4-2-2-2

[rurikbird]

It’s time - once Thiago and Macca come back we will have too many midfielders to accommodate, meanwhile our forwards bar Salah are all largely ineffective; the wingers don’t create, the strikers don’t convert their chances. Meanwhile, I couldn’t be happier with our defensive unit: Van Dijk, Konate and Quansah have been awesome, Gomez is playing possibly the best football of his career and Endo in front of them offers real protection for the first time since Fabinho was good.

We have a solid base, but we just need to sort out the situation in attack. Maybe the simple answer is to play with more midfielders and fewer forwards. I genuinely think the likes of Elliott, Szobo, Gravenberch and MacAllister could potentially outscore the current versions of Diaz, Gakpo and Nunez if unleashed from too much defensive responsibility. It’s time to switch to a Nagelsmann 4-2-2-2.

———————Alisson———————
—-Konate/Quansah———-Van Dijk—-
Gomez/Bajcetic———Robbo/Chambers
——-Macca/Endo—Trent/Thiago———-
—-Szobo/Elliott———-Jones/Gravvy—-
——Salah/Gakpo——Nunez/Diaz/Jota-

 

[Modo]

Yes, let's switch system mid season. I'm up for anything right now.

 

[dee]

Thiago can just replace Endo in the short term as he's off to the Asia Cup it seems

 

[Dreambeliever]

Switching formation would be a bit drastic no?

 

[darkstarexodus]

I'm not normally in favour of this formation but our forwards are all either hurt or shit so playing fewer of them seems like a reasonable approach.

 

[moron]

Thiago can just replace Endo in the short term as he's off to the Asia Cup it seems

That only makes sense if Endo is off for just one game, and I say that because we all know that is all we will get out of Thiago before the next injury, and it assumes that the game he will play in - he will make it past the warm-up routine before the game begins.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

It’s time - once Thiago and Macca come back we will have too many midfielders to accommodate, meanwhile our forwards bar Salah are all largely ineffective; the wingers don’t create, the strikers don’t convert their chances. Meanwhile, I couldn’t be happier with our defensive unit: Van Dijk, Konate and Quansah have been awesome, Gomez is playing possibly the best football of his career and Endo in front of them offers real protection for the first time since Fabinho was good.

We have a solid base, but we just need to sort out the situation in attack. Maybe the simple answer is to play with more midfielders and fewer forwards. I genuinely think the likes of Elliott, Szobo, Gravenberch and MacAllister would outscore the current versions of Diaz, Gakpo and Nunez if unleashed from too much defensive responsibility. It’s time to switch to a Nagelsmann 4-2-2-2.

———————Alisson———————
—-Konate/Quansah———-Van Dijk—-
Gomez/Bajcetic———Robbo/Chambers
——-Macca/Endo—Trent/Thiago———-
—-Szobo/Elliott———-Jones/Gravvy—-
——Salah/Gakpo——Nunez/Diaz/Jota-

NO NO and NO

Worst idea ever.

 

[bluebell]

@StevieM your thoughts, as you're the biggest proponent of 4-3-3?

 

[Bradley]

Formations are nearly a thing of time gone by.

Even if you call what we play 4-3-3.

We have one of the back 4 playing in the midfield 3. The other is sometimes in the attacking 3.

The middle fella in the attacking 3 has dropped into midfield and the right hand side of the midfield 3 is playing on the right side of the attack.

In other words, this 4-2-2-2 could be another tweak to an already fluid set up.

It's worth giving it a go during parts of games to see if it works. Like we could play the first half with that alien the Burnley game. If it isn't working by halftime, it's easy to revert to the normal formation.

 

[StevieM]

@StevieM your thoughts, as you're the biggest proponent of 4-3-3?

I think it’s too narrow, but as @Bradley mentioned we likely set up like this in-game from time to time - we’ve seen Salah move into a central position more frequently this season.

I don’t think it solves the problem we have, it rather exaggerates it - that we lack width and creativity out wide.

I don’t think 4222 solves that - I think it’s more to do with personnel and game tactics than formation.

On the left, we’re relying on the LB to overlap as Diaz is mad for cutting in from the left at the minute - Gravy doesn’t go wide, Slobbers & Mac haven’t played there - which leaves Curtis as our best option from midfield to hang out wide left.

If the LB is providing width then the LM has to hold a more central role (Gravy is more suited than Curtis).

On the right, we’re different - Trent occasionally stays wide, but mostly drifts into the centre or stays deep - which means the RM (normally Slobbers) has a lot of space to cover (ie where Trent isn’t) and needs to be providing width.

Harvey is probably our best option for staying out wide and helping Salah with overlapping runs, but he’s not as good as Slobbers at covering all the other stuff.

Then you get to the front 3 - I’m a big fan of the false 9 - if the 2 other forwards are inverting and width is coming from midfielders. We haven’t played it as much this season - I feel like we’ll see it more in the second half of the season.

 

[LarryHagman]

We're doing ok this season. But the reality is we're not as good as we used to be. Or where we want to be.

We used to have a lot of 8 or 9/10 players. Every game. We're full of of 6 or 7/10 players now.

Up front, Gakpo, Diaz, Jota, Nunez, they're all ok, not top class. Salah is top class, that's all. It used to Mane and Firminho as well, every week. Mustard.

Midfield, we have Jones, Grav, MacAllister, Slob, Endo, Elliot, all 7/10. 2018/19 Hendo, Gino, Fabinho, class every week.

Defence, Robbo nowhere near what he was, Trent good as ever, VVD great, getting back to it I suppose, someone else.

We're nowhere near as good a team.

