The 2020/21 Premier League campaign has somewhat sputtered into life. The lack of adequate rest or pre-season, perhaps combined with the absence of fans, has produced an opening few weeks in which chaos has reigned.
Source: Liverpoolfc.com
It was in this context that Liverpool travelled to the Etihad, hoping to lay down a marker by returning to the top of an otherwise novel-looking table. Doing so by defeating the obvious major title challengers would have sent a message that normality had resumed at the summit. A win for Manchester City would have lifted Pep Guardiola’s team above early pace-setters Everton, again signalling a return to a more familiar order. Instead, the sides played out a hard-fought draw, leaving the league in a continued state of flux heading into the international break.
Jurgen Klopp’s team selection suggested he was more keen on revelling in the chaos than asserting order. The heavy metal football of his earlier years has – for the most part – given way to a calmer, more ruthlessly efficient approach. But, like a matured and critically-acclaimed artist still craving one last smash hit, the German threw caution to the winds by naming four attackers. Both Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota appeared on the team sheet, alongside Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.
This sparked wild speculation about the exact shape in which Liverpool would set up. Nobody could quite believe that Klopp would opt for a 4-2-4 in arguably the toughest game of the season. Yet as the match got underway, it quickly became clear that this was essentially exactly what he had done. It also didn’t take long to see that it might well have been an inspired decision.
Liverpool dominated the early stages. Simple balls in behind the defence turned the entirety of City’s back line around, leaving each of them to desperately chase back after an advancing red-clad forward. Only the best sides have a chance of coping when three Liverpool attackers descend upon them – faced with four, it looked a matter of time before the hosts caved under the pressure.
The mental toll of trying to deal with the overload ultimately proved too much for Kyle Walker, who rashly lunged in on Sadio Mane in the box just after the 10-minute mark. Salah made no mistake from the spot, smashing home to put Liverpool into a richly-deserved lead.
This stalled momentum, however. With everyone firing on all cylinders and pinning City back, the brave formation worked exactly as planned – creating a numerical mismatch in Liverpool’s favour. As City began to work their way into the game, this started to turn on its head.
The inevitable risk of the visitors’ shape was a vulnerability in the middle, and so it ultimately proved for the equaliser. Mane went for a relatively routine press on Ruben Dias. As an out-and-out winger, it is the kind of action he performs multiple times per game. Saddled with the responsibilities of a left midfielder, however, it left a dangerous gap in behind.
In a routine honed by years of practice, Gini Wijnaldum came across from the middle to cover. The issue? This left Jordan Henderson effectively on his own in the centre of the park, where usually there would be an extra man. Kevin de Bruyne was duly afforded time to pick out Gabriel Jesus, who produced a lovely turn before firing past Alisson.
But this was the only time a weakness in the formation was fatally exposed. Given that the new shape also played a part in making Liverpool’s goal, Klopp will ultimately feel the gamble paid off. This is all the more so given his side’s recent history at the Etihad, where his tried-and-trusted 4-3-3 has suffered more than one heavy defeat.
This time around, his side held on for the draw. Manchester City probably enjoyed the better of a far more sedate second half, but in truth both sides looked almost spent from the exhortations of the first period. Indeed, this was a point both managers stressed at full-time. In the wake of a muscular injury for Trent Alexander-Arnold, both questioned the Premier League’s refusal to allow five substitutes given the heavily condensed fixture list.
Kevin De Bruyne was left to rue his scuffed penalty at the end of the first half, which would probably have been enough to win his side the game, but Joe Gomez will feel justice was served. The ball struck his arm following a fierce De Bruyne delivery – while not the most outrageous VAR decision seen to date, it is hard to know how Gomez could have avoided it. Ultimately, the result was a fair reflection of the game.
So, will Jurgen Klopp return to his 4-2-4 experiment? It seems plausible. It will be a concern that the physical and mental toll of making the shape work seemed to drain a side that up to now has seemed almost indefatigable. But it would be remiss to overlook the fact that this was against elite opposition in Manchester City, following an intense midweek trip to Atalanta. The fixture was always going to require every last ounce of energy.
The fact that Salah, Mane, Firmino and Jota could all be accommodated without critically unbalancing the side will give Klopp confidence – particularly given the calibre of opponent. Firmino is clearly lacking an edge in front of goal: his early chance through on Ederson was enough to show that. Equally, his withdrawal before the hour mark would have been unthinkable not too long ago. But while Klopp’s unequivocal public backing may not entirely tally with his private position, it remains undoubtedly true that Firmino is an important part of the side.
It is probably not pure coincidence that the intensity dropped after Firmino’s withdrawal. The Brazilian covered more ground than anyone else in the squad last season, finishing 5th for distance covered across the whole league. If there is space for him alongside Salah, Mane and the red-hot Jota, all the better.
In future iterations it would be interesting to see Jota afforded the central berth alongside Firmino. Perhaps this would have been one risk too far against City, as it would have meant leaving Salah with far more defensive responsibilities than usual. Quite apart from risking vulnerability down that flank, this would have risked shackling Salah’s attacking output. But Jota didn’t look at his influential best from the right. He has already shown a lethal streak through the middle – it will surely be something Klopp at least considers trying out.
Regardless of the future of the 4-2-4, Liverpool will view the decision to deploy it here as a qualified success. An away draw against Manchester City has to go down as a reasonable result. The 2018/19 campaign showed how pivotal head-to-head can prove when two teams are operating at very high levels. That being said, with Leicester, Spurs and Southampton currently joining Liverpool in the top four, the exact shape of this season’s title race is anyone’s guess.
James Martin
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