Champions League 2021/22: Why Liverpool suffered against Villarreal and what Klopp changed – tactical analysis

The UEFA Champions League 2021/22 semi-finals were as dramatic as it gets and offered the fans a football spectacle with lots of turnovers and unexpected events. The second leg between Villarreal and Liverpool didn’t disappoint and both teams displayed great character in the fight for a final spot.

Despite being 0-2 down after the first leg, the Spanish side went out with an aggressive approach, determined to make Liverpool’s life harder and stop their route towards the final. Unai Emery tried to give Klopp’s side a taste of their own medicine by pressing intensely and stopping their attacking efforts.

The Merseyside, on the other hand, struggled to employ their usual strategy but Jürgen Klopp managed to get the most out of the situation and instructed his players to give away the initiative and use the opposition’s strengths against them.

Villarreal’s strategy was successful in the first half and the team managed to score twice, completely dismissing Liverpool’s advantage. The team moved out of their comfort zone and pressurized their opponents in effort to have more of the ball and to limit the Reds’ space for movement on the ball.

Liverpool, though, started the second half with boosted confidence and used Villarreal’s exhaustion in their favour to achieve a complete turnover from 0-2 to 3-2.

This tactical analysis explains the tactics in the game and examines how Emery managed to scare Liverpool and how the Merseyside fought back to get the win.

Lineups and formations

Emery opted for his favoured 4-4-2 formation with Gerónimo Rulli on the goal. Pervis Estupiñán, Pau Torres, Raúl Albiol and Juan Foyth formed the defensive line, with Estupiñán being actively involved in the final third actions as per usual. Dani Parejo and Étienne Capoue covered the central midfield with Francis Coquelin and Giovani Lo Celso moving around the flanks.

The two wide players would also cut inside and combine with their teammates in aim to threaten the opposition and create opportunities. Boulaye Dia and Gerard Moreno led the attack but none of them was productive enough in front of the goal and the team produced only five shots.

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