Ever since Jurgen Klopp was appointed as Liverpool manager in October 2015, he has been playing the 433 formation.
There is no doubt Klopp has done wonders for Liverpool playing 433, winning every trophy there is to win and taking the club back to the elite of the sport.
However, in the crazy financial world of today’s football, nothing stays the same, and if you do, you risk falling behind, which is what I fear for Liverpool.
As hard as it is for me to understand, I have come to terms that under FSG, Liverpool will never be a financial powerhouse flexing their muscle in the transfer window. Their business model is more about sustainability.
With that in mind, the next best thing is for the manager to constantly reinvent the team, to get the best out of the players.
For the most part, Klopp has been able to do this. However, recently there have been signs that teams know how Liverpool play and can plan for Liverpool months or even years in advance.
In top-class football, and I mean right at the very top, it’s the small margins that make the biggest difference, and having variation and the ability to keep your opponents guessing is key.
Let me just make it clear that since Klopp was appointed in 2015, I have always admired him. He totally changed the culture and fortunes of the club.
But for me, the questions started in the 2020/21 season. Credited Liverpool had horrendous defensive injuries, a situation that any manager will struggle with and Liverpool did very well to sneak into fourth place.
This season’s injuries have again disrupted Liverpool with a stuttering start to the season.
As Klopp persists with the 433, I fear that Klopp’s stubbornness and lack of variation, combined with FSG’s lack of financial backing, will now see the end of Klopp’s Liverpool era as we know it. I feel if something doesn’t change fast, Liverpool will be going backwards.
The 433 formation, although is Klopp’s forte and brought him much success, needs to go. I feel, purely for the players who are currently in the Liverpool squad, a new formation of playing wing backs is needed, and I have broken it down into two.
One I call the “Firmino formation” and the other is the “Nunez formation” as it works to each player’s strengths.
For me, it’s criminal that Liverpool has had two of the best attacking fullbacks in the game for a few years now, but have never once tried to utilise them as wing-backs.
Especially in Trent’s case. We all know how good a footballer he is, but his Achilles heel has been him being caught high up the pitch too often and failing to get back into his defensive shape.
In the new formation, I am not relieving him of his defensive duties, but at least at wing-back, his inadequacies will be less targeted by other teams.
It will allow both him and Robertson to be even more of a weapon in attack, with the added security of an extra defender behind. Even at his best, Bobby was never a prolific goal scorer. However, he did score important goals.
I have always admired his footballing abilities, I call him “glue” because of the way the ball always stuck to his feet when he came deep to collect the ball.
This would be more evident with him playing behind the strikers, where he can be an extra body in midfield, dropping deep to collect the ball.
But also, he can pick the ball up in the hole and create chances with his vision and passing. He would then have less pressure to be that primary goal scorer, but with his ability, and eye for goal, he could still arrive late in the box to get on the end of chances or pick up balls that drop on the edge of the box.
With a back three, not only will wing backs be more secure when bombing, but when the likes of Matip make forays upfront.
It will still leave at least two defenders and the option of at least one sitting midfielder as security at the back in case that defender loses the ball or makes a bad pass etc.
For things such as injuries, cup games, resting players or giving players minutes. currently Gomez can play there, or Phillips or even Fabinho if struggling.
With the two midfielders sitting, it will allow one ball-playing midfielder i.e. Thiago to dictate from deep (much like a deep-lying midfielder) think Xavi Alonso in his day, without the need for him to keep bombing forward to join the attacks.
The second midfielder I.e. Fabinho, can be more of the security, he will concentrate more on breaking up play and starting attacks. With less pressure on trying to create, but will have the freedom to create as and when. However, both sitting midfielders will alternate in their duties.
The variation in the front three will help in tighter games where Liverpool can become less predictable.
With Firmino, he will drop deep to allow the likes of Salah & Diaz, to be more central, and occupy the defenders, which will create more space for the likes of firmino or Thiago or even the wing-backs.
In the Nunez formation, the likes of Salah & Diaz will play in the channels, as opposed to being stuck on the touchline and having to beat several players to just get a shot on goal.
In this formation, the likes of Salah or Diaz will receive the ball more centrally, thus having an easier or quicker route to having a shot on goal.
I often get annoyed seeing Salah on the right touchline, cutting in on his left and putting a cross in for nobody. I would rather see Trent, out on the touchline, putting crosses in for the likes of Salah, Nunez, Diaz or even Robertson coming in at the back post.
With the Nunez formation, Nunez will be the focal point from the wing-backs crosses, thus playing to his strength.
His movement will create spaces for the likes of Salah and Diaz, or whoever is playing in those two positions. It will allow the two inside forwards to pick the ball up in and around the box, and either feed their teammates or have a shot on goal.
For me, the most important thing about these formations is it provides variation and will get the best out of the players in the squad collectively. It will also help with utilising the squad depth and will be less predictable, thus having a better ability to change games.
For example, even though Trent has his issues, he is clearly the first choice right back, and only Gomez is effectively his replacement.
Although we now have Ramsey, but he is still only a teenager. For me, Milner is not ideal there.
However, at wing-back, Gomez could be a much more viable replacement, as could Henderson with his delivery, and if he is fit Oxlade-Chamberlain, as well as Ramsey. You could even try Jones there if possible.
Already the possibilities look good. On the left, naturally, Robertson is the first choice, but playing wing-backs, you could argue that Tsmikas, with his crossing ability could even be a better option.
Playing either of the two formations, you could use Carvalho or Elliot behind the strikers, getting them closer to the goal and giving them freedom to create. With the two sitting midfielders.
The first choice would be Thiago and Fabinho, but if either is not available, you can play Henderson, Keita, Milner, or Jones there. Jones could also be adopted playing behind the strikers if struggling.
Again, if he is fit, and that is a big IF, Oxlade-Chamberlain can be adopted in both midfield roles sitting and behind the strikers.
As for strikers, in the Firmino formation, I would start with Salah and Diaz. However, you could easily play Jota or Nunez or a combination of the four.
Also, in cup games, the likes of Carvalho and Elliot, can be deployed in any three of these roles. In the Nunez formation, Salah and Diaz would be behind Nunes.
However, if Nunes Is not there, Salah can play that central role with a combination of Diaz, Jota, Carvalho and Elliot behind.
All in all, my point is Liverpool and Klopp have been playing the 433 far too long, and it has now gotten stale, rigid and overly predictable.
New ideas and fresh tactics need to be injected into this Liverpool team if they are to continue challenging for top honours and get the best out of the players.
Managers can plan for Liverpool years in advance, as everyone knows how they will play, and generally the personnel.
With these new formations, maybe it will take some getting used to, but that is Klopp’s fault for being so one-tracked.
However, these are top-class footballers, at the very top of the game. They have been playing football and training all their lives. If they cannot adapt to a simple formation change, then they shouldn’t be playing top-class football….. Any questions?
