Jürgen Klopp fielded a bold lineup against Chelsea in Liverpool’s opening game of the 2023/24 Premier League season, more out of need than choice. Without appropriate reinforcements, Klopp had no choice except to be daring, and in the end — on paper — his move was a success, sealing an away draw while John Henry watched from the stands.
However, based on Liverpool’s overall performance, Klopp and Henry will have plenty of lessons to learn from the manner the team competed against Chelsea, as well as the formation the manager chose to use.
Klopp had already tried an all-out attack approach in preseason, and even at times last season, with one of his forwards sliding back into midfield. Last season, Roberto Firmino and Cody Gakpo both filled that role.
Without Firmino, Gakpo played the most of his pre-season minutes in midfield and got the call to play as a number eight against Chelsea as well. Gakpo did an excellent job in that capacity throughout pre-season, but against Chelsea, up against an energetic midfield, the Dutch international struggled a little.
It was no surprise that Gakpo, along with Diogo Jota, was one of the first players to be taken off and replaced in the game, with Klopp putting in Curtis Jones, a more traditional midfielder.
Gakpo struggled to get into the game, completing only 30 passes in 66 minutes and winning only four of 10 duels.
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It wasn’t really his fault; the system simply didn’t work in Liverpool’s favor. Klopp had taken a risky approach in the hopes of reaping a large payoff, but it did not work out.
Chelsea controlled the ball. The host team finished the game with 65% of the ball and completed more passes than Liverpool. It was a frustrating encounter for Liverpool, especially in midfield, where the Reds were unable to get any form of control.
Forced to counter-attack, there were nice moments, but this was a long cry from the way Klopp’s Liverpool teams had previously crushed opponents.
The all-out assault formation with a more offensive midfielder, such as Gakpo, might work with two deep holding midfielders, but Dominik Szoboszlai is not that type of player. He, like Gakpo, has a natural proclivity to move forward. Meanwhile, while Mac Allister can play deeper, he is best suited to functioning a little further forward.
In the end, Klopp had no choice but to face Chelsea. Instead, he tried an experiment. But it was an experiment that taught him a valuable lesson. His Liverpool side simply requires additional additions, particularly in the holding midfield area – if that is accomplished, so many other things will fall into place. John Henry must now know that he cannot continue to bind the hands of one of the club’s finest managers for much longer.
