Liverpool have started the pre-season schedule with a 4-3-3, picking up on one of the two
formations largely used last season.
Along with the 4-3-3, Jurgen Klopp also used a 4-3-2-1 in
2016/17, a shift from the not altogether successful 4-2-3-1 employed when he first took
over.
Klopp’s favoured 4-3-3 is fairly standard, with a six sitting between two more
adventurous midfield eights, wide players who drift, and full-backs who push high.
Of course, the most widely celebrated aspect of Klopp’s style is the counter-press.
Effectively, counter-pressing is an attempt to win possession
back immediately after losing it, rather than waiting for certain triggers to press
which could come after the opposition have had
possession for a while.
The advantage is that the opposition, having won the ball, are in an
offensive, rather than defensive, stance, which leaves them vulnerable to a counter.
Liverpool tend to attack with width and so they counter-press wide too, either in the
wide space or the half-space.
Liverpool play compactly and press aggressively in the half space to try to force the
opposition wide.
This is facilitated by allowing the full-backs and midfield eights a high
degree of vertical freedom to move into the press.
In addition, when the opposition have the ball wide, generally they can only take it
two ways.
The first is vertically in the wide space, which either means a long ball past or over
the full-back, easily defended, or a pass backwards
away from Liverpool’s goal.
Secondly, and there is some evidence that Liverpool actively encourage this, the opposition
can pass back into the half-space; to receive the pass, the receiving opposition player
is facing the touchline, though, and is vulnerable
to players surrounding him and to players coming back from an advanced position to press.
Liverpool employ this backwards counter-press superbly, with the wide players or advanced
midfielders dropping back, passing to the pivot or to a spare central midfielder, who
can then spring an attack with the opposition
geared to an attack and not arranged in a strong
defensive position.
Both these forms of press and counter-press do two things to Liverpool’s advantage:
the first is that they can attack when the opposition
is not properly in a defensive stance, but secondly, by forcing the opposition wide,
space is created in the half-space for Liverpool to
attack.
It’s a potent mix.
When Liverpool attack, they do so with great fluidity.
The designated use of 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 belies the fact that in both formations, the
front three is rotational and that the wide players
can drift into space, push high up the wings, or cut inside, and that the striker, especially
if Firmino is used, drops deep.
Like the other strong pressing side in the league, Spurs, Liverpool push their full-backs
Nathaniel Clyne and James Milner high up the pitch and use the defensive midfield six to
drop into space, though Can does this deeper than, say, Henderson or Wijnaldum, who has
been used in pre-season in this role.
​ This gives Liverpool good central compactness,
which facilitates the desire to push the opposition into attacking with width, and
also means that there is almost always a linking player between the centre-backs and the midfield,
augmented by the advanced full-backs, to aid the attacking transition.
Lastly, Liverpool have intelligent, technical players, who make this system work.
Adam Lallana is superb at knowing when to press, Sadio Mane is a genius for
finding space and knowing whether to attack wide or cut inwards, and Roberto
Firmino can score goals but is also adept at finding space in the number 10
pocket.
The team are quick, getting physically stronger and have, by now,
adapted well to Jurgen Klopp’s style.
The addition of the tricky, direct Mohamed Salah from Roma, who will match Mane’s skill
set on the other flank, is a coup and one feels that Liverpool are not far from
being a great side.
They lack a central defender of the ball-playing ability
of Mats Hummels , who played for Klopp at Dortmund, and a six who can dictate
more from deep, but if Liverpool acquire these players, they could threaten
the title-chasers this coming season.