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‘We will see’: Jurgen Klopp hints at tactics change vs Manchester City
Jurgen Klopp admits that he may alter his strategy when Liverpool hosts Manchester City this weekend. The Reds’ owner understands that he must act.
Injuries have put Jurgen Klopp in a difficult position this Sunday, but he’s used to it. Of course, he had to shake things up all season last year as key player after key player became ill.
This time, however, it is not the centre-backs who are causing him problems. He’ll be without Trent Alexander-Arnold for the big game, which is a major issue.
After all, the only other known right-back in the squad is Neco Williams, and few would argue that he is prepared for a game like this. Klopp acknowledges that both James Milner and Joe Gomez are options, but there is another – changing the system.
“We will see which one we choose,” he told Liverpoolfc.com. “We have obviously James, we have Joe, we have Neco, we could change system – there are quite a few things.”
So, how will he manage to do that? The most obvious option is to play 4-2-3-1 with more traditional full-backs ahead of wide midfielders.
Because right-backs aren’t as creative as Alexander-Arnold, this would shift attacking responsibility to them. It’s a minor change, but Klopp did it at the Etihad last season.
However, Klopp would still use a replacement full-back as a result of this change. We could see a back three if he truly wants to go in a different direction.
Liverpool now has five good center-back options, and playing three of them makes sense.
Especially if Klopp is unconvinced about his right-backs. Perhaps using Gomez in a back three and Milner as a wing-back is the best of both worlds. However, City may not be the best team to test this against.
There are a couple of options for Klopp here. At the very least, he’s keeping Pep Guardiola guessing.
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‘We will see’: Jurgen Klopp hints at tactics change vs Manchester City
