“I feel he (Arsene Wenger) likes having the ball, taking part in soccer, passes… it’s like an orchestra,” stated Jurgen Klopp earlier than his Borussia Dortmund aspect confronted Wenger’s Arsenal in 2013. “However it’s a silent tune, I love heavy metallic extra.”
The last decade since has observed Klopp’s taste evolve, particularly after 2018, when his Liverpool aspect higher their talent to keep watch over video games whilst nonetheless keeping up their transitional danger.
“Having extra of the ball shouldn’t result in you resting at the ball however it does glance extra… managed,” Liverpool’s assistant supervisor, Peter Krawietz, informed The Athletic once they gained the Premier League in 2020. “It means that you can transfer the opponent round.
“We’re now not pressured to head for function in each transfer. We will take a extra strategic line, switching the play, getting ready areas and attacking eventualities in a scientific model. Our staff have made nice strides in that recognize, most commonly because of their person high quality.
“The prime person high quality of our gamers lets in us to keep watch over video games in ownership now, and to absorb positions as regards to the ball — so that you could win it again once more briefly if we do lose it.”
For the previous 5 and a part years, Liverpool were some of the perfect transitional groups within the Premier League — counter-pressing successfully to win ownership again after they’ve simply misplaced it, and attacking impulsively at the transition to catch warring parties out earlier than they go back to their defensive form.
Their newest function, towards Burnley on Tuesday, is likely one of the many examples of the way Liverpool are nonetheless embracing their transitional danger.
Wataru Endo counter-presses instantly after Dara O’Shea intercepts Jarell Quansah’s move meant for Mohamed Salah, after which performs the ball in to Diogo Jota to start out an attacking transition, which results with the Portugal ahead scoring to double the lead within the last minute of standard time.
See additionally: the primary of Salah’s two targets away to Brighton & Hove Albion in October.
Right here, Alexis Mac Allister intercepts Lewis Dunk’s move and Liverpool briefly mix thru Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez to position Salah right into a goalscoring place, all inside of seven seconds of them successful the ball within the centre of the pitch.
Then again, you probably have watched Liverpool play this season and felt that those transitional eventualities are going on extra ceaselessly and their assaults appear somewhat wilder than earlier than, then you might be at the correct strains.
Liverpool’s desire for utilising transitions as an attacking software in 2023-24 is apparent of their direct-attacks numbers. Those are outlined as possessions that get started in a staff’s personal part and lead to both a shot or a marginally throughout the opposition penalty space inside of 15 seconds.
Their price of four.2 direct assaults consistent with 90 mins within the Premier League this season is Liverpool’s perfect since 2018-19.
One cause of such an building up may well be that they’re taking the lead previous in video games after which hitting groups at the counter with more room to be had, however that’s now not the case right here.
When adjusting the numbers to just come with recreation states the place Liverpool don’t seem to be successful — ie, drawing or dropping — their price of three.1 direct assaults consistent with 90 within the Premier League this season is upper than in any of the former 5. The nearest price of direct assaults consistent with 90 for this recreation state is remaining season’s 2.3.
It comes as no marvel then that Liverpool have collected probably the most direct assaults (80) within the department over the season’s first 5 months. But as Manchester Town supervisor Pep Guardiola has stated earlier than, “If you are making your assault fast, they are going to assault faster.”
The disadvantage of Liverpool’s rapid-response attacking this season is they grow to be stretched and it’s more difficult to then win the ball again once more if their attacking transition is reversed. In different phrases: a recipe for chaos.
That in part explains why Klopp’s staff conceded the third-most direct assaults (65) within the Premier League within the first part of the season (as much as and together with matchweek 19).
Bearing in mind the profile of the present set of Liverpool gamers, it’s a possibility value taking.
Virgil van Dijk’s talent to shield the distance, the tempo of Ibrahima Konate and goalkeeper Alisson’s talent in one-versus-one eventualities are all attributes which might be really useful in relation to coping with warring parties’ transitions — that’s if Liverpool’s counter-pressing fails to forestall them.
Alternatively, the tempo and dribbling talent of Salah, Nunez, Jota and Diaz cause them to without equal danger when Klopp’s aspect have gained the ball again and are attacking house.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s new function additionally elements in.
Through having the England right-back in a narrower place — or every so often in fact taking part in as some of the 3 midfielders — Liverpool can use his passing talent to briefly to find any of the entrance 3 after successful the ball within the centre of the pitch.
Salah’s function towards West Ham United within the contemporary Carabao Cup quarter-final illustrates this completely.
Lucas Paqueta loses ownership in entrance of the Liverpool penalty field, Alexander-Arnold assaults the unfastened ball, then reveals Salah’s run into the distance with a one-touch move. Salah manages to attain into the ground nook, however he additionally has Diaz and Nunez supporting the transition in case they’re wanted.
In a super global, Liverpool wish to assault briefly at the transition whilst proscribing identical assaults going the opposite direction by way of counter-pressing successfully as soon as they’ve misplaced the ball of their ownership section. Then again, attacking briefly at the transition will invariably stretch your form and depart even the most productive aspects open to being countered.
Then it turns into an end-to-end recreation.
However this season’s model of Liverpool are effective with that as a result of as soon as it occurs, their warring parties are pressured into taking part in the way in which they would like them to.
Klopp’s heavy-metal soccer is again — we will be able to see how a long way it takes them within the coming months.
(Most sensible photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC by way of Getty Pictures)