But, we're heading in the right direction. We're getting better. This season is a bonus for me as I didn't expect us to be up there, and we are. Let's see where we go.

 

[LarryHagman]

That team that played every week, Allisson, Trent, VVD, Gomez/Matip, Robbo, Fabs, Hendo, Gini, Salah, Mane, Firminho. That was Prime Liverpool.

Might never be repeated.

 

[LarryHagman]

I think, fitness permitting, our best 11 now is Allisson, Trent, VVD, Konate, Robbo, Curtis, MacAllister, Slobs, Nunez, Gakpo/Jota, Salah.

If we can get them on the park, we'll be ok.

 

[rurikbird]

I think it’s too narrow, but as @Bradley mentioned we likely set up like this in-game from time to time - we’ve seen Salah move into a central position more frequently this season.

I don’t think it solves the problem we have, it rather exaggerates it - that we lack width and creativity out wide.

I don’t think 4222 solves that - I think it’s more to do with personnel and game tactics than formation.

On the left, we’re relying on the LB to overlap as Diaz is mad for cutting in from the left at the minute - Gravy doesn’t go wide, Slobbers & Mac haven’t played there - which leaves Curtis as our best option from midfield to hang out wide left.

If the LB is providing width then the LM has to hold a more central role (Gravy is more suited than Curtis).

On the right, we’re different - Trent occasionally stays wide, but mostly drifts into the centre or stays deep - which means the RM (normally Slobbers) has a lot of space to cover (ie where Trent isn’t) and needs to be providing width.

Harvey is probably our best option for staying out wide and helping Salah with overlapping runs, but he’s not as good as Slobbers at covering all the other stuff.

Then you get to the front 3 - I’m a big fan of the false 9 - if the 2 other forwards are inverting and width is coming from midfielders. We haven’t played it as much this season - I feel like we’ll see it more in the second half of the season.

I think people underestimate how important full-backs are to Klopp-ball – prime Robbo and young Trent running up and down the flanks were a huge factor in our success; our midfield could afford to become a 3-man defensive shield because all the creativity and width came from the full-backs. Let's hope Robbo comes back firing, but I think the days of Trent flying up and down the wing are gone and we need younger legs on both flanks for this team to fly.

 

[StevieM]

I think people underestimate how important full-backs are to Klopp-ball – prime Robbo and young Trent running up and down the flanks were a huge factor in our success; our midfield could afford to become a 3-man defensive shield because all the creativity and width came from the full-backs. Let's hope Robbo comes back firing, but I think the days of Trent flying up and down the wing are gone and we need younger legs on both flanks for this team to fly.

Yeah - but wasn’t the whole problem that Trent and Robbo flying up the wings became predictable and teams figured out how to contain and counter - so younger legs doesn’t fix the problem.

Robbo, maybe - because a hybrid LB inverting at the same time as the RB would be all sorts of wrong.

 

[Hansern]

I think people underestimate how important full-backs are to Klopp-ball – prime Robbo and young Trent running up and down the flanks were a huge factor in our success; our midfield could afford to become a 3-man defensive shield because all the creativity and width came from the full-backs. Let's hope Robbo comes back firing, but I think the days of Trent flying up and down the wing are gone and we need younger legs on both flanks for this team to fly.

I think this team is in need of a pacey wide forward that can go past a man and be a bit unpredictable.
A new Sadio if you like.

Interestingly we lined up in a 3-3-4 when we had the ball against Arsenal.

 

[bluebell]

@rurikbird looks like stats wise, we have been unlucky
Big Chances Created

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{td}Liverpool{/td}
{td}47{/td}
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{td}Manchester City{/td}
{td}46{/td}
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{td}Tottenham Hotspur{/td}
{td}42{/td}
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{td}Aston Villa{/td}
{td}41{/td}
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{td}Chelsea{/td}
{td}38{/td}
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{td}Brighton & Hove Albion{/td}
{td}36{/td}
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{td}Everton{/td}
{td}36{/td}
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{td}34{/td}
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{td}10.{/td}
{td}West Ham United{/td}
{td}32{/td}
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[/xtable]
Big Chances Created

Filter by Season
2023/24

Big Chances Created

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{td}Liverpool{/td}
{td}
Egypt{/td}
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{/tr}
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{td}3.{/td}
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South Korea{/td}
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{td}Dejan Kulusevski{/td}
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[/xtable]

Hit Woodwork

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{td}8{/td}
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{td}7{/td}
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{td}6{/td}
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{td}9.{/td}
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{td}6{/td}
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[/xtable]
Shots On Target

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{td}114{/td}
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{td}3.{/td}
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{td}112{/td}
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[/xtable]

 

[Brizzle]

Can’t work out what this is suggesting but i think we have the depth to continue as we are. It’s a shame to lose Endo & Salah but we have good players returning. It’s only 3 league games at most before we have full selection back.

 

[Frogfish]

Can’t work out what this is suggesting but i think we have the depth to continue as we are. It’s a shame to lose Endo & Salah but we have good players returning. It’s only 3 league games at most before we have full selection back.

One of those games is Arsenal (A). I hope Mac. Robbo, Thiago are back and fit and everyone else is available and in form for that one

 

[Brizzle]

One of those games is Arsenal (A). I hope Mac. Robbo, Thiago are back and fit and everyone else is available and in form for that one

It might be in our interest to have no Mo as every attacking player will feel a greater sense of responsibility to be the game changer.

 

[Stevesquash]

Our best attacking play for a while came v West Ham, with no Mo so this could well be proved correct. Or it could be because there was no Trent. And they are our top 2 chance creators so its hard to make sense of it...

It might be in our interest to have no Mo as every attacking player will feel a greater sense of responsibility to be the game changer.