PhaseofPlay
Tactical Review of Jan to Mar 2013
«on:March 30, 2013, 05:29:47 AM »
It is clear that Liverpool since January have altered some things in a tactical sense, for various reasons. Those reasons have been given variously as pragmatism on the part of the manager, indecision on the part of the manager, and all part of a grand plan as well. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. What is important, though, is to see what the standard shape is, and to observe new arrangements as deviations or progressions from these standard shapes. Here, we will look at the average shape of the team from the beginning of January until the present. In order to be able to examine the shape of the team and its progression, some caveats have to be noted:
1 – The positions are based on ten games
2 – Some subjective interpretations are necessary in terms of positioning for certain players who may have been moved from side to side
3 – Only those players who played substantial minutes are initially considered, but notes will be made on replacement players
4 – We will look at three key areas that are important for the shape of the team since January
The General Shape –
The general shape that we have played the most has been the 4-3-3 which has actually been more of a traditional 4-3-3 than pre-Christmas (although it can probably be denoted more accurately as a 2-4-1-3). There are a few key points, though, concerning this 4-3-3 – Firstly, it is not symmetrical, due to the mobility of Suarez. Nominally the left wing forward, his free movement tilts the forward line towards the right, leaving plenty of space for Enrique to push into. Secondly, Downing on the opposite side gives tactical balance by giving the rest of the team a target to play to, but this means that the forward line is reduced in goal power as Downing, although having a solid season, is not a prolific scorer. Thirdly, the backline has changed in its composition with the introduction of Carragher, creating a compactness that wasn’t always present pre-Christmas.
Area 1 –
Area 1 is an important area of the field. In the 4-3-3 shape that we have worked under, Henderson initially played in central midfield as part of a central three, but with the task of covering this area of the field on defence (leaving Enrique to attack the space on possession). This gave us the best of both worlds, as we had a solid three in midfield, with on the left, but also pressure in the left wing-forward position too. The introduction of Coutinho, though, necessarily weakened the middle of the field, even though it gave us more penetration in the attacking third. With Coutinho in that position, Henderson drops to the bench, and we are left with a midfield two that isn’t athletic enough to cope with transitions. Additionally, Coutinho plays in the space that Enrique likes to attack, so his positioning becomes more conservative as a consequence. The change to a more 4-2-4 look – although brave and aggressive in the attack – takes away the central strength we had when Henderson was a mainstay. On the other hand, keeping Henderson on the field means we have to lose one of Coutinho or Downing – do we sacrifice goal scoring possibilities or do we sacrifice tactical discipline? The ultimate solution, would, of course, be to keep Henderson in the middle, play Suarez as the main forward, with Coutinho on the left and Sturridge on the right as inside forwards. This would make the front three very fluid, maintain width from both fullbacks as well as their attacking thrust, and give us the central compression and control we need to dominate games.
Area 2 –
Area 2 is not so much a crucial area as it is an interesting one. It is interesting because the nature of Johnson’s play means that he leaves it exposed a lot, but the trade-off is that he adds something positive to the attack. However, opponents know this, and they have had a tendency to attack this area and overload whoever the right central defender is. When this happens, it is important in this system for the defensive midfielder to drop in as a temporary centre back until the danger is resolved – however, Lucas still plays more like a “shield” than a double-position player, and so this area gets exposed quite a lot. Lessons can be learned by watching Busquets and Mascherano perform the role for Barcelona, where breakdowns on the flanks push them into central defensive roles with all the tasks associated with those, until the ball is regained or cleared and players can take their normal positions again. In order for this area to be tightened up, either Johnson has to be less adventurous and release the ball earlier, or Lucas has to be more aggressive in his defensive recovery and learn to become an actual central defender when needed in the flow of play:
Area 3 –
Area 3 is, though, a critical area and one that is actually quite player-sensitive. When Skrtel plays there, he tends to overcompensate for the aggression of the right fullback, and positions himself a lot wider and deeper than Carragher. Surprisingly, his defensive position is more conservative and less adventurous than Carraghers, as he tends to drop more, although Carragher does play a more traditional position, splitting only when the goalkeeper has the ball but pinching in again when the ball goes into midfield. This might have something to do with the perceived solidity the defence seemed to have when he returned to the team. The problem with Skrtel dropping out and wide is that it makes Lucas’ position almost untenable, as he now can neither play as a central defender, nor can he safely pressure the ball in midfield, as he has too much space behind him. On the other hand, Carragher, by playing more traditionally, forces Johnson back to receive the ball at times, which eliminates attacking third width in possession when Downing cuts in to create the space. The trade-offs are that when Skrtel plays, Johnson can be quite aggressive, but Lucas gets isolated, whereas when Carragher plays Lucas has cover and can press aggressively more but Johnson has to drop deeper to receive the ball from the defence. This might go some way to explaining the rumours of Rodgers bringing a defender or two in, as it is almost like we need a defensive version of Henderson to make the system work more smoothly. Either way, though, this area is the most sensitive in the system, and Rodgers has to be looking at it with a keen eye because if he can get this area of the field locked down, it could go a long way to pushing Liverpool up the table next season.
Conclusion –
It is clear that this 4-3-3 shape works best for Liverpool, and it works best when Carragher and Henderson are on the team. The move to a more 4-2-4 shape, while laudable, upsets the balance of the team and cedes control of the critical central area – as much due to Gerrard’s physical inability to track runs in a midfield two as it is down to anything systematic. For that reason, in order to get the maximum return from the remaining 8 games, Rodgers has to be looking at dropping one of Downing or Coutinho, and playing Henderson in their stead. It might also be the case that he will have to alter things to play Suarez as the central striker and Sturridge being pushed out to the right. The next few weeks will tell a story but, at least in attack, Rodgers has options to choose from, and what is important that he chooses the right options for the team, rather than the easier options for his vision of attacking football.
