Southampton v Liverpool: The similarities in ethos as Ralph Hasenhuttl meets Jurgen Klopp
It is the Alpine Klopp against the Black Forest Klopp. Southampton against Liverpool can feel more like a meeting of minds than a clash. It tends to be a reunion. While injury ensures the Virgil van Dijk derby will proceed on Monday without the Dutchman, common denominators abound. Sadio Mane and Danny Ings will face former clubs. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain might.
Some of those who have linked Southampton and Liverpool have left – Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne – but there were times before the recruitment team at Anfield were so widely praised when their scouting policy appeared to consist of a season ticket at St Mary’s.
Which was not as ridiculous as it sounds. Southampton lost their way under Claude Puel, Mauricio Pellegrino and Mark Hughes, becoming too passive, but they have regained their identity under Ralph Hasenhuttl. There are similarities in a style of play with Jurgen Klopp. The Austrian prefers 4-2-2-2 and the German 4-3-3 but a shared fondness for gegenpressing meant Hasenhuttl’s nickname referenced Klopp.
Rewind a few years and Southampton’s high-energy approach under Mauricio Pochettino appealed to Brendan Rodgers. Ronald Koeman’s capacity to acquire high-class players from lesser leagues – Mane was in Austria, Van Dijk in Scotland – also rendered Southampton a stepping stone to Liverpool.
Some characteristics can equip players for both clubs. There is a similar approach. Consider last season’s Premier League. Liverpool made the most pressures in the final third. Southampton were second. Liverpool topped the table for tackles in the final third. Southampton were third. This season, they have made an almost identical number of tackles in the final third, 42 and 41. That Liverpool have the second fewest pressures in their own third illustrates the extent to which they keep opponents out of it. They and Southampton rank second and third for most successful pressures; in other words, when they close teams down, they are better than almost all at regaining the ball. Southampton won the most tackles in the division last season; they were also dribbled past more than any other team, yet that is because they commit opponents by getting close enough to them, rather than backing off.
And playing at pace and with attacking intent has consequences. Southampton were guilty of the second most miscontrols in the Premier League last season; Liverpool, despite winning the league with 99 points, came sixth, whereas Manchester City were 20th.
But it speaks of a shared commitment to operating on the front foot. If it makes the strikers the first line of the defence, it is a role Roberto Firmino is famously good at. Ings was a Rodgers signing at Anfield, his spell on Merseyside ruined by injury, but was the Brazilian’s deputy at times. But if Liverpool’s alternatives to Firmino have included some complete opposites, such as Daniel Sturridge and Christian Benteke, Ings at least has some of a unique attacker’s attributes, and Southampton are now benefiting.
Indeed, Ings had a higher rating for defending quantity (70) and quality (80) on Smarterscout’s scale than Firmino last season, though the Brazilian scores better this year. Where both top the charts, at 99, is recovering a moving ball: in short, they are attacking ball-winners, men whose pressing helps their side regain the ball high up the pitch. Ings’ 32 tackles won last season put him behind only Richarlison among centre-forwards and the Everton man made some of his appearances on the flank.
It also put Ings slightly behind Mane. Men who have swapped clubs have other elements in common. Take penalties out of the equation and Ings would have won the division’s Golden Boot last season. Remove them and Mane, who has never taken a Premier League spot kick for Liverpool, would have claimed it on his own in 2018-19.
Look at non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes last season and Ings was second, on 0.67, and Mane third, on 0.59. The Senegalese ranked second only to Sergio Aguero the previous year. It illustrates that each manages to be a constant threat in open play; that can make them particularly valuable in sides who already have a penalty taker or two. When Liverpool signed Diogo Jota, it was notable that, while the statistics suggested he was profligate for Wolves last season, his non-penalty xG (9.6) was high; he was another player who repeatedly got into promising positions, which helped explain his appeal. Now he tops the list for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes. Ings was fourth last year.
The similarities in ethos extend to defending. A fondness for a high defensive line backfired when Southampton lost 5-2 to Tottenham and Liverpool 7-2 to Aston Villa. It is a risky policy that, when it backfires, can go very wrong but, with only two subsequent Premier League defeats between them, has actually rewarded them for their gambling instincts. And 2020 reaped a dividend. Predictably, Liverpool took the most points in the calendar year. More surprisingly, Southampton finished fifth. The Alpine Klopp’s mini-Liverpool prospered in part because of similar styles and beliefs.
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