With Jürgen Klopp adding Xherdan Shaqiri, Naby Keita and Fabinho in the summer, Liverpool are now in a position where they can rotate between formations and adapt to counter the type of opposition they face.
In recent years, Liverpool have been renowned for a 4-3-3 formation, with lots of pace across the front three, a creative forward in Roberto Firmino and three players in midfield who are all workmen-like and will put the hard yards in.
Last year, one of the key aspects to Liverpool’s game was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is out for the majority of the season. So far this season Liverpool have shown a few times why the former Arsenal man is important, missing bursting runs forward, breaking of the lines, and of course scoring screamers in a Champions League quarter final against Manchester City.
In the summer, Klopp tried to get more of these players through the Melwood doors. Naby Keita came with that exact reputation, however hasn’t lived up to the hype so far in an injury-plagued campaign. £12 million signing Xherdan Shaqiri arrived with the tag of being a ‘squad player’, but as shown in his title winning successes at Dortmund, Klopp likes to rotate his squad heavily throughout the season, so that his players maintain a good level of fitness.
Shaqiri was given the role in a midfield three against Southampton last month, and despite setting up two goals, he was brought off at half time by Klopp for not listening to instructions. Attending the game myself, I thought he looked like a headless chicken at times. However, when the Swiss international has started since then, Klopp has played a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Salah as a lone striker, Firmino dropping deeper, and Shaqiri on the right wing.
Sadio Mane has the job of constantly coming inside, sometimes acting like a ‘number 10’ rather than a touchline winger. By contrast, Salah is very much the goal poacher in the team, exemplified by many of his opportunistic goals so far this season.
Liverpool now possess something they have been seriously lacking for years. Squad depth. Georginio Wijnaldum has started the season in the form of his life, and is now above almost everybody in the midfield pecking order. He is perfect for either formation.
Jordan Henderson and James Milner have faded slightly from the picture recently but are both very capable as shown earlier this season. Liverpool now have the two ‘number 6’s’ in Henderson and Fabinho. There are also two ‘number 8’s’ in Keita and Wijnaldum, with players who can adapt to different positions in Milner and Lallana, the centre of the park appears particularly well stocked.
Furthermore, Daniel Sturridge has also come back into the frame with recent performances, which provides the chance for one of the ‘front three’ to be rested. Sturridge has shown for a while what a quality finisher he is, but a new style of his game has come from dropping deep. Picking the ball up in areas in-front of the oppositions midfield and hurting them from distance is now on the menu, most notably with his stunning equaliser against Chelsea. This gives Klopp the option to either play him as an out-and-out striker, or in the number 10 position.
Earlier this week Klopp said “players shouldn’t lose rhythm if you change the shape a little bit”.
Liverpool’s squad will be tested in the next few months as we enter the Christmas period, with not just a Premier League title to chase but with a hard Champions League group to qualify from.
In Manchester United’s best teams, Ferguson didn’t play one of his midfielders over 30 times. Instead, he kept rotating the squad and gave each player a promise that they would play a good amount of games. This is what Klopp is doing at Liverpool currently. Fans will often moan about Salah or Firmino being dropped against a lower team at home, but it’s all about how well and effectively Klopp can rotate his squad and the different formations he can play with them.
