In the post-Leicester press-conference, Klopp has mentioned the grass getting progressively drier as a big factor in our players losing some of the crispness in passing and also in the lead-up to Alisson's mistake. There are a few questions to consider here:
- The emphasis on this will surely invite derision from opposition fans (and some of our own); so before any knee-jerk reactions we need to ask a basic question first – is it actually true? Perhaps those of you who play the game regularly can share your own experiences, but from everything I know – yes, it is a factor. The ball gets "stuck," the bounce becomes harder and as a result teams that play quick-fire passing game like ourselves are at a disadvantage.
- Even though it's true, is it smart for Klopp to say it? Will it lead to opponents keeping their grass dry on purpose when playing against us? Perhaps it might; but on the other hand it seems the opposition has caught on to this for some time already – those teams that are willing to use figuratively "scorched earth" tactics will probably use them anyway, regardless of whether Klopp mentions it or not.
- Finally, how should the team handle it better? Klopp said at the press-conference that they should have played more balls in behind and also avoided risky passes to the goalkeeper, in other words they should have simplified the game. I think some players did try to do that – VVD seemed unusually willing to clear the ball anywhere after a few of his passes went astray and near the end of the game you could see our players trying to dribble the ball out and win a foul or a throw-in instead of trying the kind of intricate passing combinations of the first 20 minutes (when the pitch was still wet). Shaqiri made a difference because he was willing to fight for these clearances and also run with the ball. Henderson, on the contrary, couldn't deal with it – I thought his passing was actually crisp and quick in the first 25 minutes, but after that he didn't really know what to do.
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