The away model

[rurikbird]

Jurgen Klopp revealed that his change of formation for the 4-1 thrashing of West Ham was actually designed to make Liverpool stronger defensively. The Reds boss usually favours a 4-3-3 system but says he decided to switch to 4-4-2 against the Hammers with Mohamed Salah partnering Roberto Firmino up front. Liverpool initially struggled to get a foothold in the contest but after Salah opened the scoring midway through the first half they took control.

“We changed the system, training yesterday for the first time with it,” Klopp said.
“We did the 4-4-2, which looked maybe from the beginning like a very offensive line-up, but in fact had a very different idea. We wanted to defend deeper, more compact, and use the space for the counter-attacks. It looked like an offensive line-up, but it was actually a really defensive line-up. We had two '6s' (Emre Can and Gini Wijnaldum) and Sadio (Mane) and Ox (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain) on the wings had to do the job, like Roberto and Mo did, to defend. That helps the last line!"

“We will never know how the game will be if we don't score first, but until then it was an open game. We had to get used to it a little bit, and it was difficult for the boys to wait a little bit more for the challenge, rather than jumping straight away. You could see the boys didn't feel so good but we scored the first goal, fantastic counter-attack. Then we scored the second one – the second set-piece goal in a week. I don't think I've had that since I was at Liverpool! I had two set-piece goals in one week, but on the other side.”

It proved to be a much more enjoyable trip to London for Klopp than the visit to Wembley a fortnight earlier when Liverpool were routed by Tottenham. Since then the Reds have secured three successive wins to strengthen their position in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

“This week is a fantastic week,” Klopp added. “Two weeks ago at Wembley I felt quite different, but we responded really well. We know we were bad at Tottenham, we were the main reason for the result. We wanted to strike back and the boys did with really good results. In life, it is always important that I don't listen to what you say after games like Tottenham. It makes no sense. If we are bad, I know it before you can write it. I knew that at Tottenham. It's my responsibility to get them spot on. For five or 10 minutes I am allowed to be really angry, and I was. After that I have to find solutions – not to blame individuals, like you do, but to blame the team. It was not the centre-half who made mistakes, it was the centre-half who lost a challenge. The whole team has to protect the situation.”

===========

So after a nightmare performance against Spurs, Klopp went and did something many of us were calling for for some time – created an "away system" designed to give more protection to the defense and give more space for us to counter. I think the key was not just the switch in formation, but the highlighted portion about "waiting a little bit before jumping into challenge" – which means limiting Klopp's signature high press and instead instructing players to drop off deeper without the ball, defending positionally rather than trying to win the ball at all costs. Notice how Gini and Can held their position in front of the defensive line and rarely threw themselves into tackles.

I think this was far from a perfect execution of the "away model," but clearly the idea was right, because even with flawed execution we won rather easily. This game also showed that Salah is very much capable to play as a striker in the Premier League – something we will probably see much more of in the future.

 

[Frogfish]

I think the key was not just the switch in formation, but the highlighted portion about "waiting a little bit before jumping into challenge" – which means limiting Klopp's signature high press and instead instructing players to drop off deeper without the ball, defending positionally rather than trying to win the ball at all costs. Notice how Gini and Can held their position in front of the defensive line and rarely threw themselves into tackles.

Whilst I agree with the Can and Gini comment to a degree (standing up) I can't agree with the 'limiting Klopp's high press' comment. Clearly Salah, Mane and Firmino were all over their back line whenever they were in possession, and even Ox was also involved so more of front four. Far more than our front three have pressed for most of the season (seeing us drop to 9th in the PL 'pressing stats'), this in turn saw the midfield moving higher - as witnessed by the average position of both Can and Gini at the half-way line, despite us only having 52% possession.

 

[darkstarexodus]

Good to see him finally show signs of being able to adapt and acknowledge a need to protect out back line. I missed the match so didn't get to see the implementation but based on the result and his comments, let's hope this is a minor turning point.

 

[Halmeister]

Good stuff, Jurgen, but be careful you don't go full Brodgers and reveal your tactics to all and sundry every week.

 

[moron]

This new system will work - and I think giving the ball to the opposition helps our game because our biggest problem has been getting through brick-walls. When you give them the ball and let them come onto you in your half - that will give you the space to counter while they the opposition are in different areas. Good move Klopp - finally something different from us plus protection for our defence like the other teams give their defense.

