Enzo Fernandez has shown Liverpool how to solve their…

Enzo Fernandez has shown Liverpool how to solve their midfield issue and coach's comments prove it

For a team that possesses fewer midfielders than the majority of their fans would prefer, Liverpool have certainly used a lot of combinations in the centre of their side this season. Jurgen Klopp’s set-in-stone 4-3-3 formation was used for the first 10 matches of the campaign, then largely abandoned for the next 10 before returning shortly prior to the World Cup break.

As the Reds used those tactics in their recent friendlies in Dubai against Lyon and AC Milan, it’s likely it will be the system they deploy when domestic football returns this week. While it would be absurd to pin a result on a formation, Liverpool have won six of 13 games when starting in a 4-3-3 framework this season, and six of nine with any others.

They need to improve their performance when employing their established tactics. The newly crowned world champions, Argentina, may have given them tips on how to do this. Or at least, that’s one reading of one of the answers assistant manager Pep Lijnders gave when conducting a pre-match press conference for Liverpool’s Carabao Cup clash with Manchester City.

“The context of a knockout tournament over a short period of time is completely different to the Premier League, over a long period of time. This is what I liked about Argentina; they played to their strengths,” Lijnders said.

“Rodrigo de Paul was like a sweeper behind Messi. And then Enzo [Fernandez] and Mac Allister and how they managed the midfield together, Messi we don't even need to speak about! He was the start of many attacks with Enzo, of course,” he added. With the Reds having been strongly linked with a move for Fernandez, Lijnders’ comments may have set the social media of transfer obsessed supporters ablaze.

Liverpool’s midfield three has often functioned along these lines in the past, even if it seems something of that has been lost in 2022/23. With Mohamed Salah on the right as their Messi equivalent, Jordan Henderson was relied upon to provide cover on his flank. Similarly, Fernandez’ passing has been likened to that of Thiago Alcantara, and indeed the FBRef scouting report for the 2022/23 Champions League season has matched them as statistically similar. They both play important passes if not directly assisting goals too often.

The irony here is that Argentina effectively stumbled across the midfield trio which so delighted Lijnders. Manager Lionel Scaloni – who once faced Liverpool in the FA Cup final – began the tournament against Saudi Arabia by deploying his troops in a 4-4-2 system, with Fernandez and Mac Allister on the bench. After the Argentines surprisingly lost to the minnows, Scaloni brought the Brighton midfielder into the team for the win over Mexico, and added the reported Reds transfer target for game three against Poland (for his first ever international start). From there, the duo remained in the side and helped their country win the biggest prize in football.

We shall have to wait to see if Liverpool sign Fernandez or not. They have not been linked with Mac Allister (though such things are almost inevitable) but they have seen at first hand how good he can be. He was one of the stars of Brighton’s 3-3 draw at Anfield in October. With the ball loose outside the Reds’ penalty box, the Argentina man won the ball and played the pre-assist to Danny Welbeck, who in turn teed up Leandro Trossard for the first goal of his hattrick.

And in another twist of fate, it was after this game that Klopp shook up Liverpool’s formation. The player who in part made a minor contribution to the Reds’ tactical change was later among the trio who impressed Lijnders on the biggest stage of all. It will be fascinating to see if the influence of Argentina's midfield can be seen in how Liverpool approach games over the rest of the campaign.

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