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Talking Tactics: Suarez and the ‘Zola-zone’

By on January 25, 2013

Perhaps the most crucial issue for the future development of Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers is whether or not the club can hang on to Luis Suarez.

Despite a controversy-ridden spell on Merseyside, Suarez appears to feel at home at Liverpool, but as Steven Gerrard said last week, a player of his ability deserves to be playing in the Champions League.

Considering the poor start to the season, Liverpool’s rise to seventh has been fairly impressive, and indicates an upward trend likely to see the side continue to improve in the second half of the season. But finishing 4th (a feat more hotly contested than the title race itself) will still take some doing. Liverpool fans will hope a much-improved second half to the season will be enough to convince Suarez to hang around until at least next Christmas – when Champions League football might look closer – even if the club eventually finish 5th or 6th, but whether 2013/14 is a post-Suarez season or not, the Uruguayan will provide Brendan Rodgers with plenty of different options.

Should he decide to leave, Rodgers will receive a transfer fee allowing him to sculpt the playing squad he desires – although losing a player of such repute doesn’t send the best message to potential targets. But if Liverpool can retain the services of a player arguably peerless, excepting Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, then Liverpool’s manager can deploy him in a number of positions.

Options

At times this season Liverpool have lined up with a 4-3-3 formation (with either a 2-1 or 1-2 midfield, although this morphs into a 3-4-3 when in possession, with the fullbacks pushing forwards, centre-backs splitting wide, and Lucas dropping in-between them), and at other times utilising a 4-2-3-1, but in either configuration Suarez has played the central attacking role, albeit as a false 9 with license to roam. The acquisition of Sturridge, however, along with the return of Fabio Borini, means Suarez can now be used in a variety of roles, depending on how he can best help the team and hurt the opposition.

At Ajax he often played wide-left in a forward three, and could easily do the same on the right, but against Norwich, Suarez took up a proto-free role, dropping between the lines and sometimes drifting out to the left. With Sturridge playing central and Downing on the right of attack, the Uruguayan was able to roam without unbalancing the side, thanks to Glen Johnson’s ability to play as both a full-back and winger at the same time.


Brendan Rodgers on MOTD3 (April 2012)

When Brendan Rodgers appeared on MOTD3 last season he was asked to pick his all-time Premiership XI, and opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation with Zola occupying the position in the middle of the three (between the strong, quick and athletic Henry and Ronaldo) and made a point of mentioning how he calls this position often referred to as ‘the hole’ the “Zola-zone”.

When Liverpool have played 4-3-3 with a 2-1 midfield this season, the player occupying the advanced position in that triangle has been either Gerrard, Shelvey, Henderson or the now departed Sahin, with more emphasis on covering ground and linking the midfield and attack than being an all-out playmaking attacker of the Zola variety.

Similarly, when adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation the player in the middle of that ‘3’ has been more rigid and workmanlike than someone tasked with being the side’s main creative force, but could it be that Rodgers’ reluctance to play someone in the Zola-zone has been more down to necessity than desire, with Suarez required as a finisher, and Suso – probably the next most Zola-like player on the books – not yet ready to take on such an important role?

“Zone 14” is the “golden square” on a football pitch in which most teams can score goals from.

Suarez is no slouch, but neither is he as quick as Sturridge, whose pace forces defences deeper, opening up more spaces between the lines of defence and midfield to be exploited. Liberated by the acquisition of Sturridge and return of Borini, the Uruguayan could now slot into the hole when Rodgers opts for a 4-2-3-1. It would require two midfielders behind him – perhaps Lucas and Henderson – who could compensate for his license to create and wander, as well as wide players willing to work hard and drop deep when necessary, but seeing to that, operating in the Zola-zone could yet prove to be Suarez’s best position.



About Kopology

Kopology is a blog about Liverpool Football Club, 'Tiki-Taka', 'total football' and Brendan Rodgers' footballing philosophy. Follow on twitter @Kopology.

  • Marshal Baral

    12:00…..”with all due respect …..it u take one or two player from Swansea and keep them in other team then……they might be non existing player….. What do u think, is he talking about Joe Allen ???? …even though we share same style of play with Swansea I think same thing is happening to Allen

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  • Redblooded Male

    Lucas Gerrard
    Rojas Suarez Coutinho
    Sturridge

    This would be an interesting/exciting lineup.

  • JCW

    I will say this right here right now and agree or disagree it really doesn’t matter – if Suarez does leave LFC we are totally finished and there are just so many reasons why – I know no player is bigger than the club but right now what he brings to the team is simply irreplaceable because it doesn’t matter how much money we get for him he simply fits and gels into our team and that is more important than anything, you can have the best players which of course we don’t because of money and current lack of success but if they don’t fit in the team it’s all pointless, just look at Torres as a prime example – his decision to leave LFC has in effect finished his career. I just hope Suarez looks at that as an example of what could happen because right now as painful as it is to say we haven’t got too many good reasons to persuade him to stay, have we progressed this season under Rodgers………not in my opinion! That is the real worry on whether Suarez will stay, I don’t believe he wants to leave but someone as good as he is at least deserves to play for a club that are moving forward – are we really progressing currently……….let’s not kid ourselves here we are not. All we can hope for is that Suarez will give the club another chance because we simply cannot afford to lose him, it’s not just the goals that he brings to the team but the chances he creates and also most importantly the instant realtionship he has made for Sturridge to be a success straight away – we just cannot lose that now if this club is to move forward. I have said it before and I’ll say it again I don’t belive that Brendan Rogers will lead LFC back to the summit of English football, I hope I’m wrong, we unfortunately need to change manager again, although it’s almost certain this won’t happen – who should it be, love him or loathe him Mourinho is simply the best but I know that won’t happen – we should head back to Swansea again and take Laudrup – he almost joined us as a player and have a little inkling that he would take on the challenge