Jurgen Klopp has hinted that he could use a 4-2-3-1 formation when Liverpool visit Arsenal on Sunday afternoon. Klopp has almost exclusively used 4-3-3 during his time at Liverpool, but Mikel Arteta may have to prepare his side to face a different shape.
Liverpool used a 4-2-3-1 system in their 2-0 win over Rangers in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with Klopp happy with how his side performed in the shape. Now that he's used it in Europe, Klopp has hinted that he may try out the formation in Premier League action against Arsenal.
The Reds boss confirmed that the formation change wasn't down to Rangers' strengths or weaknesses, with Klopp trying something different due to the recent poor results and performances. "It [the formation change) was actually nothing to do with the game," he said, via the Liverpool Echo.
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"It had a little bit to do with the game but not too much. It was for us. We wanted to defend differently to what we usually do. If you see us for a few years now, if somebody was criticising us for defending it was more people talking about the high line.
"But then people then created, when we were in a defensive pressing situation, they created a lot of chances. That was rare but happened more. So that’s why we set up slightly differently, closed different gaps."
"We knew the left side of Rangers is the creative side with Ryan Kent and [Borna] Barasic. [James] Tavernier is a big threat in finishing situation so that was a part that had to do with the game but apart from that, no."
With Klopp noting that Rangers' left side was their 'creative side', it'll be the same again on Sunday, with most of Arsenal's attacks coming down the left through Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Martinelli. Only Kevin De Bruyne has more shot creating actions in the Premier League this season than Martinelli - so Klopp's left-sided concerns will remain for this game, with the Brazilian hoping to get the better of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Klopp is a huge fan of Martinelli, saying after Arsenal's 5-5 draw with Liverpool in 2019: "Martinelli’s pretty much the same age [as Sepp Van De Berg] but he’s a talent of the century, he’s an incredible striker."
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