Liverpool have made several key signings so far this summer and with more on the way, they’ll soon have to start thinking about tactics. Brendan Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for getting his spending done early, making crucial signings which have the ability to push the side on and prevent a start next season similar to what we saw at the beginning of the last campaign. Liverpool haven’t dropped their idea of using small, possession based players so how might they go about the new season tactically? Here are a few ideas. Possession and Pressure It’s become blindingly obvious that Liverpool are going to be looking to keep the ball, retain it and use that to build pressure over the opposition. They have several players who all have very good possession retention statistics and it’s a theme, which should be carried out throughout the whole team. Expect to see the goalkeeper rolling or passing the ball out to the full backs and the side moving the ball up through the midfield to the striker or strikers. Three at the Back Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique are perfectly made for wing back roles which will allow them to push up and link in with the midfield when needed. Liverpool do have a high quality selection of centre backs and younger players, which will only be added to in depth once Rodgers secures the defensive signing he’s already talked about. Liverpool can build a very strong central defence which can cope with pressure through the middle and rely on wider players to track back, effectively offering extra protection to the back three. Defensive Line Don’t be at all surprised to see Liverpool playing with a very high defensive line next season as they look to maintain that pressure on the opposition. Jamie Carragher’s presence, as good a defender as he was, meant Liverpool couldn’t play high up the pitch because they didn’t have that pace to recover if things went wrong. Martin Skrtel, if he stays, Daniel Agger and Martin Kelly are all quick enough in central defensive positions to be able to drop deeper quickly when and if the defence is exposed and caught on the counter. The Striker If Liverpool hang onto Luis Suarez then it means they have no need to go and get another high profile striker. However, that would also mean that the club would start the season without him for the first six games meaning Daniel Sturridge, Fabio Borini, Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto may all be asked to fill in the attack. They are all very similar types of players who like to drift, wander and get involved in the midfield which could create a situation similar to what we’ve seen with Spain where they effectively play without a player sitting at the top of the attack. Midfield Trio Expect to see a midfield trio either supported by those full backs or by two main wingers. Liverpool are perfectly setup to go into games with a midfielder sitting in front of the back four, or three, offering protection, allowing two more attacking players to bomb on and provide support to the attack. That defensive role is something Lucas did so well last season. However, the problem is it makes it very difficult for Rodgers if he wants to convert to a more classic 4-4-2 formation. How do you expect Liverpool to shape up next season? Bally
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 15:46:43 +0000
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