If you were to watch Liverpool last season you would automatically think, Attacking, Ruthless and Deadly! Their attacking prowess was unstoppable as they flew into the Champions League Final before losing to Real Madrid. This season their struggles are there for all to see, I don’t see them playing with the fluidity that we are used to from a Jurgen Klopp Liverpool side. This has culminated in them needing to beat Napoli at home in the Champions league Final Round by 2 goals or more to progress. Liverpool’s loss to PSG last week means they lost all 3 of their away games in the Champions League and only scored 1 goal away from home – a James Milner penalty.
Liverpool are 2nd in the League and still have a chance of progressing from the Champions League group stages so by no means am I saying they are having a bad season; But in their build up play they lack tempo, they are not attacking with any fluidity. Last season you would expect them to be dangerous in attack and would be able to change a game at any given moment but currently I do not see any of that. On the plus side their Defence has improved massively with Joe Gomez who was out with a long term injury forming a formidable partnership with Virgil Van Dijk in the centre of defence.
The Front 3
Liverpool’s Front 3 Of Mane, Firmino and Salah were an unstoppable force last season; They scored 57 goals between them which ranked them one of the highest in Europe but they just haven’t been firing the same this season. Mane played very well against PSG, he got into good positions, isolating himself one on one with the full back and taking him on. Roberto Firmino on the other hand has been very poor and in my opinion looks a shadow of his former self. I’m sure it’s just a blip in form as Firmino possesses a lot of class but he is struggling to hold the ball up and bring the other attackers into the game, his touch is letting him down and is giving away possession too often and his positioning has been poor.
Mo Salah, arguably the best player in Europe last season may of scored 9 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions and there is a consensus that he is bang in form but I see the complete opposite when watching him. He looks like a player short of confidence, greedy in attack while playing for himself and not for the team; His first instincts when he receives the ball is to drive towards the goal and shoot; Even when his team mates are in better positions.
The Difference in Attack
Liverpool’s recent form is not just down to their attackers – They simply aren’t getting the service that they were last season. The Midfield three are doing a good job this season of protecting the back four which is why they boast one of the league’s best defensive records. By contrast last season the midfield would get forward a lot advancing past the front 3 taking defenders away and creating space for the likes of Salah, Firmino and Mane. This season the likes of Wijnaldum and Milner will sit back and protect rather than push forward and this has changed the dynamic of Liverpool’s attack.
“The Liverpool Press” has gone AWOL
Much of Liverpool’s success last season was down to their relentless pressing of the opposition and in particular the front 3; This would allow the midfield to push up to get close to them and the defence would follow leaving the whole team high up the pitch. So much of what they did well last season was a result of winning the ball high up the pitch. Klopp may well be thinking that if he wants to win the Premier League and the Champions League then he needs to conserve the energies of his Front 3. Because of Liverpool’s high pressing strategy, the team would be quite compact high up the pitch which resulted in them playing a short passing game which suited the team and delivered devastating results.
Recently because there is a bigger emphasis on defence and less on pressing, the midfield is sitting deeper; There are bigger gaps between the defence, midfield and forwards resulting in Liverpool playing longer balls and that was evident against PSG. This is not a style of play you would associate with Liverpool but it’s something that is working in the Premier League where they have only conceded 5 goals. It is away from home in Europe where it hasn’t worked for them.
Big Few Weeks Coming Up
I commend Jurgen Klopp for changing the style this season and stepping away from tactics that helped them finish 4th in the Premier League and the Final of the Champions League. The style of play is bringing results in the league without particularly playing well; Something that is important in a long Premier League season. However there will be lots of pressure on Klopp and his side to get out of the Champions League group, anything else but progress will be seen as a failure.
The busy Christmas period will answer a lot of questions around whether Liverpool are serious Title contenders and whether they will have a chance to win a European Trophy. I believe Liverpool certainly have the Squad to challenge and it’s a good sign that they have been picking up results while not playing well, in the next few weeks if they can find some form, find some fluidity in their play and sort out some of the issues I have identified then this could certainly be the season where Liverpool are crowned Champions.
Click Here to read my blog post on Liverpool’s Enthralling Champions League tie with Manchester City last season.
An interesting read. Last season, they did not have the defence so the emphasis had to be on attack. having said that, to press like they did last season would mean having the strength and depth. Something that Liverpool are still working upto. This season, having sorted out the defensive frailties, they are working games and getting results. top at this stage of the season and still in the Champions League so the season is far from over. They still lack strength in depth which may take another couple of transfer windows or promotion from the ranks but overall I think the Kopites can be pleased with the progress.