----------------Alisson------------------
---Fabinho---Matip----Gomez------
Trent----------------------------Robbo
----------Bajcetic---Thiago-----------
----Salah-------------------Gakpo----
----------------Darwin------------------
Why?
---Fabinho---Matip----Gomez------
Trent----------------------------Robbo
----------Bajcetic---Thiago-----------
----Salah-------------------Gakpo----
----------------Darwin------------------
Why?
- Fabinho needs rehabilitating. With him losing mobility and seemingly all confidence, a new position can offer a potential route back to form. He has played RB earlier in his career and successfully covered at CB for us; it's a natural trajectory for DMs losing their physical edge to transition to defence – if Fernandinho did it, why not Fabinho? Next season when he recovers his confidence and hopefully has more mobile midfield partners next to him, we can try him at DM again, but for now we either have to bench one of our key (and most expensive) senior players for the rest of the campaign because his performances in midfield simply don't warrant him playing or try to reinvigorate him in a new position and system.
- I also thought about Trent in midfield – anything goes at this point. But on consideration it would be a bad move to make at this juncture; we need some stability and consistency in the structure, not chaos and inevitable mistakes that will come with such as move. Switching to 3 at the back will free Trent from defensive responsibilities, he will finally have someone to cover in the space behind him in Fabinho and will hopefully be able to contribute much more in attacking sense for the rest of the season.
- With only 2 central midfielders required, we won't have a problem filling this position until the potential summer reinforcements. Furthermore, playing in a double-pivot is a lot easier and less taxing – you're not trying to play expansively, just hold your position next to your partner and shield the defence. Bajcetic and Thiago would be my current pick on form, but I could see Keita-Bajcetic or Thiago-Henderson and lots of other combinations.
- In attack, this system keeps our forwards more central which should suit everyone. Gakpo can play in the spaces he likes, drifting between the wing and half-spaces on the left, Salah similarly on the right and Darwin will spearhead the system, occasionally swapping with Gakpo. The two "#10" roles also give Elliott and Carvalho a chance to compete for playing time in roles they are actually natural fit for and it will be easy to incorporate Jota and Diaz in this system once they return.
- The downside of the switch to 3 at the back is that we essentially give up on trying to win games by dominating and pressing all over the pitch, the way Klopp likes it. We accept our limitations and try to survive until the big changes in the summer. I think it's the right and pragmatic thing to do at this point, because all evidence suggests that we cannot hope to win games in the old way. Konate's injury further exacerbates the situation as even the limited defensive improvement provided by the Bajcetic-Keita-Thiago trio in midfield probably won't be enough to prevent us from shipping lots of goals if it's Gomez and Matip rather than Konate mopping up in behind. There is no other rational choice but changing the system at this point.
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