When teams decide to sit back with eleven players behind the ball, does any team have a Plan B that usually works? That's surely one, if not the, great challenge for any attacking team. If you know they're going to be set up like that then I guess you aim to start exceptionally quickly and aggressively to take the initiative from them before they can settle, or else you rely on relentless movement, quick passing and incisive runs. But when a team well and truly camps in their own half then I'm not sure, regardless of the coaching waffle that gets trotted out, you can do much more than that. And I think Klopp and others do know what they have to do. It's surely more down to the quality of their personnel. If Coutinho can improve on his passing around and into the box, if Firmino's decision-making is better and if the likes of Lallana can learn how to be much more clinical, then we can break down such sides. I don't think there's a need for a new 'plan,' as such, but we need to show much more patience, confidence and better judgement. We've always had a plan, the problem has been its execution.
My personal opinion of a "plan B" is when a manager can identify a tactical problem during the course of the game and make the necessary changes to rectify it whether it's safeguarding a lead, trying to get a winning goal or save a point.
The only manager we've had that has demonstrated on several occasion that he has that tactical nous is Benitez.
Especially during that first fantastic season, but it's all in the past.
Klopp brought on a fifth defender at times during the last season, we've also managed a few comebacks, but I'm not entirely convinced yet.
Who do we have on the bench that can offer us something different?
We have Sturridge, who has the ability to get us a goal in tight situations with defenders sitting back. Wales - England anyone?
I can go on and on but in the end it's all about the manager being able to spot the danger and do something about it.
Against Arsenal we first saw Can come on for Coutinho and that was a forced substitution, but I believe Can was coming on anyway.
Later we saw Lallana get subbed for Origi and finally Stewart for Wijnaldum.
So we basically went from having one anchor in midfield into having two anchors for the last 8-10 minutes of the game.
Personally I think, Lallana or Wijnaldum should have been subbed sooner. We didn't need to score any more goals after we got the fourth.
Their 2nd goal was inevitable, don't think Klopp could have done anything to stop it. Guess they'll learn from it.
