Liverpool Tactical Analysis

Liverpool 1-0 Brighton: A Tactical Breakdown

On the final game of the 2017/18 season, Liverpool romped to a 4-0 victory against Brighton, but this time around, Chris Hughton was determined for the type of game and result to be completely different to the preceding meeting between the two sides. Brighton set up in a 4-5-1 off ball formation. In recent games,...

Crystal Palace 0 – 2 Liverpool: A Tactical Breakdown

Liverpool's 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park was a perfect result. The performance itself though was a great deal detached from perfect. LFC's attacking brilliance is regularly lauded and rightfully praised, however, the response to the victory against Palace does not accurately reflect the performance itself, nor the underwhelming work of the forwards and midfield...

Tactical Analysis: All Shots Conceded in Game 1 vs West Ham

If you haven't got the memo yet, Liverpool won't be conceding any goals this season thanks to Virgil simply swearing at anybody who lets the ball come into the box and Alisson dealing with whatever small amount that Virgil's swearing fails to deter. https://twitter.com/babuyagu/status/1028711576071753729 This is great obviously for us Liverpool fans but sucks for me...

Liverpool 4-0 West Ham: A Tactical Breakdown

Liverpool picking up where they left off at the end of the 2017/18 season would have been the perfect way to kick start a league season, and Liverpool did just that. There were 92 days between Liverpool's last home league game against Brighton and the opening fixture against West Ham, but the results were...

Liverpool 2018/19: A Tactical Preview

How do Liverpool play? It's a simple question, but with the arrival of both Naby Keïta, Fabinho and Alisson, as well as the progression of Liverpool's tactics under Jürgen Klopp since he joined in 2016, the answer requires a more detailed response than the question initially indicates. There are three main tactical phases in football:...

Injecting Forward Passing Into Liverpool’s Midfield

In his first ever press conference as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp was asked about the style of play we should expect to see the team play during his tenure, ‘Umschaltspiel’, he replied. This is a German footballing term but it roughly translates to ‘shift game’, which essentially means ‘transition game’ in England. Two full...

Would the 3-5-2 formation suit Liverpool?

Gareth Southgate’s England have been playing a relatively unused and potentially interesting variation of 3-5-2 formation at the World Cup – with a lopsided back three, wing-backs who are multi-faceted and a three-man midfield with only one defensive player in it. It’s a well-balanced formation that suits England very well. The back three is shielded...

How Klopp Could Unleash the Big Guns in the 4-2-2-2

A manager requires perpetual change if he’s to succeed in the savage land that is the Premier League. That’s the narrative that gets swung about on the regular, amidst pundits and fans alike. In Pep Guardiola’s first season, his tactical ministrations were seen as too imposing, not giving English Football’s top tier its due. Jose...

Tactical Preview: How do Liverpool beat Real Madrid?

Over the course of the season I've been breaking down a number of Liverpool's matches in both the Premier League and Champions League, however, this week I was asked to do something rather different instead, and scout Real Madrid for the AEye Scouted pod, hosted by Dave Hendrick. Below are the key findings of...

Forget Attack vs. Defence – Midfield Battle Holds The Key In Kiev

As the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid edges ever nearer, it is no surprise to see predictions being offered everywhere you look. When it comes to guessing how Saturday’s enormous match in Kiev will pan out, the general consensus is that it will be both sides’ vibrant attacks attempting to dismantle a...