Klopp says Reds HAVE changed tactics to stop conceding goals
JURGEN KLOPP has revealed how Liverpool have learned to take a step back in order to fly forward.
The Reds boss travels to Seville this week with his team on a high after a scintillating run of form that has seen them smash Maribor, Huddersfield, West Ham and, on Saturday, Southampton.
In those last four matches they have scored 13 goals and conceded just one – and their manager admits it is a change in defensive philosophy that has given his men the platform to be more ruthless in attack.
The German coach insisted earlier this season that he wouldn’t change his attacking approach despite heavy defeats at City and Spurs, but now he has admitted there has been a subtle change in tactics.
“I spoke about it after the West Ham game – we wanted to have a more defensive approach,” he said.
“It was not too different to a lot of the things we did in the previous games. Other people just didn’t realise, although sometimes the game is just too quick.
“There were a lot of things we changed to make us more stable. For the West Ham game, with the knowledge of West Ham and what they had to do in a home game, we decided to sit back more.
“We never hesitate to do different things, it is only that we need time for it. It was possible to play like this against West Ham because it is quite a simple thing to do. It was about making clear how we defend and, if they give us the ball, run!”
Klopp has always argued t h e re is no t h i n g fundamentally wrong with his defence, and it is merely individual errors and sometimes a lack of concentration that has cost his side at times.
Yet in the recent run, with new England star Joe Gomez and Ragnar Klavan stepping in and producing solid performances, they have looked more secure. And Klopp put it down to an increased focus.
“If we are really dominant in a game then we need to control it,” he said. “What we need is to be 100 per cent focused in these moments. That is defending – being focused. It is not a quality problem. When we have the ball you can either be an option to receive it or, if you cannot be an option, then you give protection. Simple as that. It is not about counter-pressing all the time.
“Yes, if we can counterpress then do it. If not, then go back and defend together. That is the thing we have lacked in one or two games and I think that we are now a step further in this.”
Both Gomez (inset, top) and Klavan ( inset, bottom) are likely to play in Seville tonight, with Joel Matip a real doubt for the game which will decide Liverpool’s Champions League fate, and Klavan confirmed Klopp’s approach. “It has always been defence first and then attack and the manager has always tried to tell us that, but maybe in recent games he has put a little bit more emphasis on it,” he explained.
A victory is likely to guara n t ee that Liverpool progress to the knock-out stage and see them as group winners,. That would of fer the huge advantage of missing most of the European super-powers in the first knock-out round.