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Jurgen Klopp put an end to it when he admitted the weakness of his Liverpool team in trouble, but how serious is the problem this season? There are several disturbing implications that confirm the boss’s words.
In football, poor play can be understood, but when your commitment is in question, the fans start to lose confidence.
For all the tactical insight in the world, the cliché remains true. You have to win the second balls. You have to win your fights.
Liverpool not here this season.
After the FA Cup draw with Wolves, Klopp’s comments showed a problem. He said:
“Honestly, we didn’t score enough tries for the whole game.
“They win the challenge and suddenly we’re wide open, I don’t know how it happens.
“Whoever you play, you have to win the trials. I mentioned it in the dressing room and I will mention it again.”
“Defense Gets You Titles”
As the architect of Manchester United’s enduring success in the 1990s and 2000s, Liverpool fans might not like him, but Alex Ferguson knew how to win league titles.
After retirement, the bar for success has been raised, but his philosophy remains unquestioned.
The Scot once said: “Attack gets you games, defense gets you titles.”
Liverpool have already conceded 22 goals this season – the same number as in the entire 2018/19 campaign.
What was once an almost impregnable defensive line has lost its distinctiveness and opposition teams no longer fear it.
The strange thing is that this decline happened mainly in the same personnel, and they did not get significantly worse individually.
The malaise that gripped the team sometimes affected individuals. Alison’s mistake against Wolves is one example.
However, individual errors do not appear to be the main reason for Liverpool’s poor performance.
Virgil van Dijk’s ACL injury in 2020 may have affected his pace a bit, but technically he is still arguably the best defender in the world.
The same can be said for Joel Matip, who did not play noticeably below par.
Joe Gomez he never managed to recapture the form shown before the knee injury, but his place in the squad was replaced by an even stronger figure in Ibrahima Konate.
Had the Frenchman been fit all season, the Reds could have gone a few points better, but as seen in recent weeks, Liverpool are still facing the same problems as when he was away.
Why do Liverpool concede so many goals?
Like everything in football, there is no definitive answer.
An aging midfield, an attack that was not as aggressive as before and a change in style contributed to Liverpool’s poor form.
In October, Klopp tried 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations in an attempt to strengthen.
These formations meant that while in possession, one of the full-backs stayed close to the central defenders to increase their numbers and better deal with counter-attacks.
Two 1-0 wins over Man City and West Ham gave cause for optimism, but dire performances against Nottingham Forest and Leeds proved there is no quick fix.
There is no doubt, however, that Klopp’s side win as a team and lose as a team.
There are outstanding players like Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but without a cohesive and talented cast, their talents could not flourish.
This is why Liverpool’s defensive crisis affects the whole team, not just the defense and midfield, as Klopp often says and as the old cliché goes: defense begins with attack.
Ian Rush was the first line of defense in the 1980s, and so has Roberto Firmino more recently.
Front three
Liverpool won the ball in the final third more than any other team last season. This time they are ranked 11th in this regard.
Of course, the ability of the midfield and defense to increase and condense space is important to a successful press structure, but it all starts with three strikers.
Before his resurgence as a centre-forward following the arrival of Luis Diaz in January last year, Sadio Mane did not shine in front of goal for some time.
However, he was constantly picked on and was still a vital cog in the machine because he knew the Liverpool press inside out.
He was one of Klopp’s first signings and his relentless energy complemented Salah and Firmino as they went forward.
Last season Ruff centre-back Firmino, whose demise had more impact than is being said.
He played on the ball more often than anyone we’ve seen and for a long time the big concern was how Liverpool would replace such a unique player.
That issue seems to have been forgotten with the signing of Darwin Nunes, but the Uruguayan is no longer the same player.
Flexible triangles
With Van Dijk in defense and Gini Wijnaldum plugging holes in midfield when Andy Robertson overlapped, Liverpool’s left flank was superb.
Last season Diaz came in and continued Manet’s brilliant work.
On the other hand, Jordan Henderson or Naby Keita played a key role in defending Alexander-Arnold as he went forward.
In the image above, taken during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester United in 2020, you can see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain spotting his defensive midfielder Henderson moving forward, leaving a gap in midfield. which several opposing players can use.
So he decided to exercise discipline and withdraw while his teammates progressed.
It was this understanding of roles that meant Liverpool were so successful at keeping teams locked down.
While the midfielders’ key role was to quickly win the ball back and prevent counter-attacks, they also needed to be able to combine with the full-backs and full-backs to break down the opposition.
The changing style and aging nature of the midfield means they can’t bounce back as quickly as before, leaving defenses more vulnerable and more frequent.
Against Wolves, although Konate handled it well, Adam Traore was constantly being allowed to pick up the ball and run down the left flank of the defence.
This example shows how far Thiago and Fabinho are from their ideal defensive positions. This happened several times, exposing Robertson and Konate.
Sometimes Konate was alone.
Here’s another example from later in the game. A pass from the edge of the Wolves box resulted Traore in this position.
Stuck in the middle
The ease with which the opposition broke through Liverpool’s ranks was perhaps the most vexing aspect of the team’s problems.
Potential signings like Jude Bellingham or Enzo Fernandez could decide a lot.
It feels like Liverpool are trying to become a team that plays closer to Man City’s system but without the players.
The red ones are stuck between two styles and players cannot master them.
A return to what they know may be the best short-term solution for Liverpool, but investing in more than one energetic midfielder is vital if they are to return to the system that has brought them so much success.