 

[Rafiagra]

To be honest, if there was one team you can take a chance against; its this West Ham team, They're a shambles.

Whilst counter attacking suits us down to the ground, relying on our defence (and the midfield to bolster them) is skating on thin ice

 

[Insignificance]

Over here the commentators kept on about how we didn't click going forward and hence didn't kompress. Even at 2-0 this was the melody. Same commentators that hailed Mourinho (and Wagner for that matter) as tactical genious for how they played against us. Seem like we have the plight to attack and should be critizised for not rolling over all teams.

 

[manwithnoname]

Over here the commentators kept on about how we didn't click going forward and hence didn't kompress. Even at 2-0 this was the melody. Same commentators that hailed Mourinho (and Wagner for that matter) as tactical genious for how they played against us. Seem like we have the plight to attack and should be critizised for not rolling over all teams.

Wagner was hailed as "tactical genious" for losing 3-0? What the fuck are you on about?

 

[hmmmmm1]

West ham are garbage. Its a hardly time to be pointing the wonders of the away model.

 

[Brizzle]

I think the key point here is valid though. We have long criticised Klopp for continuing with the same approach, and he is demonstrating that he knows he needs to make some changes based on the way teams will set up against us. Whilst it is only one game and therefore not a good sample size to judge on, the main positive is that there is a bit more tactical flexibility being shown.

 

[manwithnoname]

I think the key point here is valid though. We have long criticised Klopp for continuing with the same approach, and he is demonstrating that he knows he needs to make some changes based on the way teams will set up against us. Whilst it is only one game and therefore not a good sample size to judge on, the main positive is that there is a bit more tactical flexibility being shown.

Yeppers

 

[Insignificance]

Wagner was hailed as "tactical genious" for losing 3-0? What the fuck are you on about?

Half time commentaries was all about how they played to frustrate us, they just came from a result against Mancs etc etc. You can blame me for a lot but not for the commentary on telly?

 

[Frogfish]

Interesting commentary on our formation in the Telegraph.

Here's a couple of clips and a link (need subscription - one article a week for free):

The new look Liverpool was a 4-4-2, or 4-2-2-2, borrowing heavily from the setup used by Monaco last season on their way to a Ligue 1 title, and a little from Brazil in the 1970s.
It's been difficult for Klopp to fit Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain into his team but here was an obvious way of doing so, while also playing Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane at the same time.

Against a back five, Liverpool would now have a front four - two central forwards to annoy the centre-backs and two wingers pressed high in the space behind the wing-backs.

.................... It fixed problems further back too. Instead of a midfield three, now there were two central defensive midfielders providing protection for that ropey Liverpool defence, adding an extra man to support passing build-up play from the back. Four men were entirely focused on the counter-attack, the rest were there to keep things in order.

.................... Jordan Henderson has struggled this season in the holding role in a midfield three and due to a lack of other plausible options in the squad for Klopp to really consider, by adding a second deeper midfielder, that central player isn't so isolated and exposed.
With two wide attacking midfielders always ready to pounce and strikers able to sprint in behind an offside trap, the opposition is naturally pushed deeper than they might like, creating distance between defence and attack. This is the kind of space that a counter-attacking team needs to exploit. With the pitch stretched, Liverpool were able to easily win the ball in their own half and spring counter-attacks.

 

[Woland]

It's like saying you came up with new a new plan for getting laid and it worked on some big fat bitch. You'd have fucked her anyway.

 

[Woland]

I'm not saying it wouldn't work on some hard bodied stunner, I'm just saying you can't tell. West Ham are shit

 

[manwithnoname]

Summing up: the two CM players were instructed to play closer to the defence and hold position when the opposition had the ball.

 

[tombrown]

It's like saying you came up with new a new plan for getting laid and it worked on some big fat bitch. You'd have fucked her anyway.

Straight from the school of Ian Holloway

 

[rurikbird]

By the way, the switch to 4-2-2-2 might also seen as an early adjustment to Keita's arrival, because that's exactly the system RB Leipzig are playing. It's an interesting system because it allows 4 very attacking players to be on the pitch at the same time, while the back 6 is focused more on defense.

 

[rurikbird]

Whilst I agree with the Can and Gini comment to a degree (standing up) I can't agree with the 'limiting Klopp's high press' comment. Clearly Salah, Mane and Firmino were all over their back line whenever they were in possession, and even Ox was also involved so more of front four. Far more than our front three have pressed for most of the season (seeing us drop to 9th in the PL 'pressing stats'), this in turn saw the midfield moving higher - as witnessed by the average position of both Can and Gini at the half-way line, despite us only having 52% possession.

