Liverpool looked like they were back to their best when they returned to action in the Champions League last night, with risky tactical changes paying off for Jurgen Klopp as the Reds won 2-0 at Anfield.
The formation change from Klopp’s infamous 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 brought Liverpool back to life on Tuesday with Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz all in the starting line-up in an effort proved successful by the manager.
The Merseysiders dominated the game throughout with 64% possession, ten shots on target compared to their opponent’s two and they completed over 200 more passes (574 v 331).
The change in tactics was also a major confidence booster for Trent Alexander-Arnold who found the first goal of the game in the 7th minute of the clash, his sixth goal scored directly from a free kick since 2016.
The killer strike that completed the 2-0 victory for Liverpool came from a penalty converted by Mohammed Salah in the 53rd minute, putting the Egyptian winger one step closer to breaking another record as he is now just one goal away (35) from matching Sergio Aguero and Didier Drogba (36) in scoring the most Champions League goals for an English club.
One player who has been the recipient of a lot of criticism for his performances over the last few months is Jordan Henderson and although Alexander-Arnold was a standout performer, the Liverpool captain was Klopp’s real hero on the pitch during his 70-minute performance at Anfield last night.
Henderson, who was hailed “outstanding” by Curtis Woodhouse for his performance in the opening 45 minutes, started in a midfield two, replacing Fabinho alongside Thiago Alcantara. The manager’s tactical decision to move the 32-year-old midfielder into the Brazilian’s role paid off significantly.
The skipper had 66 touches of the ball and lost possession just four times, demonstrating immense composure in the middle of the park.
He was comfortable in possession too, delivering two key passes, and completing 5/6 of his long balls while tallying up an impressive 58 passes with a completion rate of 94% before he was replaced with Fabinho.
The England international was stern in the tackle too, winning three of them en route to Liverpool’s victory.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Klopp sticks to his new tactics or revert to his usual 4-3-3 when the Reds travel to the Emirates on Sunday to take on top-of-the-table Arsenal.
The win over Rangers will have injected new-found confidence in Liverpool and thus, they could be a huge threat to Mikel Arteta’s in-form team.