Liverpool is currently unbeaten in 19 games in all competitions, thanks to a tactical tweak implemented by Jürgen Klopp about six months ago. The Reds were seventh in the Premier League table at the time, having not won a game in four matches, and needed a new approach to turn things around.
The adjustment was made by Klopp’s assistant, Pep Lijnders, who advised that Trent Alexander-Arnold be used as an additional midfielder when possession was controlled, instead of his usual position as a right-back. The tactical change has given the Scouse defender new energy, and it has helped Liverpool become far more dominant.
On the Training Ground Guru Podcast, the Dutchman was recently asked about the new structure. “The team came together again and we were really balanced, we didn’t suffer counter-attacks how we suffered them before,” he stated. “A small change can be enough to make players feel more at ease.” You will win the game if you dominate midfield.”
Indeed, his final remark was possibly the most significant. Prior to the switch, Liverpool struggled in the middle of the field due to the older players Klopp had relied on for far too long, with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Naby Keta mostly chasing shadows before leaving this summer.
Liverpool got an extra body in the center by directing Alexander-Arnold to play like an inverted full-back, with four players forming a box shape and so governing proceedings. In England, there is a developing trend of midfield dominance, with several teams striving to replicate the same dynamic.
Last season, Manchester City were the first to implement the notion, with Pep Guardiola asking center-back John Stones to play as a substitute midfielder at times. Mikel Arteta did the same at the Emirates Stadium, using Oleksandr Zinchenko as an inverted full-back, and Brighton and Hove Albion did the same with the likes of Jol Veltman and Moisés Caicedo.
Every team is vying for dominance of the center, and the Reds will face opponents this weekend that are doing a good job of it this season.
Six Premier League matches have been played thus far this season, with only four teams remaining unblemished. One is Liverpool, and the other is Tottenham Hotspur, with the two teams poised to face off in London on Saturday night in what promises to be a high-profile game between two giants.
An intriguing tactical oddity associated with the match is that both teams use the inverted full-back role this semester. Ange Postecoglou has used two of those players since taking over at White Hart Lane in the summer, with Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro burrowing inside from the left and right flanks whenever possession is safe.
Spurs’ style of play isn’t identical to Liverpool’s — Alexander-Arnold is Klopp’s lone inverted full-back — but the overall purpose is the same, with the goal of clogging the middle of the field, gaining an overload, and ultimately dominating proceedings if possible.
The main difference between what Postecoglou does with his full-backs and what Guardiola, Arteta, and Klopp do is that he does it on both sides, not just one. He’s doubling down on the belief that someone like Alexander-Arnold is best suited to play central in possession and as part of the defensive four when the ball isn’t in play. The Australian will try to beat Liverpool in this system this season, while the other coaches will only use an inverted full-back approach on one side of the pitch.
With Klopp and Postecoglou relying on similar concepts to differing degrees to achieve success this season, it will be interesting to see how the two clubs do this weekend. Only one can succeed, and Liverpool will be hoping that Alexander-Arnold is remarkable enough to make the difference for the Reds, despite the fact that the Scouse defender will be outnumbered, with Tottenham having both full-backs performing the same thing at the same time.