How do you rebuild a team that won everything?
Few managers have been able to do it but that was the challenge Jurgen Klopp was tasked with last summer.
To complicate things further, he also lost his key parts of his leadership group.
It wasn’t simply a case of adding new players to the squad, the German tactician needed to ensure those who climbed the internal ranks could ensure the standards within the squad, a group made up primarily of players dubbed the mentality monsters by the manager, didn’t slip.
All things considered, to say Klopp had a difficult task at hand would’ve been a bit of an understatement.
Liverpool parted ways with captain Jordan Henderson, while vice-captain James Milner left for Brighton. Fabinho moved to the Saudi Pro League and Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departed on free transfers.
With such an overhaul at Anfield, the Reds had been tipped for a top four push, at best, following on from their fifth place finish last season. Yet as we head into the New Year, Liverpool are in the hunt for a title.
What did Klopp need to rebuild?
So how has Klopp retooled his team and made them challengers again in what should’ve been a transitional season? The former BVB boss focused on three particular areas.
Throughout the disappointing 2022/23 campaign, the Reds lacked control in the middle third, physicality in midfield and there was an extreme over reliance on Mohamed Salah.
The latter might not seem like a problem but with the three-time Golden Boot winner being courted by Saudi Arabian clubs, Liverpool needed to future-proof their attack so that there wasn’t a dramatic fall-off when the No11 did eventually depart - whether that be next summer in a big money move deal or the following year on a free transfer.
To help with control, Liverpool added technical ball-players to their midfield ranks.
They were exposed time and time again last season due to their inability to retain possession with the opposition cutting through them with ease during transitions.
Control in midfield
Though many expected Alexis Mac Allister to play on the left-side of a midfield three, he’s impressed as the deepest midfielder. On multiple occasions now, Klopp has singled out how the World Cup winner has gives them an advantage.
Speaking after the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Klopp said: “I think today everybody could see the benefit of a player who comes rather from the offensive side of the game than from the other side.
“In a game where you have to create things where you have to pass, switch sides – that’s how it is because not all balls reach the target. But if you try something in tight spaces, that’s completely normal. I have no problem at all with losing balls around the box because that’s where we should be then for the counter-press. So, these things can happen.
“I’m really pleased for him,” Klopp continued. “A lot of top defensive moments, really killed the counter and stuff like this – he’s good in these things. That’s why we play him there. In one-v-one situations, he’s really good and we have to make sure as a team that the spaces are really small in these moments.
“We can do that with the [No.] 8s, wingers and the central striker and we can do that with the centre-half defending in midfield in these moments. We have a really creative player in the centre of the park, together with Trent in some moments which is, obviously, helpful. Very helpful.”
He’s often been paired in a double pivot with the inverting Trent Alexander-Arnold. That duo is a high-volume pairing, with both wanting to be heavily involved in possession.
That gives Liverpool a platform, but it is Mac Allister and his 88% pass success that helps Liverpool control possession much better this season.
Adjust Alexander-Arnold's role
Alexander-Arnold adapted to facilitate Dominik Szoboszlai’s arrival earlier in the season. Instead of being a final phase influence, he was focused on accommodating the former RB Leipzig maestro and it was paying off.
Over recent weeks, however, the iconic No66 has been given more licence to pull the strings and he’s responded with assists and match-winning moments. Getting the England international into central areas was clear at the top of Klopp’s agenda this summer.
The right-back is deceptively progressive in possession with his ball-carrying ability and along with new arrivals Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch - he has given the Reds something different in the middle third.
He is fairly active in duels and can beat a man when in possession. The same can be said for the two box-to-box midfielders.
More midfield physicality
Last season, Liverpool weren’t quick enough in midfield and could be easily bullied. They couldn’t carry the ball and they weren’t winning enough duels.
It created huge spaces in the middle third that opposition teams exploited, time and time again.
While the Reds might not be perfect, they do have one of the best defensive records in the English top-flight.
Alexander-Arnold, along with Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, has given Klopp’s team more of a physical presence in the midfield and this, in turn, aids the defensive unit.
Plan for life after Salah
The Salah problem is a nice one to have.
He’s a reliable goal machine who is also one of the best creators in the Premier League - averaging ten assists per season since the move to Anfield.
What Liverpool have done in the current campaign is lean a little more into him as a creator so when the time comes to replace him, the Reds aren’t looking for a goalscorer but rather someone who can pull the strings.
He’s still scoring goals, he’s the second top scorer behind Erling Haaland, but his expected goals (xG) average is the lowest it has been for the Merseyside club and he’s averaging fewer shots.
This has to be by design.
His expected assists (xA) average is higher than ever before, he’s currently ranked first in the league for big chances created and he’s joint-top for assists.
As a team, the Reds look more dangerous with goals coming from midfield these days. The threat is being shared now rather than there being a hyper focus on ensuring Salah is among the goals.
It was a brave decision, but it does appear to be paying off.
Liverpool have better control, they’re able to compete physically and they have multiple ways to win a game of football. Remarkably, Klopp managed to make these changes in a single summer.
And there's no reason to think this new team won't get better and better as the season progresses, an ominous thought for their fellow title contenders.
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