You're right – the front 4 did press the "Klopp way," but the difference was – midfielders didn't join them but instead stood their ground, almost as if they were playing for Mourinho. At times it looked disjointed, like some unnatural hybrid of 2 different strategies, but in the end it proved quite effective. I'm curious to see whether Klopp will stick with it.

 

[Best Believe It]

By the way, the switch to 4-2-2-2 might also seen as an early adjustment to Keita's arrival, because that's exactly the system RB Leipzig are playing. It's an interesting system because it allows 4 very attacking players to be on the pitch at the same time, while the back 6 is focused more on defense.

It also goes some way to counter the move to three at the back a lot of teams are opting for.

 

[Buddha]

By the way, the switch to 4-2-2-2 might also seen as an early adjustment to Keita's arrival, because that's exactly the system RB Leipzig are playing. It's an interesting system because it allows 4 very attacking players to be on the pitch at the same time, while the back 6 is focused more on defense.

So Keita is one of the two in front of the defence?

 

[Glen C]

So Keita is one of the two in front of the defence?

He plays further forward normally.

 

[Brizzle]

He plays further forward normally.

Everything i've heard is that he sits naturally quite deep but loves to go on a charge when he gets the ball.

 

[dantes]

Everything i've heard is that he sits naturally quite deep but loves to go on a charge when he gets the ball.

What can possibly go wrong?

 

[Best Believe It]

Everything i've heard is that he sits naturally quite deep but loves to go on a charge when he gets the ball.

He'll be the Keita unlocking defences

 

[rurikbird]

He plays further forward normally.

Further forward where? He plays in the midfield 2 for Leipzig. Here's the lineup against Bayern:

 

[rurikbird]

For a manager considered by some to be stubborn, Jurgen Klopp is perpetually tweaking the Liverpool system in an attempt to keep things fresh, writes Sam McGuire.

The Reds lined up in a 4-4-2 shape during the win 4-1 over West Ham, ditching the 4-3-3 fans have been accustomed to since the start of the 2016/17 season.

Though a formation is just a rough template for where players will line up when a team is defending, and the real identity is shown during offensive phases of play, it helps paint a picture of what the manager wants from his players.
The switch-up with the system being deployed certainly got tongues wagging and it’s been the topic of debate ever since. On paper it’s a dramatic move on Klopp’s part. Liverpool went from playing a possession-based style with the deepest midfielder dropping back between the centre-backs to form a three. The width arrived from the full-backs who could push on to join the attack and the wide forwards would tuck inside.

Against West Ham it was different: Liverpool looked to play a counter-attacking system.
Joe Gomez, the right-back on the day, drifted inside to form a back three alongside Ragnar Klavan and Joel Matip. Emre Can and Gini Wijnaldum made up a midfield two with Alberto Moreno operating as a left-sided midfielder when Liverpool were in possession. It was the front four of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the returning Sadio Mane.

Klopp wasn’t shy about revealing the idea behind the change during his post-match press conference: “Changing the system without proper training; yesterday was the first time we did it, the 4-4-2, which looked maybe from the beginning like a very offensive lineup.
“We actually had a different idea. We wanted to defend deeper, more compact, using the space which we have then for the counter-attacks.
“We will never know how it would have been if we don’t score the first goal, but it was kind of an open game until then. We have to get used to it. It’s difficult for the boys to wait a bit more for the challenge than always jumping in.”
However, should Klopp’s word be taken with a pinch of salt? The 50-year-old is a meticulous planner. Changing the system without proper training isn’t something he would leave to chance.
On the Friday before the match he claimed Mane might be fit enough to play 20 minutes yet he started the match and finished with two assists.
Klopp has a superb poker face.
There are a few examples as to why his post-match words shouldn’t be taken on face value, and why there have been signs over a number of weeks that the shape was evolving, it’s just never been as blatant as it was against Slaven Bilic’s charges.

The Liverpool Shape

To help visualise the Liverpool shape there is a screenshot from the match above.
It shows Can and Wijnaldum sitting as a two in midfield with Oxlade-Chamberlain (in possession of the ball) and Mane ahead of them to almost make a four alongside Salah and Firmino. It can also be viewed as three lines of two.

