Six ways Liverpool have evolved this season

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Thirteen games, 10 wins, three losses, no defeats. It’s been a very good start to the season for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

Over a third of the way into the campaign and the Reds have still not been beaten in the Premier League and sit second in the table, two points behind reigning champions Manchester City.

Catching Pep Guardiola’s side will be a huge, huge task, but City won’t be at all comfortable with Liverpool are hot on their heels.

Both sides have kept the highest amount of Premier League clean sheets so far this season (eight) and they’ve not been too bad at the other end of the pitch, either.

But the encouraging thing for Liverpool is that they don’t look like they’re playing their very best football at the moment, especially in the final third. They know they can get better this season and they will be expecting to do so.

That scintillating attacking play we saw so often during the last campaign hasn’t quite arrived yet, but crucially, the Reds are still winning matches. They’re in cruise control, if you like.

A big reason why they’re still managing to win matches is because of that hugely impressive defensive record. Even if their attacking players aren’t at 100%, they’re still always likely to score at least a couple of goals and the reality is that teams aren’t going to get any points against Klopp’s side unless they manage to break through that resilient backline.

Liverpool are evolving. They’re controlling matches this season and seeing games out when they need to, something they haven’t always been able to do under Klopp. Other things have been altered – there has been a change in formation in recent weeks and they also boast a much stronger bench this season, which always helps.

We’ve broken down the six main ways Klopp has developed his Liverpool side this season.

1. A solid goalkeeper at last

It’s been a long time coming, but the Reds finally seem to have found their answer in between the sticks.

The signing of Alisson is probably up there with the most important additions Liverpool have made in recent years.

For years there has been uncertainty in the goalkeeping position. Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius both had plenty of opportunities to prove they were good enough to be the long-term solutions for Klopp, but neither were ever convincing.

Karius’ nightmare Champions League final only emphasised the need for Liverpool to invest in a top-class goalkeeper, but Alisson was the only player they wanted. Otherwise they’d have stuck with what they had.

Getting this deal over the line was vital. Eyebrows were raised at the fee the Reds parted with to get their man, but he’s certainly proving his worth so far.

Those eight clean sheets are no coincidence. The backline have been top class and Alisson hasn’t always had a lot to do, but when he has, he’s delivered. The Brazilian has saved 83.87% of this 31 shots on goal he’s faced so far this season, the third-highest record in the Premier League.

There have been one or two scares, Leicester away comes to mind, but the Brazilian no. 1 is still just 26 and is learning all the time. A vital signing that’s making a huge difference.

2. A move to centre-back for Joe Gomez

Gomez is a young player who looks set to become a crucial part of Liverpool and England’s spine for years to come.

The ex-Charlton youngster had a difficult couple of years with injury but is out the other side now and has been one of Liverpool’s top performers so far this season.

After a fantastic start to his Reds career in 2015, Gomez’s progress ground to a halt after he picked up a serious knee injury whilst playing for England U21s.

He blew the mind of many Liverpool supporters with his performances at left-back, a position he’d never played in before, before his injury.

But the extent of the damage meant there were always worries Gomez would be unable to fulfil the potential he so obviously had. Even last season he was usually deployed as a right-back, rotating with Trent Alexander-Arnold.

But Klopp always said he felt Gomez would move into the centre of defence and that move has come this season. The 21-year-old has developed a fantastic partnership with Virgil van Dijk and has been mightily impressive for England, too.

Van Dijk is one of the best centre-backs in world football, but if Gomez continues to develop at this rate, it won’t be long before he’s considered to be in the same category.

3. The use of two holding midfield players

Liverpool’s recent change in formation to a 4-2-3-1, or a 4-4-1-1 as Klopp likes to refer to it, has seen the German make several alterations to the way his side sets up.

Last season the Reds thrived when using a 4-3-3 system, which gave them bodies in the middle of the park and two no. 8s that could get forward and support the attack.

But there have been times during this campaign that opposing sides have managed to pick holes in that formation and Klopp wasn’t happy with the organisation of his midfield in those Champions League defeats to Napoli and Red Star Belgrade. Missing a certain Mr Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, perhaps?

That has led to a change in system, with the Reds opting to line up with two holding midfield players on occasions.

Liverpool’s three main options to play in those positions are captain Jordan Henderson, the versatile Gini Wijnaldum and summer signing Fabinho.

It’s a change that has helped Fabinho out a lot. Much was expected of the former Monaco man following his arrival in May, but Klopp gave him time to adapt to his preferred style of play.

However, the Brazilian has been used more frequently in recent weeks and the 4-2-3-1 is a system more similar to the one he was used to at Monaco.

4. The return of ‘the Fab Four’

This time last year, people were starting to realise just how good Liverpool’s attack could become under Klopp.

The front three had started to click, but behind that was Philippe Coutinho, now of Barcelona, of course.

Still, his sale didn’t effect Klopp’s side as much as many thought it would. If anything, Liverpool actually got better once he had left.

The Fab Four became the Fab Three, but they were always going to need more support this season, especially after Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury setback.

The solution? Xherdan Shaqiri. Some were surprised when Liverpool signed him from relegated Stoke City in the summer, but Klopp was never in doubt about his quality. Especially for £13 million.

The Swiss international is another player that you could say has benefited from the Reds’ change in formation in recent weeks. It has allowed him to be on the pitch at the same time as Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane whilst playing in a position he’s used to on the right-hand side.

There have been times this season when Liverpool have lacked a spark in the final third and Shaqiri has played a vital part in providing that as the campaign has gone on.

With every game he has become more accustomed to Klopp’s demands both on and off the ball and he has struck up a fantastic relationship with the other attacking players, particularly Salah. An ideal fit and a very shrewd piece of business from the Reds in the summer.

5. A more withdrawn role for Liverpool’s no. 9

It’s typical, really, that Roberto Firmino took the number nine shirt at Liverpool last summer and is now back in the number 10 role where he made a name for himself with Hoffenheim.

The Brazil international hasn’t always been at his best this season but he’s still a class act. He looked a lot more like his usual self in the 3-0 win over Watford on Saturday.

His change in role is something else which has come after Klopp’s change to a 4-2-3-1. One less central midfield player, yes, but Firmino does the work of a midfield player and more in his role behind the striker.

Since Klopp’s arrival at the club, Firmino has been his most-consistent performer. He’s had an extremely busy 18 months having taken part in the World Cup earlier this year but there’ll be no complaining from him.

Firmino was one of the best strikers in Europe last season but he’s more than capable of performing in a role behind the striker and we expect he’ll still go on to have a terrific season for the Reds.

6. A central striking role for Mohamed Salah

A one season wonder? No, definitely not.

Klopp’s use of Salah since the Egyptian’s arrival on Merseyside has been genius. He was getting into a knack of scoring goals with Roma but he was always used as a wide player.

Last season, the Liverpool boss gave Salah a role which got him into a lot more goalscoring positions and boy oh boy did it work. 44 goals in his first season for the club.

There were one or two times that he chose to use the former Chelsea man as a central striker because of his pace and his ability to get into good positions.

This season we’re seeing that on a more regular basis. Salah has started the vast majority of his games for Liverpool as a striker and it’s working.

The 26-year-old already has nine goals to his name in all competitions this term and, if last season is anything to go by, he’ll only get more confident as the season goes on.

He is a constant menace in a more central role and exactly the sort of forward that big, bruising Premier League centre-backs probably don’t want to come up against.

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