UEFA B and El Gouna FC youth coach Omar Lasheen continues his tactical analysis on how Liverpool won the Premier League with an eye on Jurgen Klopp’s marauding full-backs and attacking trio.
Premier League champions Liverpool have been transformed over the past few seasons by Jurgen Klopp. On course to beat Manchester City’s record points total, they have reached new heights in terms of energy and commitment with the way they play.
Tactically, the Reds have become a defensively solid team and devastating in transitional moments, as reviewed in last week’s piece on how Liverpool won the Premier League. This part will focus on Liverpool’s offensive balance, the attacking role of their full-backs, and how the front three combine.
Offensive Balance
Liverpool’s balanced structure behind the ball gives their front five players the freedom to play with the ball in attack. Liverpool play in a 2-3-5 formation in offensive organization, where their front players are full-backs, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, as well as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino.
The front five’s offensive structure is formulated for Liverpool’s attacking players to occupy all five vertical lanes. The logic behind it is for the team to cover the full width of the pitch, making it as big as possible to create spaces for the attacking players to operate.
Creating Space Inside
The main reason for Liverpool to play with five offensive players covering the width of the pitch is to create inside spaces for the team to play in. If the opposition react by defending with a wide formation to defensively occupy the same five vertical lanes, Liverpool uncover half-spaces, which are between the opposition full-backs and central defenders that are difficult to control as they are not assigned to a particular defensive player.
When offensive players receive the ball in these spaces, it upsets the defensive balance of the opposition, which allows the team in possession to create more dangerous opportunities.
The example above shows Liverpool’s offensive players spread across the five vertical lanes, aiming to stretch the opposition horizontally, to create spaces inside.
As Andy Robertson, left full-back, and occupant of the far left vertical lane receives the ball in a wide area, the Leicester City right winger leaves his team’s defensive structure and goes out to meet him.
This creates a half space for midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and left winger Sadio Mane to receive the ball under little pressure, which allows them to develop a more dangerous attack.
Playing Through Defensive Lines
Playing with five players in advances areas allows Liverpool to break through opponents’ backlines more easily. Covering the width of the pitch allows the team to move the ball from side-to-side quickly and more effectively, waiting for the opponent’s defensive shape to be out of sync and for a gap to appear for the player in possession to play through.
Using their full-backs, Liverpool attract the opposition to wide areas to free up their front 3, where they can combine with each other by playing final passes to create dangerous situations.
In this situation against Wolverhampton Wanderers, a ball is played out to Andy Robertson, which automatically shifts the defensive team across in an organized manner.
However, as he plays a quick ball inside to Mohamed Salah, Wolves’ shape is unbalanced, and a gap is created between their right wing-back and right central defender.
Roberto Firmino, seeing the gap being formed, attacks the space in behind for Mohamed Salah to play the pass, which allows him to get closer to goal, generating a dangerous attack for Liverpool.
Offensive Full-backs
If teams decide to defend narrowly and horizontally compact to defend the half-spaces, it leaves space out wide for the full-backs to operate. In Klopp’s formation, Liverpool’s full-backs provide the width to the team. They are used to provide final balls in the offensive phase.
As both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are very comfortable on the ball in an attacking sense, they are big weapons at Liverpool’s disposal, and so provide an offensive threat to the opposition.
Their positioning makes it difficult for Liverpool’s opponent to defend as they constantly need to be shifting across quickly to deny them the space they create for themselves.
Switching Play
As opponents defend narrowly against Liverpool to close the half-spaces, their focus is to shift across quickly and efficiently from side-to-side to defend the wide threats coming from Alexander-Arnold and Robertson. As one full-back is being defended, the other is free in a big area.
A tactic employed by Jurgen Klopp to exploit similar situations is to make long, cross-field switches from one full-back to the other. As one side is congested, spaces open up on the other side; Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson use their passing quality they have to play the ball quickly to attack the space provided.
As right full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold (below) is on the ball in a tight area, he realizes that the defending team has shifted across to deny him space to operate. Interpreting the situation, Trent Alexander-Arnold realizes the space that Andy Robertson is positioned in.
He makes cross-field switch in play. As Robertson receives the ball, the left full-back is supported by left winger Sadio Mane, which creates a 2v1 situation on the opposite wing. This produces a more dangerous attack, as the opposition are slow in shifting across.
Crosses/Cut-backs/Assists
The full-backs work as wingers in the final third, so provide the final balls from wide areas in the Liverpool team. What helps them in becoming lethal in offensive areas is their competence to quickly interpret the space around them and their teammates.
Both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson possess high quality decision-making in terms pass choice and their pass execution allows them not only to spot his teammates, but also get their pass to reach towards their intended target.
They have the ability to pass the ball with different parts of the foot, hitting it with different levels of power, but still maintaining its precision. Both players are amongst the top five players with the most assists in the Premier League this season.
This is illustrated in the offensive move below; as Liverpool are in the final third, their opponents, Leicester City are defending the inside spaces, leaving space for offensive right full-back Alexander-Arnold to attack.
As James Milner is in possession on the edge of the penalty area, Trent Alexander-Arnold makes a run in the outside vertical lane to make a first-time cross after the ball makes its way into his path.
His crossing technique allows him to rapidly pass the ball reaching the Roberto Firmino’s feet and creating a goal-scoring opportunity.
Liverpool’s Front 3
Liverpool’s main front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino have all got different qualities they bring to the team. They use rehearsed movements and combinations in the offensive third of the pitch, to open up the opposition defence and find gaps to create goal-scoring situations.
Liverpool’s setup in the final third is devised for all three forwards to maximize their strengths, which allows them to create more difficulties for the opposition. Mane’s dribbling with the ball, Salah’s ability to attack the space, and Firmino’s positioning between the lines is part of Klopp’s thinking in the way he lets his front three play.
Roberto Firmino’s movement of dropping deeper, similar to a #10, allows both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to move inside spaces where they are closer to the opponent’s goal. This dynamic movement allows Liverpool to find different ways to progress up the pitch and create spaces in the final third.
Numerical Superiority
Roberto Firmino’s deep movement allows Liverpool to have extra players in midfield areas, aiming to have more players than the opposition in a particular situation; numerical superiority. This allows each player to have more space and time on the ball, which makes it easier for Liverpool to keep possession and progress up the pitch more comfortably.
In this situation above, Firmino drops towards the central midfield area in order to overload the middle of the pitch and to pick up the ball in a less congested area. This helps Liverpool create a 4v3 in the middle third, with Firmino finding himself free in an area where he provides a passing option for his teammate, enabling him to receive the ball and turn and advance into space.
Create Gaps in Defensive Line
Roberto Firmino creates gaps in the opposition defensive line by dropping deep and attracting the opponents’ central defenders. As he drops into half-spaces he creates doubt in the defenders’ minds on whether to maintain their position or to follow him into deeper areas. The defenders’ attraction to Firmino creates the space for both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to use their pace and attack the vacated areas.
In this example, as Fabinho is in possession of the ball, Firmino drops into the space between the opponent’s defensive and midfield lines. Firmino’s positioning attracts the Crystal Palace central defender’s attention, therefore he pushes up from his team’s defensive lines and faces towards Roberto Firmino.
This slight unbalance, provides the gap for Mohamed Salah to make his run and for Fabinho to play the pass.
Due to the space being in the central area, Salah makes his diagonal run; from out to in, to make his way towards goal and finish off the move.
Overall, this front three combined for 43 of Liverpool’s 75 goals this season, helping the Reds clinch their first Premier League title in 30 years.
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