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Talking Tactics: What Has Gone Wrong For Liverpool This Season?

Talking Tactics

A season that began so brightly and strongly for Liverpool came crashing down on Monday night, after an utterly humiliating 3-1 defeat at the hands of the struggling champions Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The manner of the defeat to a team who are without a manager and haven’t scored a single goal in the league since the turn of the year sent alarm bells ringing loud around Anfield.

A blistering start back in August, saw the Reds establish themselves as one of the main contenders for the Premier League title this season. But following three defeats in their last five league games, the title seems far away for the Merseysiders and now the Champions League spot appears to be jeopardized as well.

Earlier in the year, Liverpool went through a similar disappointing period where in a matter of weeks they crashed out of the EFL Cup and the FA Cup while struggling to get going in the league as well. They’ve had to wait until February to register their first league win of 2017.

So where has it gone wrong for Jurgen Klopp and his charges? What has been the cause for the sudden downslide in form? We analyze.

Liverpool have struggled for consistency this season.
Liverpool have struggled for consistency this season.

More often than not, the same question has been asked time and again of Liverpool; Can they adapt to their opponents. It has often been said that the Reds play “the same way” irrespective of the opposition that they are facing. The 4-3-3 setup with a false-nine striker has brought good success to Klopp and his team this season, especially against the bigger teams. In eight games against Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United, Liverpool have won four and drawn four.

It is the opponents of a lower stature that have found them out. Losses to Burnley, Bournemouth, Swansea City, Hull City and now Leicester City indicate teams that are willing to absorb the pressure and find a way past Liverpool defence have enjoyed decent success.

When on song, Liverpool are an unstoppable force. As witnessed in the early parts of the season, this saw them reach the summit of the league for a brief period of time. But when undone, they look very sheepish. A dismal start to 2017 gave a clear indication that Liverpool have been found out and that they lack a Plan B. It is surprising, to say the least. Renowned for their high-intensity gegenpressing football, the Merseysiders were outrun and outdone by Leicester, leaving them tactically exposed.

Another pressing concern for Liverpool since the day Klopp took over has been their leaky defence. It has been their undoing on many occasions. Filling the left-back position was of prime importance for Klopp in the pre-season with Alberto Moreno struggling to bounce back from the horror show in the Europa League finals against Sevilla last term. The German papered over the cracks by turning midfielder James Milner into a makeshift left-back, but it was never going to work for a prolonged period.

It hasn’t been easy at all for Klopp, with injuries to the likes of Dejan Lovren, a fallout with defender Mamadou Sakho and the AFCON debacle of Joel Matip post his return from injury. All these issues have been major hindrances in their title challenge. Against Leicester, Klopp was once again forced to play with two midfielders in the backline – Lucas Leiva and Milner. The Brazilian was caught out by the pace and energy of the Leicester forwards while Milner too did not enjoy the best of the nights.

Sturridge has not fitted into Jurgen Klopp's style of play.
Sturridge has not fitted into Jurgen Klopp’s style of play.

Klopp’s commitment to a high defensive line lies best with the attacking approach that is played at Anfield. However, it also requires the personnel suitable for that, which Liverpool don’t possess amongst their ranks.

The failure to resolve the issue of Daniel Sturridge too has been a major problem for the Reds. Klopp has struggled to ease him into the side post his injury issues and the Englishman hasn’t shown any signs of acclimatizing to the way Liverpool play and this has hampered them going forward.

Their recruitment over the summer has been another let down for Liverpool this season. While they invested well in signing Sadio Mane, Giorginio Wijnaldum, and Joel Matip, the major issue of a defensive cover wasn’t addressed properly. Ragnar Klavan was brought in to provide cover, but the Estonian has struggled in England. The fact that Lucas was picked ahead of summer signing Ragnar Klavan, shows the trust that the manager has on his new signing.

A lack of cover for Sadio Mane was also terribly exposed during their barren spell in his enforced absence due to involvement in AFCON and it coincided with injuries to key members Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho.

All in all, Liverpool seem to be spiralling downwards after beginning the season immensely and Klopp needs to act fast if he is to arrest this downslide. There is enough time left for them to salvage their faltering campaign. Though the title seems a far stretch at this point, a place in the Champions League is still in play and Liverpool will need to do very well if they are to clinch a top-four spot.