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Lijnders: We have not changed our style


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Pep Lijnders has clarified a widely held theory that Liverpool have changed their playing style over the past few seasons.

 

The “Red Arrows” were a famous period of the early Jurgen Klopp tenure which produced thrilling attacking football, but it also became more frenzied  that left them susceptible at the other end of the pitch.

 

While Liverpool were fast becoming the football favourites of the neutral, it was evident that it was not a style that was going to build success for the long term.

 

Since the arrival of Virgil Van Dijk, Alisson and Fabinho, Liverpool have a defensive identity that has stood the sternest of tests against Europe’s elite and brought a consistent flow of silverware.

 

The balance has been set to a more even keel as the assistant manager explained to the Big Interview Podcast via the Echo.

 

"People always say 'ah Liverpool changed style' no, we never changed style.

 

We have a more compact team, we are better positioned when we have the ball so they see less hectic moments.

 

Going back a few decades and a majority of managers used to see the shortest route home (eg long ball) as the only recipe for success.

 

But as more continental managers started to bring their talents to the Premier League, we started to see a different approach and a fascinating clash in football philosophies.

 

Klopp and his coaching staff are renowned for their intricate thinking and not only prepare their players what to do with the ball but also when they don’t have possession.

 

Lijnders who is seen as one of the main architects of the famous Liverpool “press” explained the theory around it.

 

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“We call it organised pressing, organised counter-pressing, organised chaos.

 

“As staff, we are consciously working on what happens before and what happens around [the press].

 

“That is where our focus as a staff lies in each meeting and session. Creating this high-intensity tactical coach of counter-press football and improve our way.

 

“The better you press, the better you counter-press, the less you run, it is that simple because you don't have to go 60 metres back.

 

"That's the organisation and for me, our positional game in the last years has improved so much. What that means is we get better and more control of the games.

 

“We always say the 30 per cent where we don't have the ball, we want to be different than all the other teams in the league.

 

 It is for that reason that Klopp is meticulous in which players he signs as not everyone are able to play in the way in this particular system.

 

 And as the Dutchman says, it is who Liverpool are so there is no compromise.

 

"That's our fingerprint, that's our way. Because we believe when we don't have the ball, we dominate that moment if it is counter-pressing.

 

"And the only way to have that freedom in the attack is to know that when we lose the ball, we can recover it quickly.

 

"I think the main reason we won, are decisive and could keep it up for a long period, is we focused on the 30 per cent in training constantly.

 

"That is where we wanted to improve constantly, but as I said before, the better you attack, the more you have the ball, the more you are connected and the closer you have players to each other.

 

"All these things, the better you counter-press, the less you run. But the better your positional game, the less hectic moments you see."

 

 


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Maybe we do need some changes. Weve been so predictable a group of kids with 24 hours notice knew how to deal with us for 45 minutes. I hope Thiago stays fit and makes a real difference because everyone else looks in a rut. Were playing like we are so scared to lose the ball were just recycling it over and over much to the delight of shite teams. United might help us by feeling they can beat us but judging how ole has set up the last few years they will park the bus and hit us on the break and were so pedestrian in our play recently so concerned about not losing the ball they could really damage us every time they win the ball back.

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