SOME CRITICS TIPPED Liverpool to win easily prior to their game with Manchester United on Sunday.
And, on the one hand, that was understandable. The table toppers had begun the season with a 100% record and went into the game on the back of a 17-match Premier League winning run.
United, by contrast, had suffered their worst start to a season since the Ron Atkinson era.
Yet there was also evidence to suggest Liverpool dropping points was a realistic outcome. The Reds have not won at Old Trafford in their last six visits, while Klopp has never won there with the Anfield outfit, picking up four draws and one loss during that time.
As well as last season went for Liverpool, it was these type of matches that ultimately cost them. They lost just one Premier League match all season, though that setback, coupled with seven draws, stopped them from claiming a first title since 1990.
All of their draws finished either 1-1 or 0-0. Invariably, it was against inferior but well-organised sides that they simply struggled to break down.
There have been a couple of similar occasions this season where they were somewhat fortunate to pick up the three points. Sheffield United matched them for much of the 90 minutes in their game last month, and it was only a goalkeeping blooper from Dean Henderson that secured the Champions League holders the three points. They also needed a last-minute James Milner penalty to beat Leicester, while wins over Chelsea and Southampton were likewise less than convincing.
Despite the fact that they still sit six points clear at the top of the table after nine games, there is some cause for concern among fans.
The Reds sometimes struggle against teams who defend deep and play on the counter-attack, a tactic United specialise in. Sadio Mane and Mo Salah in particular are players that exploit space and so when a team adopts a conservative approach, they often tend to be less effective.
While Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino are capable of producing moments of individual magic, they will sometimes have off days, while Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold, as accomplished as they are, cannot always be relied upon to produce match-changing moments, especially against teams that pack their own penalty areas.
A significant issue is the midfield. Firstly, it should be pointed that there are plenty of positive aspects to their set-up in this area. Liverpool currently have the league’s joint-best defensive record (along with Sheffield United) having conceded only seven goals. Last season, they only conceded 22 goals, which was the best record in the top flight.
Virgil van Dijk has rightly been given plenty of praise for his influence after the Reds made him the world’s most expensive defender in January 2018, but those around him have also played important roles.
The midfield three of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum, who all featured against United, while not offering the creativity of others, are a big reason for Liverpool’s exceptional defensive record.
The hard work they put in protecting the backline is vital to the team’s well-being, allowing Robertson and Alexander-Arnold to get forward and do damage.
Yet in the United match, as was the case to an extent in drawn games with Everton, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham and Leicester last year, often over the course of the 90 minutes, Klopp’s men looked short of ideas.
This season, they have scored eight goals less than City, in addition to scoring six goals less than their main title rivals last term. It may not seem like a major problem, but it is on such fine margins that leagues tend to be decided.
The midfield is, of course, less of a problem in games such as the Barcelona home Champions League match last season, where the Catalan outfit, instead of sitting back, were happy to push bodies forward and were duly punished. But there is a growing sense that there is a certain way to play against Liverpool, which teams are increasingly figuring out and that greatly increases the opponent’s chances of success.
On Sunday, rather than acknowledging his own side’s flaws, Klopp was less than complimentary when asked about Man United’s approach in his post-match interviews.
“This year, last year, the year before, they just defend,” he told reporters.
“That’s how it is. It is OK. It is no criticism. It is just a fact.
When you think about Manchester United against Liverpool, you think both teams are trying like this. But it is not. We try.”
Yet deep down, you would suspect Klopp recognises his team’s problem. It seemed telling that two of his three central midfielders were withdrawn last weekend. Henderson and Wijnaldum were replaced by Adam Lallana and Naby Keita, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also came on in place of Divock Origi.
And these changes undoubtedly had an impact, with Lallana rescuing a point for the visitors late on.
Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain both started against Genk in midweek in the Champions League, and put in impressive displays amid a 4-1 win.
It was the performance of Fabinho though that Klopp was keen to highlight.
“It was clear it was not perfectly-tuned with Naby and Ox around because they didn’t play a lot together in this formation, but it is a possible formation for sure,” the German boss told reporters.
Fabi had a lot to do to sort some little gaps which we left open. In that (Genk) game he played as pretty much the only midfielder in some moments.
“The job of the six in modern football is incredibly important and the more offensive the players around you are, the more important it gets.
“But he is not only a gap-closer and a challenger, he is a very good footballer as well.”
It is likely Klopp will stick with the established trio of Henderson, Fabinho and Wijnaldum against Tottenham this weekend. It should be less of a problem than it was against Man United, as Spurs are a less defence-oriented team, so there won’t be so much onus on Liverpool’s midfielders to provide the necessary creativity.
Down the line though, against sides who shut up shop, Klopp will surely be tempted to make changes, even if it means sacrificing some of the team’s defensive solidity.
Keita, Lallana and Oxlade Chamberlain all have the potential to offer the team a slightly different dimension, while Xherdan Shaqiri is perhaps the most creative option of all, though also arguably more of a liability from a defensive viewpoint, which is why Klopp will usually prefer a work-horse such as James Milner over the Swiss international.
Regardless of who they choose to bring in (if anyone), there will always be that lingering dilemma of creativity versus defensive solidity and the struggle to find a balance between the two. So Klopp finding a happy medium could ultimately be crucial in determining whether or not the Reds end their 30-year wait for the title.
Premier League fixtures (all games kick off at 15.00 unless stated otherwise)
Friday
Southampton v Leicester (20.00)
Saturday
Man City v Aston Villa (12.30)
Brighton v Everton
Watford v Bournemouth
West Ham v Sheffield United
Burnley v Chelsea (17.30)
Sunday
Newcastle v Wolves (14.00)
Arsenal v Crystal Palace (16.30)
Liverpool v Tottenham (16.30)
Norwich v Man United (16.30)
On the latest episode of The42 Rugby Weekly, Andy Dunne tells Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey about where it all went wrong for Joe Schmidt’s Ireland
