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With Liverpool enduring a depressing run of outcomes as sides proceed to frustrate them within the Premier League, Harry McMullen feels Jurgen Klopp ought to look to Dortmund.
Like many loyal Liverpool followers, I used to be heartened to learn parallels between our present predicament and Jurgen Klopp’s first title defence at Borussia Dortmund.
Till our personal dramatic turnaround materialises, I discover myself seeking to the German facet’s present state of affairs.
It’s eerily comparable – on the fringes of the highest 4, in an open title race – but tactically distinct, lining up in an attacking 3-4-2-1 form that has yielded loads of objectives.
As low, slim blocks proceed to stymie the Reds, may including a 3rd defender clear up our offensive disaster?
The Sign from Iduna Park
Dortmund sometimes look to play out from the again, with transformed midfielders (former Pink Emre Can) and full-backs (Lukasz Piszczek) utilizing their high quality on the ball to dominate possession.
The wing-backs undertake positions close to the touchline, stretching the play and creating passing choices to penetrate the opposition press by drawing opponents to the ball and creating house within the center.
Although Liverpool at present function with a again 4, one of many midfield trio (often Thiago) drops deep to kind the same three when build up from the again.
Nevertheless, with groups now ready for this, they not often try to press the ball till it reaches both Trent Alexander-Arnold or Andy Robertson out huge, because the touchline beside them makes it simpler to chop off the pitch.
Since shedding the lengthy, raking diagonal balls from Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s buildup play has develop into straightforward to foretell, with the full-backs pressured to play a brief, protected go infield or again to the central defenders.
The place Dortmund’s strategy suggests an answer is within the beginning place of their huge males.
By sustaining a everlasting three-man again line, they scale back the defensive onus on the wing-backs. This permits them to start the assault increased up the pitch and get the attackers concerned a lot faster.
This was seen in opposition to Hoffenheim, the place the left wing-back Raphael Guerreiro drew out the opposition full-back earlier than taking part in a fast one-two with the central midfielder to get in behind, threading the ball on to the centre-forward (Liverpool goal Erling Haaland) to shoot.
This incisive power and depth – proudly hailed by Pep Lijnders as Liverpool’s identification – has been lacking from Liverpool’s recreation, with sideways passes deep within the opponent’s half making it far too straightforward for the opposition defence to slim the pitch and stifle the play.
Countering the counter
As demonstrated by Marcus Rashford’s copious offsides within the latest 0-0 draw with Man United, Liverpool’s makeshift again line has proved largely impervious to counter-attacks in latest instances.
The concession of simply three objectives through the latest winless run within the Premier League is a commendable return contemplating the absence of a pure central defensive pair.
However the lack of high quality midfield choices additional ahead has seen only one aim scored in the identical interval. How does Klopp optimise his squad’s attacking efficiency while sustaining its immunity to opposition breakaways?
For Dortmund, the usage of a everlasting again three (while taking part in a excessive line just like our personal) offsets counters by denying opponents numerical overloads in transition.
This implies gamers equivalent to Can and Pisczek – not pure centre-backs – are not often drawn into one-on-one duels when opponents break up the pitch, the likes of which have seen each Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips overwhelmed for tempo in latest video games.
This ‘power in numbers’ strategy may convey the much less skilled (Phillips, Williams) and the much less naturally inclined (Kostas Tsimikas, for instance) into rivalry, while releasing up midfield gamers to return to the midfield.
Whereas Dortmund’s central midfielders resemble an old-school partnership, taking turns to help the defence or assault as wanted, Liverpool’s personal world-class choices have the guile, high quality and dynamism, freed of their ‘useful’ duties, to dominate the central areas and make an influence on the scoresheet.
Three on the again – however what concerning the three up entrance?
Which brings us again to Liverpool’s blunted assault. The present setup, utilizing a false 9 to drop deep and wingers drifting inside, has struggled to fight low blocks that congest house in the midst of the pitch.
In Dortmund’s attacking trident, it’s the two huge males – rumoured Liverpool targets Jadon Sancho and Gio Reyna – who drop into the midfield, drawing out defenders to create house for the lone striker to use.
Throughout an early-season recreation in opposition to Freiburg this was seen at its most potent, with Reyna carrying the ball forwards from deep whereas Sancho and Haaland made penetrating runs, earlier than taking part in a intelligent go for Haaland to lash throughout aim along with his rocket left foot.
Reyna’s work right here was harking back to our personal Sadio Mane; each glorious carriers of the ball, fearless within the one-on-ones and unselfish within the last third.
In the meantime, our high scorer Mo Salah additionally possesses a well-known left foot and killer intuition for aim, suggesting we’re well-placed to emulate the German facet’s system.
Backwards to go forwards?
It’s essential to notice that the concepts outlined listed below are extra variations than wholesale modifications, designed to offer the spark for that first aim from which the remaining will observe.
These are the reigning, defending champions, with a historical past of overcoming adversity to seek out options when it issues.
Throughout maybe the darkest storm of latest instances, it may merely be a look in the direction of Klopp’s previous that illuminates the golden sky as soon as once more.
* It is a visitor article for This Is Anfield by Harry McMullen. Observe Harry on Twitter, @mcmulhar.
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