The graphic above, via WhoScored, shows the average position of the players from the 0-0 draw with Man United. This match was played during the second week of October.
A quick caveat before going into detail: the average position is worked out using the touches of players, a lot of Liverpool’s good work goes on off the ball meaning you shouldn’t hang your hat on these graphics and instead use them to help you form details of what is a bigger picture.
However, there’s no mistaking the asymmetrical 4-2-2-2 shape in the graphic with three lines of two ahead of the defensive four.

This average position map is from the 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town.
It’s different personnel, with Daniel Sturridge and James Milner starting, but a same sort of shape when looking at touches by players. There are three lines of two ahead of the defence.
However, when compared to the one from United you can see there’s a better balance to the shape. Neither full-back is as isolated and Gomez isn’t as wide as he was against Jose Mourinho’s men. Instead there are signs of the similar shape fans witnessed at the London Stadium.

Liverpool deployed a similar system against Maribor in the Champions League match at Anfield.
It’s not identical, with Trent Alexander-Arnold playing in place of Gomez; the 19-year-old is similar to Moreno in the way he’s on the front foot so is much more advanced.
It also helped that Liverpool were utterly dominant in that match and Maribor looked to frustrate by standing off Liverpool and sitting deeper. What is clear though is that there are three banks of two in the centre of the pitch in the opposition’s half.

Against West Ham, there was a slight variation with Mane and Oxlade-Chamberlain taking up central areas on a more regular basis. But the point still stands that the 2-2-2 shape in attack has been something Liverpool have used over recent weeks and isn’t as dramatic of a change as it first appeared to be. Klopp wasn’t lying, he was just getting a little creative with the truth. The team might not have trained with the 4-4-2 but the shape in possession is one they’ve worked on for at least a month now.

The Liverpool Press

Klopp’s comments in his post-match press conference suggested the plan was to stand off West Ham in an attempt to open up space in their half to counter. He said it wasn’t straightforward for his players, drilled to press high, to embrace this new tactic: “It’s difficult for the boys to wait a bit more for the challenge.”
But the stats say otherwise. Liverpool were more compact in their shape and did look to sit a little deeper when defending, but if anything the press was more ferocious than it has been for a number of months. As mentioned on the latest Anfield Index podcast, the press returned with vengeance. The lack of intensity from the Liverpool press has resulted in the opposition scoring simple goals this season.
But the new shape puts certain players in key areas and allows Liverpool to implement a structured press and it’s perhaps why in the past six matches—since the match against United—Klopp’s men have kept four clean sheets. With the three lines of two, more often than not staggered, it makes it difficult for the opposition to play out from the back. It also gives the Reds a better chance when counter-pressing because they’ve already got players in areas they need to be in to ensure there are no obvious areas to exploit.

Is it Sustainable?

The simple answer to this is yes. Liverpool have an abundance of versatile players meaning Klopp is able to make subtle changes to this system which make it hard for the opposition to combat it. Mane cutting in from the left offers a completely different threat to Philippe Coutinho doing it, just as Milner’s strengths on the right aren’t identical to those of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s when deployed there.
There’s also a bit of an elephant in the room which people are yet to address: has Klopp put this into practice so the players are up to speed for when Naby Keita arrives on Merseyside? Of course, it would be naive to suggest Klopp’s changing the system to accommodate one player but perhaps this was his idea all along and it’s why he pushed so hard for Keita during the summer transfer window. The 2-2-2 midfield/attack system is one the 22-year-old has impressed in playing for both Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg.

If Klopp’s had this in the works for some time then he would have wanted to bring in players perfectly suited for it. Keita ticks the box as does Salah, who operated as a second striker for Roma, and Oxlade-Chamberlain, who can play basically anywhere down the right-hand side meaning he can fill in as a third midfielder, a wing-back and a winger depending on how Liverpool need to react to in-game situations.
The re-emergence of Moreno at left-back also starts to make more sense if you buy into this theory. Being naturally left-footed, he’s able to offer the width down the left when the player starting on the left of the attack cuts inside.
Has Klopp just been biding his time and slowly assembling a squad?
Unlike many others in the game he’s in a position to be patient, with it being highly unlikely owners Fenway Sports Group will prematurely put an end to Klopp’s time on Merseyside without his project being complete.
After all, good things come to those who wait, right?

 

[mwake]

Good stuff, Jurgen, but be careful you don't go full Brodgers and reveal your tactics to all and sundry every week.

Good point, that was very annoying by Rodgers, he'd stumble on something good then chat so hard about it to the press.