Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has explained a change in tactics deployed in their 3-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth.
The Reds swept aside the south coast side to momentarily return to the top of the Premier League.
Are Liverpool “100% back”? Five things you need to know…
- Liverpool had stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points earlier in the campaign.
- However, a loss to Manchester City and consecutive draws against Leicester City and West Ham allowed the Citizens to close the gap.
- Tottenham Hotspur are only five points behind the Reds with Harry Kane set to return.
- Liverpool have won three games out of the last five in the Premier League.
- They defeated Bournemouth 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday but were overtaken once again following City’s 6-0 thrashing of Chelsea.
The Reds looked to dominate from the off against Eddie Howe’s side and only took 24 minutes to score through a cleverly taken headed finish from Sadio Mane.
A fantastic lob from Georginio Wijnaldum and yet another Mohamed Salah strike saw the Reds score three and secure three points at the top end of the Premier League.
Klopp’s tactics rely on intense pressure with and without the ball, something of which he feels his side did very well with on Saturday afternoon.
Klopp is quoted by the official Liverpool website: “We wanted to make life as difficult as possible for them – and that’s what we did.
“Our counter-press, after a couple of weeks’ break, was there 100 per cent. That’s what we wanted to show, that we are a team who are able to play really good football but if we lose the ball we must be different to all teams in the world.
“We have to show that. That’s what brought us to the position we are in and is what we have to keep. We lacked that a little bit in the last couple of games. It was 100 per cent back.
“I liked the game a lot because it was this mix of control and really preparing direction, breaking lines. That was really good.
“The offensive players offered unbelievable runs in behind; we didn’t use them very often but that’s not the problem, because we have to offer it. We stretched the formation and could play in between with Gini and Naby, the two players in the right positions then to get these balls.
“Both full-backs were really wonderfully involved, Bobby [was] again a bit higher in the natural position, not dropping that deep, so we had him there as well. The third goal, what he did in that situation after not scoring… wow, it’s just amazing.
“It was a really, really good game and I’m absolutely happy about that.”
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A tough few weeks for Liverpool
City’s fanatical win against Maurizio Sarri’s poor Chelsea side reminded Liverpool – if they even needed reminding – that Pep Guardiola side are a real threat to their chances of claiming their first Premier League title in 29 years.
Yet another Tottenham Hotspur victory – a 3-1 home win against Leicester – put further pressure at the top, with the title-race certainly containing three “horses” at present.
With a 10-day gap between their win against Bournemouth and their next fixture, Liverpool have time to prepare, reassess and get mentally ready for the trials and tribulations the end of the season inevitably brings.
Their next two fixtures are against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, followed by their game in hand against arch-rivals Manchester United in the Premier League.
A win in both would set the Reds up for an exciting for months. In contrast, two defeats would leave them scratching their heads and undeniably leaking confidence.
The post “100% back” – Klopp explains change in Liverpool tactics appeared first on Squawka News.
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