It may seem like odd timing to write a piece on Liverpool now given that in their last match they capitulated so spectacularly in losing 7-2 to Aston Villa. That result felt especially jarring given that just the week before Liverpool had looked close to their imperious best in beating Arsenal 3-1 with consummate ease. These ideas, when taken in isolation, present something of a snapshot of the Premier League season so far with the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and now Liverpool all having been defeated by large scorelines in individual matchdays. Whether this is due to the compressed schedule and the late start to the season or whether this is part of what can be considered the new normal remains to be seen.
There was one particular aspect of the Liverpool game model that immediately stood out to me from a tactical perspective when I was watching it. So much so, in fact, that I felt that it deserved much deeper explanation after the match.
The purpose of this tactical theory piece is to provide an insight into the different movements and mechanisms that Liverpool used in order to progress the ball from the back in this match.
The principles around playing from the back
The concept of playing out from the back is something that some coaches use almost exclusively, even in the face of criticism from fans and pundits when the ball is given away in dangerous situations. The likes of Pep Guardiola, Marcelo Bielsa and Mikel Arteta all subscribe to this form of build-up as part of their adherence to the overall tactical umbrella that is positional play. When Jurgen Klopp first came to England and took charge of Liverpool all of the talk in the media was that he would implement his high-tempo gegenpressing style in whole. Initially, there was some truth to this idea but gradually Klopp adapted his game model in order to create more opportunities for Liverpool to control the game and by extension their opponents. This change in the Liverpool system of play led to their dominant domestic performance in the 2019/20 season when they ended their long wait for a league title.
What though do we mean specifically when talking about playing out from the back?
The concept in itself is relatively simple
The team in possession of the ball looks to play through the thirds in a safe manner by maintaining control. The key is in ensuring the clean progression of the ball through the first line of pressure. This allows the ball to me moved into advanced areas with control.
Beyond that, there are some principles that coaches look to apply in order to achieve the concept above
- Create numerical and positional superiority in order to play through the first line of pressure
- Use positional rotations to create vertical passing options
- Move the ball to the free man in order to create angles to play through the press.
Above is the context behind this article. What was especially interesting to me about this specific game was the sheer number of ways that Klopp used the midfield and defensive line to apply these principles. I have deliberately used examples just from the first half in order to display how flexible Liverpool were in their approach to playing out from the back.
Example one
The first example that we will use is perhaps the most common as it was a regular feature of Pep Guardiolas all-conquering Barcelona side. The idea is simple, that in?? 4-3-3 or even a 4-2-3-1 structure you use your controlling midfielder or pivot to drop into a deep position in order to effectively split the central defenders and create a line of three on the first line of the build-up. As with many other principles and concepts within football, however, this was developed elsewhere and then adopted by Guardiola.
This specific rotational movement has a name La Salida Lavolpiana and was developed in the first instance by the Argentinean coach Ricardo La Volpe. The idea behind the concept is a simple one in that the team in possession drops the midfielder back to the defensive line in order to create numerical advantages on the first line. This is especially helpful given the way that teams are now using more complex pressing structures in order to prevent teams from having a clean ball progression. If a team, for example, plays with a single-player applying initial pressure to the ball then two central defenders, and the goalkeeper, are likely to be capable of outplaying the press and progressing the ball. Against a team that are pressing with two players the midfielder dropping back will provide a 4v2 advantage, with the goalkeeper, to out play.
We see this in action in t
