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When Liverpool bought Diogo Jota in the summer, few could have anticipated the impact he would have so quickly after arriving from the Wolves.
But despite that form, in addition to a lot of midfield injuries that forced Jurgen Klopp to play, Roberto Firmino has appeared in every Premier League match to date and in every phase match. of Champions League groups, scoring three and assisting two in those games.
Liverpool have played with one or the other of Jota and Firmino, with both together with Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah, and even with the four on the field.
It was the latter approach that caused a tactical surprise against Manchester City, as Klopp made the bold decision to line Firmino and Jota in his starting eleven.
One or the other was the common consensus heading into the clash, but Liverpool left with the pair as a duo, a move that paid off in a high-intensity first half in which the Reds’ press often played to the side. perfection.
In Firmino, Liverpool have a player who is perfect for Klopp’s system when he is at his best, but now he also has the perfect option to rotate on the wing now that Jota has been added to the forward roster.
That means that Firmino can start in the big games with Jota, or without him, or come off the bench, a trio of options, compared to last season, when it was a given that when he fit, he, along with Salah and Mane. , I would. be the first three.
And that comes with a variety of benefits.
On the Liverpool.com podcast, Ollie Connelly said: “At the Sheffield United game, Chris Wilder came up with a plan to face Liverpool like no other team has.
Listen to the latest Blood Red podcast by clicking HERE
“It was something you wouldn’t normally write because it goes against all the conventions of modern training, but it took Liverpool a long time to figure it out.
“It was basically putting three guys on the same vertical plane, which you would never recommend doing, because it takes away the entire width, but there was a third corridor.
“They repeated it and it worked for the first 50 minutes of the game until Liverpool decided to change things.
“You can’t put those plans in place when you have no idea what the team will look like because you could decide to go three in the back, but then Klopp decides to go 4-2-3-1 with Firmino in the hole and there is no nothing you can do about it.
“Having variety is not only good for Klopp in terms of who he can pick, but it makes it impossible for rival coaches to plan, which is the dream scenario.
“Coaches will have to prepare three or four different things in a time frame where they no longer have time [because of how close together matches are in a truncated season]. “
Earlier in the season, assistant coach Pep Lijnders explained his desire to see Liverpool evolve. The issue was directly related to the signing of Thiago Alcantara, but the same logic can be applied here.
Before the 7-2 win over Lincoln, Lijnders stressed: “In general, it is important that the team remains unpredictable, that from each position we can play the last pass and we can accelerate as much as possible on the small passes.”
And Pep Guardiola had previously said about Liverpool: “The riddles, the changes, the preparation, the changes during matches … this is what makes everything pleasant, what makes sense of everything. It is what he did. fascinating those encounters “.
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That was again the case when Liverpool traveled to the Etihad Stadium a month ago as their post-match comments suggested, hinting that their team found it even more difficult with four players in Liverpool’s attack, compared to the three regulars who have. caused the City enough trouble for themselves in the past.
With Jota, Firmino, Salah and Mane, as well as players like Xherdan Shaqiri, who is not far from getting back in shape, and Takumi Minamino, who was not even named among the substitutes against City, such is the depth of attack , Klopp has options to choose from.
He won’t always go with a 4-2-3-1 formation, perhaps something that Klopp was forced into to some extent due to a lack of options in midfield, but the German is now always capable of delivering a tactical surprise.
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