Jurgen Klopp put an end to it when he admitted the weakness of his Liverpool team in trouble, but how serious is the problem this season? There are several disturbing implications that confirm the boss’s words.
In football, poor play can be understood, but when your commitment is in question, the fans start to lose confidence.
For all the tactical insight in the world, the cliché remains true. You have to win the second balls. You have to win your fights.
Liverpool not here this season.
After the FA Cup draw with Wolves, Klopp’s comments showed a problem. He said:
“Honestly, we didn’t score enough tries for the whole game.
“They win the challenge and suddenly we’re wide open, I don’t know how it happens.
“Whoever you play, you have to win the trials. I mentioned it in the dressing room and I will mention it again.”
“Defense Gets You Titles”
As the architect of Manchester United’s enduring success in the 1990s and 2000s, Liverpool fans might not like him, but Alex Ferguson knew how to win league titles.
After retirement, the bar for success has been raised, but his philosophy remains unquestioned.
The Scot once said: “Attack gets you games, defense gets you titles.”
Liverpool have already conceded 22 goals this season – the same number as in the entire 2018/19 campaign.
What was once an almost impregnable defensive line has lost its distinctiveness and opposition teams no longer fear it.
The strange thing is that this decline happened mainly in the same personnel, and they did not get significantly worse individually.
The malaise that gripped the team sometimes affected individuals. Alison’s mistake against Wolves is one example.
However, individual errors do not appear to be the main reason for Liverpool’s poor performance.
Virgil van Dijk’s ACL injury in 2020 may have affected his pace a bit, but technically he is still arguably the best defender in the world.
The same can be said for Joel Matip, who did not play noticeably below par.
Joe Gomez he never managed to recapture the form shown before the knee injury, but his place in the squad was replaced by an even stronger figure in Ibrahima Konate.
Had the Frenchman been fit all season, the Reds could have gone a few points better, but as seen in recent weeks, Liverpool are still facing the same problems as when he was away.
Why do Liverpool concede so many goals?
Like everything in football, there is no definitive answer.
An aging midfield, an attack that was not as aggressive as before and a change in style contributed to Liverpool’s poor form.
In October, Klopp tried 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations in an attempt to strengthen.
These formations meant that while in possession, one of the full-backs stayed close to the central defenders to increase their numbers and better deal with counter-attacks.
Two 1-0 wins over Man City and West Ham gave cause for optimism, but dire performances against Nottingham Forest and Leeds proved there is no quick fix.
There is no doubt, however, that Klopp’s side win as a team and lose as a team.
There are outstanding players like Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, but without a cohesive and talented cast, their talents could not flourish.
This is why Liverpool’s defensive crisis affects the whole team, not just the defense and midfield, as Klopp often says and as the old cliché goes: defense begins with attack.
Ian Rush was the first line of defense in the 1980s, and so has Roberto Firmino more recently.
Front three
Liverpool won the ball in the final third more than any other team last season. This time they are ranked 11th in this regard.
Of course, the ability of the midfield and defense to increase and condense space is important to a successful press structure, but it all starts with three strikers.
Before his resurgence as a centre-forward following the arrival of Luis Diaz in January last year, Sadio Mane did not shine in front of goal for some time.
However, he was constantly picked on and was still a vital cog in the machine because he knew the Liverpool press inside out.
He was one of Klopp’s first signings and his relentless energy complemented Salah and Firmino as they went forward.
Last season Ruff centre-back Firmino, whose demise had more impact than is being said.
He played on the ball more often than anyone we’ve seen and for a long time the big concern was how Liverpool would replace such a unique player.
That issue seems to have been forgotten with the signing of Darwin Nunes, but the Uruguayan is no longer the same player.
Flexible triangles
With Van Dijk in defense and Gini Wijnaldum plugging holes in midfield when Andy Robertson overlapped, Liverpool’s left flank was superb.
Last season Diaz came in and continued Manet’s brilliant work.
On the other hand, Jordan Henderson or Naby Keita played a key role in defending Alexander-Arnold as he went forward.
In the image above, taken during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester United in 2020, you can see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain spotting his defensive midfielder Henderson moving forward, leaving a gap in midfield. which several opposing players can use.
So he decided to exercise discipline and withdraw while his teammates progressed.
It was this understanding of roles that meant Liverpool were so successful at keeping teams locked down.
While the midfielders’ key role was to quickly win the ball back and prevent counter-attacks, they also needed to be able to combine with the full-backs and full-backs to break down the opposition.
The changing style and aging nature of the midfield means they can’t bounce back as quickly as before, leaving defenses more vulnerable and more frequent.
Against Wolves, although Konate handled it well, Adam Traore was constantly being allowed to pick up the ball and run down the left flank of the defence.
This example shows how far Thiago and Fabinho are from their ideal defensive positions. This happened several times, exposing Robertson and Konate.
Sometimes Konate was alone.
Here’s another example from later in the game. A pass from the edge of the Wolves box resulted Traore in this position.
Stuck in the middle
The ease with which the opposition broke through Liverpool’s ranks was perhaps the most vexing aspect of the team’s problems.
Potential signings like Jude Bellingham or Enzo Fernandez could decide a lot.
It feels like Liverpool are trying to become a team that plays closer to Man City’s system but without the players.
The red ones are stuck between two styles and players cannot master them.
A return to what they know may be the best short-term solution for Liverpool, but investing in more than one energetic midfielder is vital if they are to return to the system that has brought them so much success.
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