Liverpool : Deviation from identity the trouble that continues to shatter dreams

Jürgen Klopp prepared himself a disaster in his decision to adopt technicality rather than the intense, fast, and energetic 'metal football' he is known for but the time is still there to make the right calls and revert to the prosperous days.

Days after days teams continue to get better in what they are known for, leaving little or no room for errors as even the slightest ones will not be left unpunished. However, Liverpool appears a team digressing from what it is good at, to learn what the world enjoy.

To worsen matters, Liverpool don't have/ sign the right players to implement the Gengenpressing football anymore and those that were responsible for their success are aged/ departed.

You would ask yourself what the likes of Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho are doing in a team managed by Jürgen Klopp. Why were they even signed to start with when Klopp is still at the helm and hasn't revealed any intention of leaving any time soon.

It is understandable that the league is becoming more technical and maybe a little fluidity is required in play but this is not enough reason to pressurize an elite manager like Klopp into rubbishing the philosophy that has brought him success just because of this is the demand of modern football.

The departure of Georginio Wijnaldum has really impacted the side but the task would have been made easier had the club signed a player of the same profile to compliment the others.

Moreso, the available options are aging and most of them very prone to injuries. The likes of Elliot and Carvalho obviously do not fit into the system of a side managed by Klopp but these are the players the club count on to bring them results and that explains why they are being overruned by opponent.

Too soft to interprete and implement the Gengenpressing football. They don't have the tank of energy required to press, thus Liverpool lacked compactness in pressing hence their defense easily gets exposed.

Back in the days when Liverpool were at their best. Scoring tens and conceding very minimal with a resolute defence which saw them concede just 22 goals in a 38 league games a season, and Alisson kept 21 clean sheets, the secret behind that has been long gone at the club.

Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah and Bobby Firmino even from attack have their roles to play in that. Firmino, primarily an attacking midfielder but deployed as a No.9 dropped deep to create an overload in the midfield while the three midfielders in the 433 stretch play, allowing the fullbacks join the attack for more creativity.

Their inverted fullbacks, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson (playing slightly as traditional wingers) are both able to get forward and create chances, which allowed the duo of Salah and Mané drifting inside to ensure that there is an overload in the box and or stay out-wide to receive possession and cut inside on their stronger foot.

When attacking, they most times do so with five players as the two fullbacks join the front three. Sometimes, it is seven when the two side Midfielders join to create massive overloads, which made them recover possession almost immediately they lost it.

At that time, you hardly see anyone question Trent Alexander-Arnold or any other player from the team for defensively flaws. Infact, you rarely notice them commit blunders in defence and this came to be as a result of their compact yet energetic midfield.

Without the ball, the team press high, forcing the opposition into turnovers. The two side Midfielders, Wijnaldum on the right and Henderson on the left, supported the fullbacks on their sides as much as they do their wing forwards when attacking.

Wijnaldum on the side of Trent Alexander-Arnold was able to cover a lot of grounds so he was quick when anticipating the opposition play and able to make the necessary effort to avert potential danger. The English fullback has been exposed without him.

Fabinho, who was a different player compared to now was even at the time regarded as one of the best in the game. When the team loses possession, he drops deep to help the Center Backs, playing almost as the extra man in a back three.

The secret to their good time under Klopp are the midfielders. Thiago Alcantara came in to replace Wijnaldum but it is the later who is more suited for Klopp given his tenacity. With Thaigo, his quality is obvious that you will hardly notice any flaws in his game but tactically, he is trouble for Trent.

Liverpool have already conceded 22 Premier League goals this season after 17 games, that's already as many as they conceded in the whole of the 2018/19 season. Absolutely worrisome.

The market is open and they've been linked with Brighton's Moises Caicedo, which is a great move as the Ecuadorian fits the profile needed to implement Klopp's style but at the same time, the 21year old alone might not be enough.

Fabinho has been no where near the player he was. At 29, maybe age is finally having its toll. Same can be said of Henderson, who hasn't been convincing enough to shut his critics.

Thiago Alcantara is having an impressive run in the midst of Liverpool's poor performances but the Spaniard has not proven himself reliable as he can at any time get injured and miss lengthy period.

Surely, Klopp will not want to be in a position where he has to depend on Elliott and Carvalho to start games because they will become too vulnerable and teams with high intensity will easily run them over while those technically gifted will school them.

Alisson is being exposed. Same can be said of their defence, which used to be almost unbeatable. The criticisms drawn by Trent Alexander-Arnold for his defensive frailties is as a result of the failure of the Liverpool's Midfield.

Not many really cared about Arnold’s defending in the days of Wijnaldum. The Dutch midfielder is the right fit for Klopp given his energy and tireless pressing. Problem started when he departed and was not rightfully replaced.

The days of Gini were those when Virgil van Dijk rarely had to face opponent in a one-on-one situation and no one ever blamed the defender because anyone that would come up against him would have gone through troubles and become vulnerable, leaving the Dutchman to do the easy job with his physicality.

This days, he gets involved in one-on-one situations every now and then so he tend to succumb to pressure. Now the defender is injured and set to spend time on the sideline.

Apart from the 2020/21 season when he was out injured for most part, this season has been his least enjoyable season as a Liverpool player, and his nightmare doesn't look like ending with no further addition to the current squad.

The contributions of Firmino to play is also missing as Liverpool now use a more traditional striker in Darwin Nunez, who does not have the playmaking and other attributes possesed by the Brazilian.

Sadio Mané’s tracking back to help in midfield and defence is also not there. Back in the days, Mohamed Salah is the only player who spend more time upfield when the Reds are not in possession. Hence, he was able to utilize his energy in chacing long balls.

This days, even the Egyptian is affected with the transition in philosophy by the manager, and his end products is not as blistering as it used to be.

At this stage, Liverpool have to be prepared to avoid further disaster midway through the second half of the season. The road is long and the addition of an attacker in Cody Gakpo will mean nothing if the loopholes in the midfield is not fixed.

Slowly but surely, the Reds are reverting back to those seasons where it is always a battle of who can score the more goals between themselves and their opponents because of the lack of compactness in pressing and the diminishing force in midfield.

But who can be blamed in such circumstance except Klopp, the manager, who has validate the signature of players not suited to his philosophy.

Author : Kehinde Hassan Afolabi