Differences in ideology may be decisive in intriguing Klopp-Tuchel showdown

WHEN Liverpool were initially struggling to get Virgil van Dijk in 2017, and Chelsea actually felt they had a real chance of signing the centre-half, a few other potential options were put to Jurgen Klopp. The German dismissed them all.

He saw Van Dijk’s specific qualities as central to how he wanted to play, and was unwilling to compromise. Klopp (right) would wait. That approach is a little instructive, as a still uncertain Liverpool take on Chelsea in the latest crunch match.

Because, without Van Dijk, Klopp hasn’t really compromised on a system that seems entirely built for the centre-half. There is a contrast with Chelsea’s current manager that could enrich this game.

Much will be made of Klopp and Thomas Tuchel’s shared history in the build-up, but what is as interesting – and may be more decisive – are their differences.

Tuchel took over Borussia Dortmund from Klopp in 2015, and introduced the team to a totally new ideology, based on the

Spanish-Dutch ‘positional play’.

That can actually mean compromises all the time. In fact, you could say Tuchel’s entire approach is fired by variation.

There is a foundational base of course, which is controlled build-up play from the back.

From there, though, there are a multitude of variations.

It usually feels like the German could play any possible formation on that base.

It is telling that he is confident playing any number of starting XIs.

Part of that is admittedly down to the array of exceptional talent available to him, where he has so many options, but it is relevant that the system isn’t anchored to the abilities of any one player.

They can all come in or out. The substitution of the previously everpresent Callum Hudson-Odoi is testament to that.

Van Dijk, meanwhile, is so good that he naturally influences your system whether intended or not, but it doesn’t feel like Tuchel’s approach would be so based on him. You only have to look at how he has persisted without Thiago Silva. The Brazilian is probably past his best, and that best was nowhere near Van Dijk’s peak, but he is still a figure of equivalent status in the Chelsea squad.

That, of course, isn’t to say it’s “better”. It’s just a decision Klopp has made – and a calculation that has more than paid off – in making this Liverpool outfit one of the best sides in recent history.

Even still, so much of this season – and so much of their play – comes back to Van Dijk’s injury. Or, rather, it comes back to Klopp’s refusal to compromise on it.

One of the reasons Van Dijk has been so important is because his sheer presence pins the entire defensive side of the team together, allowing the two full-backs and two ‘number eights’ to form a pressing line high up the pitch, unleashing the chaos that those three forwards thrive in.

It is, generally, a team in perfect synch, all the different parts dependent on each other.

Even without the centre-half, though, this has still been the broad approach. The shape and dynamics remain the same.