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Throughout the preseason, Jurgen Klopp has played with a return to the 4-2-3-1 look that Liverpool instituted at the start of the 2018/19 season.
Before joining Liverpool, Klopp’s preferred look had been a 4-2-3-1, one that typically looked like a solid 4-4-2 block out of possession. With Liverpool, however, the 4-3-3 has become the norm, with Roberto Firmino falling to form a diamond in midfield and Mo Salah and Sadio Mané flying down the wings as de facto forwards on the shoulder.
Things change a bit when Klopp goes to the 4-2-3-1 look. In 2018/19, Xherdan Shaqiri lined up on the right with Firmino falling to the hole and Salah taking his place at the tip of the spear.
This preseason Shaqiri has been shelved. Instead, the tactical shift has given Takumi Minamino a free role in the medium in which he has thrived.
Switching to a different style is a clever way for Klopp to diversify the team’s carefully crafted movement patterns. Rival teams have started to point their defensive points of emphasis on Liverpool’s defenders. Arsenal did an excellent job of hampering Liverpool’s accumulated play by putting pressure on defenders ‘in the shadows’ and scoring Fabinho, who was lined up as number six on the team, the position that often starts play on the wings.
Adding more versatility from possession to possession will be key. And it’s been evident in the preseason how much better Klopp’s team has been building the play centrally when they switched to double pivot.
But a formation change will not meet the needs of all players. While the different appearance will help the likes of Minamino and the creative load placed on the defenders, it won’t do a trio of players many favors.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The move to 4-2-3-1 almost eliminates the need for the number eight prototype as defined by Klopp. Instead, there will be a pair of selection midfielders who set up a platform and allow the four in front of them, as well as the full backs, to advance to the final third.
Where does Oxlade-Chamberlain fit into that? Can you take on the role of Shaqiri on the right? How about moving Mané to the right and putting Oxlade-Chamberlain to the left? He’s certainly not shaping up to be a selection midfielder; he’s at his best picking up the ball a little deeper and moving forward to break through defensive lines.
Trying to adjust to Oxlade-Chamberlain won’t be at the top of Klopp’s priority list – he’s a do-it-all player and happy to waver between spots, but he was a sneaky important player last season who’s poised for a most important role when returning from injury.
Mohamed salah
The point of the 4-2-3-1 system before this season was clear: use the threat of Mohamed Salah’s rhythm to push the centrals, leaving a void in front of the baseline where Roberto Firmino can do his thing. . Roberto Firmino things. It actually starts to look more like a 4-2-1-3:
The theory is excellent. However, in practice, in actual Premier League matches, the tactic has been disappointing when used in short streaks. Often times things get too congested. Salah’s move has been good, but not as effective as when he leads the look 4-3-3 with Firmino moving to the right or left.
Incorrect should be a delicious irritant on top of the 4-2-3-1 look. He has rhythm and movement and the right instincts. But it has never quite clicked for him when asked to get between a pair of defenders down the middle rather than charging at an angle from the right side.
It’s possible that Klopp keeps Salah on the right in an ultra-attacking look that has Minamino behind Firmino, a look that takes on more of the 4-2-2-2 vibe, in which all four forwards have thrived against both. Arsenal. and Blackpool this preseason. It would be a gamble, but it’s worth running. The interaction between Firmino and Minamino, both switching between the nineteen and nineteen roles, has been excellent, and he must maintain some of the balance that allows Salah to continue occupying his preferred zones on the right. But it would be a different style inside is system for Salah, one that you might find narrower due to Firmino or Minamino falling into their natural habitat.
Naby keita
You can’t have a discussion about Liverpool’s form or their game without mentioning Keita. Without adding Thiago or a traditional number nine, the next evolution of this Liverpool will come via Keita.
It was evident after the reboot that Keita had risen to another level; or more accurately than the real Naby Keita, the one who was comfortable and on pace and not fighting injury, had finally arrived.
Keita is a true fundamental piece. It is the type of talent around which a coach builds a system. You just have to look at Community Shield to see how crucial their progressive style is to Liverpool’s ability to create through the middle. The game was crying out for someone who could dive deep, pick up the ball and beat the press by passing or dribbling, someone who could speed up the attack and push a stagnant side into a sprint.
Keita has the ability to be the creative center of any Liverpool setup. But a 4-2-3-1 would suffocate Some of your creative freedom. Keita was at his best post-blocking when he was able to move from the half spaces more into the wide areas, knowing full well that he was covered from behind. His most notable performance of that mini-season was when he switched from his traditional place on the left side of midfield three to the right against Brighton, where he formed an instant two-man game with Salah.
If Liverpool cannot execute most of the creative play through Trent Alexander-Arnold or Andy Robertson, the question must be: How do we give Keita the freedom to control the flow of the game? The answer: Let him work on the right side of a 4-3-3.
Squeezing Keita into a projection two or pushing him into one of the wide roles would make little to no sense. He could do a job, but he wouldn’t be the Keita flashing flashes of a whistle game down the stretch last season.
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