The Redmen TV’s Chris Pajak analysed the tactical changes in Jurgen Klopp‘s approach over the first year of his time as Liverpool manager.
Klopp’s arrival has already seen the Reds hint at future success, both in reaching finals in the Europa League and the League Cup last season, and by sitting in fourth in the Premier League at present.
Liverpool have lost just once in seven league games in 2016/17, winning five times including against Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester City.
This has marked a major step forward from Klopp’s first months on Merseyside, and Pajak’s overview of the evolution of his tactics highlights this excellently.
Pajak opens by talking about the improvement in Liverpool’s pressing system under Klopp, from their first game against Tottenham Hotspur last October—where there were early signs of this in action, with the Reds swarming opposition within six seconds.
He highlights key areas of the pitch by splitting it first into thirds, and those thirds into fifths—with two wings, two half-spaces and the area in the middle of the park.
With Klopp moving from the 4-2-3-1 to the 4-3-3 this season, this has aided Liverpool against sides employing a low block.
Pajak explains how these sides try to “crush the space in the centre of the park,” and where Liverpool previously needed wingers, the attacking fluidity of Klopp’s new system is negotiating this.
Projecting the Reds’ future, Pajak notes how Klopp began rotating his Borussia Dortmund side when they began enjoying success in the Champions League.
Therefore, if Liverpool are to finish in the top four in the Premier League this season, he believes that for Klopp’s tactics to continue to evolve, he will need to sign a genuine backup to both Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane.
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