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Klopp: Focus on defence has affected attack


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For many football managers it is the final piece of the puzzle, but it can be an impossible riddle to solve.

 

Just how do you get every single facet of the team ticking along simultaneously?

 

To put it bluntly, it is the main difference between being a good team and a title winning side.

 

It is a missing factor that has evaded every notable Liverpool manager since the early 90s.

 

For Roy Evans and Brendan Rodgers attack seemed to be the best form of defence which was fantastic as far as entertainment is concerned, but it was not going to be a successful method for a sustained period.

 

While Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez were highly adept in keeping the opposition under a tight rein, they just could not to find that final piece of attacking flair when they needed it the most.

 

Current manager Jurgen Klopp is a man who is methodical in his planning of a side. 

 

While the fanbase would have wanted the German to dismantle a very poor back four unit on his arrival, he has shown incredible patience with individuals and taken his time to assess the failings and unveil his blueprint for defensive success.

 

The results have been clear to see in the early stages of this season.

 

The Reds have conceded just three goals in eight games with five clean sheets amongst them.

 

 That is level with reigning champions Man City for the least goals conceded, some sort of achievement when you compare it to the corresponding time 12 months ago when we had conceded 12 goals, or in 2016/7 (10 goals conceded).

 

However, as the main fault of the squad is well on its way to being sorted, the attacking third, for so long consistent in delivering the goods has hit a bit of a bump in the road.

 

vandijk1_600.jpg

 

The Guardian reports that the issue has certainly not gone unnoticed by Klopp but the manager says it is all part of the evolution of the side.

 

"We want to be stronger defensively but that doesn’t mean we don’t have interest in offensive things. It is normal in a period of adaptation. 

 

"You put the focus a bit more on something – close this gap, close this space – and immediately you lose a bit of the fluency in something else. 

 

"But we have created enough chances; it’s just that we didn’t use them like we used them in the best period of last season.

 

" We have had good results and scored goals but it’s obvious we can improve. We need to keep the stability, no doubt about that. 

 

"What we’ve done defensively so far is a credit to the whole team. We don’t concede a lot of shots in general. 

 

"It’s not that we don’t concede because Alisson makes one world-class save after another. We don’t let them shoot often and that’s the best thing.”

 

The signing of the Brazilian goalkeeper in the summer has certainly made a huge difference as he has a real presence about him, something that Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius do not possess.

 

The shift of Joe Gomez to his natural position of centre-back has been seamless with the young England star striking up an instant rapport with Virgil Van Dijk.

 

While full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold have typically gone about their business in a no-nonsense fashion.

 

While Klopp's famed pressing tactics have not being as noticeable in the early stages of this campaign, the manager says it is more to do with the change of approach from the opposition than of his own mindset.

 

"It’s more the case that teams don’t usually play against us.

 

"They overplay our pressing with long balls, which makes sense. In a lot of games, our counter-press has been really good, which is much more important in terms of losing the ball and winning it back. 

 

“In terms of the high press, it depends on the style of play of the other team. You can’t do it if they don’t play. It’s not that we don’t want to do it any more. If they play then we should be there."

 

A sixth clean sheet of the season against Huddersfield today will set a club record for fewest goals conceded after nine games.


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I'm not sure it is anything to do with 'adjustments' to tactics or whatever , I just don't think the big three guys up front have hit any form at all. The amount of potentially decisive breaks we butchered tonight with lazy or incorrect passes was massively frustrating, but it could be just something that 'clicks' all of a sudden ( hopefully with Red Star ).

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Although last season our results were absolutely infuriating in the early season, we looked great offensively against Watford, Hoffenheim, Arsenal and Sevilla early in the season. Can’t knock our results, they’ve been incredible given their difficulty. Red Star and Cardiff provide the perfect platform to regain some of our swagger and verve from last year. Get Sadio back in Wednesday night, I never want to see Lallana in the front 3 ever again.

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The problem is the midfield. If we could control games with the ball we would be solid at the back while also creating tonnes of chances at the same time like Man City are able to do. Instead we have to sacrifice one for the other. It's working right now because our defenders and keeper are playing at a high level, but we're looking very "bend don't break" at the moment and it's probably not sustainable. 

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6 hours ago, 3 Stacks said:

The problem is the midfield. If we could control games with the ball we would be solid at the back while also creating tonnes of chances at the same time like Man City are able to do. Instead we have to sacrifice one for the other. It's working right now because our defenders and keeper are playing at a high level, but we're looking very "bend don't break" at the moment and it's probably not sustainable. 

I thought Klopp doesn’t do “controlling midfielder”?

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3 hours ago, aRdja said:

I thought Klopp doesn’t do “controlling midfielder”?

We need people who are better on the ball in the middle. If that's a "controlling midfielder", whatever that is, then so be it. 

 

For a start, just don't have Milner and Henderson on the pitch at the same time. They are usually going to be very bad together and will get pressed by bums like Huddersfield. If we had midfielders who could play, they wouldn't have dared trying to win it high up the pitch and we'd have dominated the game. 

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