We all know Liverpool haven’t had the season most people expected. The club have had serious injury problems as well as a few players not playing to the level we’ve come to expect from them over the past few years. All the teams around the top of the table have had shaky spells this season but unlike Liverpool they’ve managed to get out of it. So, why is it that Liverpool haven’t managed to find some of the form from the early part of the season?
Klopp and the system he’s implemented at Liverpool have allowed them to maximise the best parts of the players in the side. This has resulted in them being runners up in the Champions League, winners the following season while accumulating, what was at the time, the 3rd highest points total in Premier League history, and then winning the Premier League. Now however, Liverpool not playing to the level they had, even without the injury problems, isn’t an issue. The players are humans and need an off season to recoup and launch a new 3 year push for silverware.
This doesn’t explain why the club are now in a real battle to get top 4. A core part of the problem is certainly related to the centre back injuries but, more specifically, how on the pitch they’re working around these issues. I’m going to use Manchester United as a comparison here as of the remaining top six they have the worst defensive record and arguably the weakest back line. Joint 10th most goals conceded, tied with Wolves and Fulham. Despite this, they are 2nd in the league. To account for this defensive frailty United need to outscore their opponents and have done. At the time of writing Manchester United are the top scorers in the league, 6 more goals than Liverpool. Both clubs top 3 goals scorers have accumulated 30 goals, so the key goal scorers are getting goals for both sides. They key disparity I feel is where the goals are assisted from. Manchester United’s top 3 assist makers are midfielder, a winger, and a full back. Whereas Liverpool’s are their number 9 and both full backs. This lack in variety compared to United will make it easier for teams to defend against them and maybe suggests Liverpool’s midfield need to contribute more going forward.
The counter argument would be that Liverpool’s midfield are function and maybe collectively do more defensively, but do they? If we look at tackles, Liverpool don’t compare to United either. United’s top 4 tacklers are Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Fernandez and McTominay. Liverpool’s are Trent, Fabinho, Mane and Thiago. Because of Fabinho covering at centre half for most of the season, only one of Liverpool’s top 4 starts in midfield compared to 3 of United’s players. If we take this and apply it to the pitch looking at the normal formations, Manchester United play a 4-2-3-1 and Liverpool play a 4-3-3. Defensively, the key difference is in holding midfield. United are able to play with two players covering the back line where Liverpool has one. How this difference manifests by making the space to get at Liverpool’s back line much easier than United’s where even the two holding midfielders have a player helping them in Fernandez.
This raises a question of Liverpool’s formation and how they use the other 2 men in midfield. If they aren’t contributing to goals or actively defending then maybe they need to be utilised differently. In a 4-2-3-1 one can focus more on defending and the other more on attacking contributions. Maybe then Liverpool will be better able to deal with teams that won’t attack or defend to suit them. One final concern is around clearances. Nat Phillips as the 3rd most clearances in the team despite only playing 7 games, 2 of which were of the bench. Before anyone says it’s because Liverpool play out from the back, Ruben Diaz at Manchester City has more clearances than any Liverpool player followed by Rodrigo and Stones.
I think Liverpool need to be more pragmatic about their situation and show some versatility. Being stubborn in not losing is a great treat to have in a team, but to be stubborn in not changing how you play is a mistake.
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