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Do Liverpool need to be riskier to succeed?

By Chris Martin

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea competes for the ball with Georginio Wijnaldum of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge on September 29, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: Mateo Kovacic of Chelsea competes for the ball with Georginio Wijnaldum of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge on September 29, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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Sadio Mane Mohamed Salah Liverpool
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 27: Sadio Mane of Liverpool celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Cardiff City at Anfield on October 27, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /

Last season Liverpool were a free flowing attacking machine. Goals regularly flowed and opponents couldn’t keep up.

Fast-forward to 2018/2019 and the perception is that the goals are harder to come by. Let’s take a look at both why this may be the case, and how the Reds may think about increasing their yield.

One issue to first consider is Jurgen Klopp’s approach to game management. There has been a distinct shift in Klopp’s mindset on this front.

Gone are the days of constant high pressing. Liverpool are much more selective of when to deploy this in certain game scenarios now. At 0-0 against inferior opposition it comes out in full force, but after a goal the mentality shifts.

In part, this is down to a new defensive solidity the Reds have that has been missing in years gone by. A 1-0 score line against a bottom half side is almost certainly a victory.

Even as recently as last season, this wasn’t the case. Liverpool were a side that would make mistakes and opponents felt they could get something from the game.

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The fact teams no longer feel they are able to get something presents Klopp with a different dilemma. How do you see these games through, but simultaneously keep players fresh for a long season?

What we are seeing is that players are selective in when to press and when to drop. They are clearly still learning this, but watch closely and you can see certain moments and opponent actions are defined triggers.

Almost like a game of chess, Liverpool are looking two or three steps ahead live in play during the game. This allows them to pick and choose when to press as a group, but only works if all players are on the same page.

The end result of this method is that the Reds are not going to constantly blitz teams and score buckets of goals. Until Cardiff City made the mistake of scoring, this game was a perfect example of game control.

So how can Liverpool still keep the goals flowing and remain competitive on goal difference while still preserving some energy? Let’s take a look:

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