Liverpool is in a crisis and Jürgen Klopp needs to fix it. While a transfer solution is ultimately needed, the manager can better utilize his existing elite options.
This is undoubtedly the toughest period Jürgen Klopp has faced during his tenure at Anfield. Sure, the beginning of 2021 was equally as grim on the pitch, but back then the manager could at least point to an entire missing back line. Now, Liverpool’s situation appears a lot more bleak.
Klopp isn’t suffering from a series of injuries in the middle of the park, where most of the club’s problems have stemmed from. He has the vast majority of his options at his disposal, and still the midfield has malfunctioned and looked rotten all season.
Unlike in 2020/21, there is no obvious solution. A midfield addition in the transfer market might improve things slightly but at this stage it’s unlikely to have a significant boost on Liverpool’s performances, and given the current situation around FSG, the club’s recruitment staff are unlikely to get the funds they need in order to sign a truly competent midfielder.
Klopp needs radical change, and with nothing to lose he could opt towards a completely new formation.
Liverpool has suffered from a lack of solidity in the middle of the park. In order to solve that problem, Klopp should attempt something he hasn’t really done at Anfield, which is to play a back three.
With the current options at his disposal, a back three could suit the vast majority of Liverpool’s players.
Taking a look at the defense, by playing a back three with players like Joe Gomez, Joël Matip, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk (upon his return) or even Nathaniel Phillips, Liverpool would give more freedom to the club’s offensive full-backs to roam forward. Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, or their back-ups Kostas Tsimikas and Calvin Ramsay, could be further unlocked as creative outlets.
In midfield, having two deep-lying holding midfielders would make sense for Liverpool, with those players offering the protection in front of the defense to ensure opponents can’t just run straight through and pummel Klopp’s defenders. Players like Fabinho, Thiago Alcântara, Naby Keïta and even Stefan Bajčetić could play in that role.
Meanwhile, offensively, Klopp could deploy a number 10 playing just off the tip of the Liverpool midfield and in behind two forwards. For this role, the Liverpool boss can bring the best out of some of his most recent acquisitions.
It’s in this number 10 role where Cody Gakpo thrived during the World Cup for the Netherlands, and it’s probably the position in which he is most effective. The same can be applied to Fábio Carvalho, who hasn’t really flourished out wide for Liverpool, but thrived in behind the striker for Fulham last season.
Both like to break into the box, and break the lines between the opposition’s defense and midfield. Gakpo and Carvalho thrive in those spaces and bring a genuine goal threat in those central areas in and around the box.
Among the old-guard, someone like Roberto Firmino would be tailor-made for that position as well, which gives Klopp plenty of options. If he fancied, he could even play two number 10s behind a sole number nine, and use the full-backs to provide the width for the team.
Up top, Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah have both done well as forwards, and their speed and finishing ability makes them ideal candidates for the role. When fit, players like Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz could also be used in the position.
It’s clear, for now at least, Klopp is not going to find a quick fix in the transfer market. He has to find solutions from within, and perhaps the best way to do that is a bold formation change.
