave off the complacency that always dogs serial winners like Liverpool. So the Reds were playing much higher up the pitch, pressing more intensely and trusting that Van Dijk and Alisson could handle whatever problems arose at the back.<\/p>\n

But again, without Van Dijk that simply does not work. Liverpool cannot build off their defence without the dominant Dutchman. So, what does Klopp do? Why, build off Liverpool\u2019s second-best unit of course: the attack.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mohamed Salah, Sadio Man\u00e9 and Roberto Firmino are one of the best front threes in world football (if not the<\/em> best). The forwards all have a superb chemistry with each other and their skill-sets are delightfully complementary both to each other and, even more importantly, Klopp\u2019s style of play. They are fabulous.<\/p>\n

This summer, Liverpool signed Diogo Jota. A player who, at first glance, appeared to be a back-up to said front three. But peer beneath the surface and you start to realise that Jota\u2019s profile is remarkably similar to that of Firmino and Man\u00e9 when they joined Liverpool. Talented, yes, but nobody was tipping them to be a world-beater.<\/p>\n

Put them into Liverpool\u2019s system however and, well, Diogo Jota started his Liverpool career with seven goals in 10 games, including a devastating hat-trick away to Atalanta when he replaced Firmino in the starting XI. Now for the weekend\u2019s big game with Manchester City, there was no way Firmino, the player Klopp once described as \u201calways world-class,\u201d was going to miss out. But how do you drop Jota after that hat-trick?<\/p>\n

The answer is, you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You build from the front and play all of them. You unleash the whirlwind. Pull Firmino back into the No.10 role, free Salah to play up-front and put Jota in his spot on the right. \u201cWe wanted to use the skills and the power of the four up front in specific moments to cause City problems,\u201d said Klopp<\/a> after the game.<\/p>\n

This shape makes Liverpool more difficult to defend, it makes their press more ferocious and makes them defensively robust, too, because it puts the two hardest workers (Man\u00e9 and Jota) out wide, so it becomes almost impossible for Liverpool\u2019s full-backs to get exposed by two-v-ones as the Reds\u2019 wingers are always tracking back.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, it makes Firmino\u2019s inexplicable lack of goals much less of a problem as he is withdrawn into a facilitation role. He didn\u2019t create a chance or have a shot at the Etihad but that didn\u2019t hold the Reds back because he was a constant link between midfield and attack, making full use of his spatial awareness to make key well-timed passes and flicks that kept attacks moving.<\/p>\n

Liverpool flew out of the blocks at the Etihad and torched the City defence repeatedly, opening the scoring with a penalty. City fought their way back into the game but they had to be operating at the peak of their powers to live with the ferocity of the Liverpool performance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Most teams Liverpool play will not be as good as Manchester City, most will simply be overrun by the quality that Liverpool can put out \u2014 as Klopp confirmed when he said: \u201cWhen you can do it against City then you can do it against other teams as well,\u201d before adding:<\/a> \u201cIt will not be our new, all-the-time formation, but there are moments when we might use it.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually people know which system we play, that\u2019s now water under the bridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom now on we can play three or four different systems, which is good, and it worked really well. […] The other thing is that we all like to prepare a game in the way that we know exactly what the opponent is doing and Pep, I don\u2019t think he knew we would play 4-4-2.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not important but it needed a while for City to adapt to it, that was the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, don\u2019t expect to see this cross between a 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 all the time, but it\u2019s clearly a weapon Klopp is prepared to use in the biggest of games. And that is going to be absolutely thrilling to watch unfold as the Reds cock back and unload on their biggest rivals. A throwback to the \u2018heavy metal football\u2019 that Klopp made his name on. Perhaps not as successful as the juggernaut they had become, but certainly more entertaining.<\/p>\n

Liverpool\u2019s fabulous front three has become a Fab Four; here comes the fun (doo-doo-doodoo)!<\/p>\n

You can find out more about <\/em><\/strong>William Hill\u2019s football markets here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. 18+ only. <\/em><\/strong>GambleAware<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Virgil van Dijk went down injured against Everton, many Liverpool fans feared the worst for their season\u2019s prospects. Not only was Van Dijk the best centre-back in the world, but he was (along with Alisson) the lynchpin of Liverpool\u2019s approach to the vast majority of games over the past two seasons where they finished…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":204,"featured_media":1175839,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Liverpool's predictability under Jurgen Klopp is \u201cwater under the bridge\u201d","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Liverpool's draw with Man City was a throwback to the 'heavy metal football' that Jurgen Klopp made his name on. | Squawka Analysis","footnotes":""},"tags":[285],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1175791","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-notnewsnow"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"\nLiverpool's predictability under Jurgen Klopp is \u201cwater under the bridge\u201d<\/title>\n<meta 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