Why Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool tactics work better away from Anfield
Since Jürgen Klopp arrived to manage Liverpool, a feeling of positivity and progression has reverberated around Anfield. Even during the sequence of draws before his first win, the squad showed encouraging signs of believing in his tactics, specifically the all-important gegenpressing. And while it is taking longer to mirror his […]

Since Jürgen Klopp arrived to manage Liverpool, a feeling of positivity and progression has reverberated around Anfield. Even during the sequence of draws before his first win, the squad showed encouraging signs of believing in his tactics, specifically the all-important gegenpressing. And while it is taking longer to mirror his old Dortmund team with the ball, without the ball Liverpool players have been working furiously to carry out Klopp’s desires.

It’s a widely quoted stat that Klopp has won his first two away games against two of the big four clubs that Liverpool are trying to break up, something that Rodgers never did. Even in the annus mirabilis of 2013-14, Liverpool lost 0-2 at the Emirates versus Arsenal, and 1-2 at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad against Chelsea and Manchester City.

The two wins against Chelsea and City this season were characterized by Liverpool completely outplaying the opposition. Even accounting for the caveats of the horror season, Chelsea are living through and the absence through injury or fatigue from much of City’s first-choice team, they were magnificent performances. Remember that Liverpool too didn’t play anything near their first choice XI in either game. Against City, Liverpool took nine shots on target compared to three for their opponents. Against Chelsea, the numbers were seven to two.

Those stats show these were no smash and grab victories. They were controlled performances, working to a game-plan that involved being direct in attack, and winning the ball back quickly when not in possession.

The striking difference between this Liverpool and the one under Brendan Rodgers is the attitude to possession. This is not to denigrate Rodgers — one style is not necessarily better than another. But he arrived at Melwood preaching possession as a means to victory, as a coach that had done his apprenticeship traveling around Spain and learning from the technical masters. It is difficult to imagine Klopp saying the following quote:

‘When you’ve got the ball 65-70 per cent of the time, it’s a football death for the other team. We’re not at that stage yet, but that’s what we’ll get to. It’s death by football.’ – Brendan Rodgers, September 2012

Ironically it was probably when Rodgers’ side played least like that in 2013-14 when they used the pace and trickery of three forwards to play directly and quickly that they were closest to achieving their aims of domination.

Klopp definitely values having the ball, otherwise his side would be running around for 90 minutes killing themselves pressing. However, possession cannot just be and end in itself. It needs to be a means towards putting the ball in the opponent’s goal. Under Rodgers, a common feature was that Liverpool’s leading passers of the ball were the central defenders and the central midfielders. The defenders or midfielders were passing it around to each other, patiently trying to drag opponents out of position.

Under Klopp last Saturday, Liverpool only had 42% of the ball, but Philippe Coutinho had the second most passes in the final third of anybody on both sides. Out of the top five chance creators on both sides, Liverpool contributed three (Coutinho, Emre Can, and Roberto Firmino). Can to Coutinho and Can to Firmino were tied for Liverpool’s second most frequent pass combinations (the first being Can to Milner).

The pass accuracy was only 65%, but 65% of shots were also put on target and the side attempted 46 tackles and 32 interceptions. These are staggering numbers not seen since two seasons ago when they swept all before them, scoring early and then breaking quickly once the opponent had to come forward. As the table below shows, under Klopp Liverpool have been much more the mongrel, tackling and intercepting more, and despite having less ball control over the game, are still taking basically the same amount of shots.

In fact the most impressive game this season under Rodgers was away against Arsenal, where they played most like a Klopp team, with 22 interceptions compared to an average of 14 under Rodgers and only 34% of the ball.

The one worry amidst all this positivity is that these tactics do seem more suited to a team playing away from home than at home. Under Klopp, Liverpool haven’t won a league game at home, and barely beat Rubin Kazan (1-0) in the Europa League. Generally, Liverpool’s potency has decreased the more of the ball they’ve had, with sides playing at Anfield content to sit back and deny Firmino, Coutinho, and Lallana the space they find on the counter with opposition committed up the pitch.

With the majority of possession, there isn’t really that much opportunity to press and intercept the ball with the opponent caught upfield. You have to create your own opportunities through measured attacking patterns. Liverpool generally have looked shorn of creativity, and recently found themselves on the receiving end of a Liverpool-esque counter-attacking performance against Crystal Palace at Anfield.

How can this be rectified? There is nothing that states that sides have to play the same at home as they do away. With a few players returning from injury, Liverpool should look to utilize the depth in their squad to change their strategy when playing at home. Christian Benteke does not really fit in with the fast-paced, fast-running style of play Liverpool have developed away from home. But at Anfield when getting the ball out wide and crossing it after a patient build up is actually a valid strategy, his power and pace can be very useful, as seen against Bordeaux in the Europa League.

In the long-run, Liverpool have to develop some tried and trusted patterns they can go to when having to break down a packed defense. The best teams have offensive moves and rhythms they go to, that they’ve worked on relentlessly on the training ground for exactly that situation. A prime example was the long diagonal from Xavi to Dani Alves that Barcelona deployed against a deep sitting side. Domination of the ball meant Alves had license to go as high as he wanted and in one move Barcelona shifted the focus of the play to a completely different quadrant of the pitch. Well-drilled sides can defend against the best if they’re allowed time to sit deep, but quick patterns of play can move them out of position for just long enough for an opening to be created.

Klopp has also talked about using the entire width of the pitch and shifting play to the weak side as quickly as possible, and maintaining the pace of their play no matter whether they’re at home or away, but perhaps so soon after his arrival it’s not come into place yet. It’s going to take time before they progress into making Anfield a fortress again but after a tough opening to the season, Liverpool have already travelled to the hardest grounds in the league. In January, Arsenal and Manchester United come to Anfield on consecutive weekends, with the league looking as wide open as it has for some time, Liverpool need to have a workable strategy by then.