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There aren’t many coaches who have found a consistent way to beat Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool, but Sam Allardyce is a contender, for sure.
While his record against the Reds is not compelling, he certainly has a track record of being able to get results. And it’s not just with one team that Allardyce has done it.
His last management job was with Everton, and in the two league games of that 2017/18 season Liverpool only managed to score two points with two draws. Both games were frustrating for Klopp and his team, mainly because more than enough was done both times to win both games.
And then there’s Liverpool’s last league loss at Anfield, which may have been against Crystal Palace, but Allardyce was also on the opposition bench for that April clash. So the evidence seems to show that the way Allardyce organizes his teams has frustrated Klopp’s players, but will the same thing happen again?
Looking back on that game, Liverpool caused their own problems with individual errors, but allowed Palace to execute their game plan to perfection. A quick counter and a set piece, and before you know it, you’ve conceded two goals.
And it was the same again in Allardyce’s 1-1 draw with Everton in 2017. Win 1-0, play well but not clinical enough in front of goal, and then a controversial penalty is awarded and the points are shared. That is football, as many people would say.
Part of the problem in these games was that Liverpool were not clinical enough in front of goal and fell asleep too often on defense. However, today things have changed.
It was often said in the early years of Klopp’s reign that Liverpool struggled to bring down teams that operated with a low blocking tactic, and basically played for counterattacks and set pieces. The 2-0 loss to Burnley in August 2016 certainly comes to mind. But the last two years have shown that this team has evolved to be able to cope with teams that are set up that way.
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Take the recent victory over Palace as an example. Yes, the game was fairly even before Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino scored just before halftime, but the Eagles employed the same approach that Allardyce’s teams had previously done against Liverpool.
Liverpool found a way to deal with the counterattack by making sure there were enough players to defend the break, and very often we saw the three forwards of Mané, Firmino and Mohamed Salah playing a defensive role to help the cause. It is about the 11 players, including the goalkeeper, participating in any way they can.
West Brom is likely to go with a back four, but essentially it could be a back eight or nine, with one or two forwards up front to counter when opportunities arise. This wouldn’t be the first time Liverpool have had to deal with a team employing such a tactic, and it probably won’t be the last.
It’s not just about counterattacks where they’ll be a threat, it’s also a game of pieces. When Virgil van Dijk is in the team, the chances of conceding a free kick or a corner are quite slim, but with him out of the picture there are always chances for the opponent.
However, Fabinho and Joël Matip are strong in the air and have done a commendable job since Van Dijk was injured a couple of months ago. They will have to be on the same level again when they face the Baggies on Sunday.
Allardyce has certainly had Klopp’s number in the past, but the way this Liverpool team has evolved since their last meeting suggests that this time it will be a different story.
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