Jurgen Klopp just found the answer to Liverpool's…

Jurgen Klopp just found the answer to Liverpool's biggest problem against Man City

Liverpool’s performance in their 1-0 win over Manchester City was arguably their best against the Cityzens since Pep Guardiola moved to England, certainly in the Premier League at least. The Reds had five Opta-defined clear-cut chances while allowing only one in return.

To put that into context, Jurgen Klopp’s side averaged 1.5 across the previous 12 league meetings, only hitting their previous best of three on three occasions. Similarly, Liverpool conceded 2.6 per match and only held City to one at most four times. There was marked improvement at both ends.

The way the game unfolded played into this a little. Two of the Reds’ official big chances occurred in stoppage time as the visitors chased for an equaliser. But there was an aspect of Liverpool’s defending which was as finely tuned as it has ever been against Guardiola’s team.

FBRef carries pressure statistics which date back to the start of the 2017/18 season. In that period, the Reds’ lowest average success rate has occurred against City, unsurprisingly. Where Liverpool have regained possession within five seconds of applying 31.6 per cent of their Premier League pressures on average, they had only succeeded with 24.3 per cent when facing the Citizens.

However, on Sunday their figure stood at 32 per cent, above their long-term average and over what they managed in any of their preceding 10 league games against the same opponents. The Reds may have found it a little easier to press well last weekend as they made their fourth fewest pressures on record against City.

Yet in only two of the meetings in the previous five seasons did Liverpool have a lower possession average. In other words, you would expect them to have pressed more than before, not less.

Again, the game state and tactics will have affected this. Liverpool recorded just two high turnovers (which is starting a possession sequence within 40m of the opposition goal), their fewest of the season. Their clear-cut chances mostly came from winning the ball in the middle third and getting it swiftly to Mohamed Salah or Darwin Nunez for them to run through on goal. As the Reds have yet to fashion a goal from a high turnover, one of only seven teams in the Premier League for who that is the case ( per The Analyst ), perhaps it’s no surprise a slight change of approach worked for them.

At face value this goes against the grain for Klopp, the manager who famously said that no playmaker is better than a good counter pressing situation. But then he presumably was not planning to deviate from his side’s well-established 4-3-3 formation either. Changes had to happen.

And it’s worth nothing that in the small sample of four games following the switch to 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 (or however you want to define it), the Reds’ pressing has been better than average, at least statistically. It has been a bumpy road though, with a below par effort in the loss to Arsenal. Equally, the Gunners are next in line behind City for the teams Liverpool have struggled to press in the last five seasons anyway.

The figures were much better against Rangers, albeit it’s safe to assume they don’t face teams who pressurize them to Liverpool’s standard too often in Scottish football. Nonetheless, the Reds turned two high turnovers to goals at Ibrox, so the press proved productive there, and their success rate of 32.9 per cent in the last four is very encouraging.

Klopp’s side have struggled against teams who move the ball swiftly against them this season, and West Ham, their next opponents, top the league for direct speed (the rate at which they move the ball up field). For this not to be an issue, Liverpool’s system needs to be solid and their pressing needs to be on point. The evidence from their win over City suggests they should have no concerns.

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