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Paul Merson has claimed that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp may have missed a trick by failing to change his formation at Anfield amid his injury crisis.
With so many injuries to the central defender this season, it has had a ripple effect on the entire team with midfielders falling in defense and world-class levels disappearing on the field.
The Merseyside giants were runaway Premier League champions last year, but are currently eighth in the table.
They have the distraction of a Champions League tie on Wednesday night, but that shouldn’t hide the fact that their domestic form has been abysmal in 2021.
Sky Sports expert Merson believes Klopp may have been sensible to switch to a three in the back formation, something that has worked very well at Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel took over at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel’s Chelsea are in fourth place in the league table due to their unbeaten streak with a new manager, who has had great success using a 3-4-3 system.
“If there was a team in the country that could play with three defenders, I thought it was Chelsea,” Merson told Sky Sports.
“They actually have wings instead of wings, if I’m honest, and the change has worked wonderfully.
“If you look at Liverpool right now, it’s probably the way they should have gone. When you look back now, Jurgen Klopp should have been a bit more flexible and thought we don’t really have good defenders without Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez. Maybe he should have been flexible and switched to a back three to give the players a little more protection and also, they also have wing backs in Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who like to go forward more than defend. .
“Tuchel has come in and seen it at Chelsea, and Klopp could have learned a little from that.”
(Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC / Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool have always operated with four defenders in recent years, so it would be strange to see them with three center-backs.
It’s an interesting suggestion for the Reds to change formation, but who they would play at the back would be a headache for Klopp.
For example, a combination of Ozan Kabak, Rhys Williams, and Nat Phillips seems extremely weak and vulnerable on paper.
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