{"id":1957,"date":"2019-02-28T10:23:48","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T10:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.incirliseviye.com\/2019\/02\/28\/fabinho-salah-and-organising-the-chaos-inside-liverpools-tactical-evolution-2\/"},"modified":"2019-02-28T10:23:48","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T10:23:48","slug":"fabinho-salah-and-organising-the-chaos-inside-liverpools-tactical-evolution-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/?p=1957","title":{"rendered":"Fabinho, Salah and organising the chaos – Inside Liverpool's tactical evolution"},"content":{"rendered":"
Assistant coach Pep Lijnders explains how Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has turned his side from top-four contenders into title hopefuls <\/div>\n
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The Champions League final, last May.<\/p>\n

A heart-breaking night for those of a Liverpool persuasion. An evening defined by Mohamed Salah\u2019s injury, Gareth Bale\u2019s brilliance and Loris Karius\u2019 anguish. A tearful conclusion to a remarkable journey.<\/p>\n

For some, Kiev was the end of that journey. For Mike Gordon, Jurgen Klopp and his staff, however, it was merely a stop-off point.<\/p>\n

Article continues below<\/span> <\/div>\n
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Indeed, even as the Reds took to the field against Real Madrid, plans for the next stage of their development were already being finalised. Standing still, Liverpool have grown to realise, is never an option.<\/p>\n

The night before the final, on the rooftop terrace of the Intercontinental hotel, a familiar face had mingled with Klopp and his players.<\/p>\n

Pep Lijnders had left the Reds\u2019 backroom team that January, taking on his first senior managerial role with NEC Nijmegen in the Netherlands, but here he was, back in the picture; smiling, debating, encouraging. Part of the group again.<\/p>\n

Preparing, as it turned out, to return to Liverpool that summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had already spoken about it when I went to Kiev,\u201d Lijnders reveals, almost nine months on. \u201cI already knew the ideas from Jurgen, so it felt good to be there the night before, with the staff and with Jurgen and the boys. I knew I was going to be coming back at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lijnders\u2019 return was instigated by Klopp and by Mike Gordon, Liverpool\u2019s co-owner. His time at NEC had ultimately ended in failure \u2013 missing out on promotion to the Eredivisie through the play-offs \u2013 but at Anfield his reputation could not be better.<\/p>\n

The Dutchman \u2013 hands-on, sharp and almost obsessively passionate about his work \u2013 is seen as one of the outstanding coaches in Europe.<\/p>\n

With Zeljko Buvac, Klopp\u2019s long-time assistant, having suddenly departed the club in April, Lijnders would return in a more senior role than the one he had vacated. He would essentially, along with Peter Krawietz, become Klopp\u2019s new right-hand man.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

He would also take on the vital role of leading the next phase of the Reds\u2019 tactical evolution.<\/p>\n

That involved implementing a more controlled, patient, style of play. \u201cOrganised chaos,\u201d is a term used at Melwood to describe Klopp\u2019s philosophy, but the chaos has not always been matched by the organisation.<\/p>\n

Liverpool, for example, scored 47 goals in just 15 Champions League games last season, with their front three alone managing 91 in all competitions. Yet they finished the season trophy-less, squeezing into fourth place in the Premier League ahead of Chelsea on the final day.<\/p>\n

To go from \u2018good\u2019 to \u2018great\u2019, Klopp reasoned, they needed to modify their approach, become a more controlled, streetwise team.<\/p>\n

\u201cJurgen was very clear what the next step would be,\u201d Lijnders says. \u201cWe spoke a lot before I took the job, and one thing we were both really agreeing on was how our midfield play could improve.<\/p>\n

\u201c[It was important] that we could create a free player more easily, that we could find him in an easier way. From there, we would have better movements in there to attack their last line. But especially that midfield play [had to improve].\u201d<\/p>\n

The solution lay not only on the training field, but in the transfer market.<\/p>\n

Less than 48 hours after the Champions League final, Fabinho was recruited from Monaco to bolster Klopp\u2019s midfield options. With Naby Keita arriving from RB Leipzig on July 1, Liverpool had spent more than \u00a390 million ($115m) on improving one of their target areas.<\/p>\n

Still, it would take time. Fabinho\u2019s settling-in period was tough; he didn\u2019t start a league game until October and was often not even part of the matchday squad. Training was tough, and questions were asked.<\/p>\n

Lijnders, a fluent Portuguese speaker, played a big role in ensuring the Brazilian remained focused and patient.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo adapt to the intensity of our play, that takes time,\u201d he says. \u201cNot many can do it, and in certain positions it is easier than others.<\/p>\n

“If you are a front player and you come in, and you are used to playing in an attacking way, then it is easier, depending on the specific attributes you have as a player.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Fabinho, to play in a midfield three as we did at the start of the season, we knew it would take time. His impulse of defending forward is absolutely of the highest level, elite. The question as a No.6, though, is that you are moving more side-to-side than forwards.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, of course, you have to adapt to the league and the team. We found a good solution to change to 4-4-2 (4-2-3-1). And from that moment it helped so much, and then you saw the real Fabinho.\u201d<\/p>\n

His improvement since has been striking, whether as part of a \u2018double six\u2019 or in the more familiar 4-3-3 formation. He\u2019s even, of course, filled in admirably at centre-back, and may be required to do so against Bayern Munich next week.<\/p>\n

\u201cInside the \u2018organised chaos\u2019 that we want, that we like, he is like a lighthouse,\u201d says Lijnders. \u201cHe controls it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a saying in Portuguese, \u2018A bola sempre sai rodada<\/em>\u2019. It means \u2018The ball always goes out round\u2019 and with a player like Fabinho in the middle, you can see that.<\/p>\n

“His timing, his vision, his calmness, it gives another dimension to our midfield play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Alongside him, or sometimes in front of him, the form of Gini Wijnaldum, Lijnders\u2019 fellow Dutchman, has been equally impressive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say that Gini and Bobby [Firmino] represent \u2018our way\u2019 in the best way possible,\u201d Lijnders says, puffing his cheeks out. \u201cBecause we want players who are responsible for everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cGini is a player who can drop and create three at the back for a short period of time, bring the ball out, and at the same time turn in midfield and find somebody straight away in between the lines.<\/p>\n

“And then he can pass and move into the last line or even over the last line. He can arrive in scoring areas, he can head, he can score.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s also still learning. Football is a game where you never stop learning and he\u2019s becoming a better player. I think he represents what we want in a player, really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Firmino, meanwhile, has seen his role evolve too, often finding himself as a roving No.10 in the 4-2-3-1 system, with Mohamed Salah used as the No.9.<\/p>\n

It was a bold move, given Salah\u2019s 44 goals from a predominantly right-sided station last season. But with the Egyptian having passed 20 for the campaign last weekend, and with the team continuing to perform, the results are there to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, Mo has the ability to create from the inside,\u201d says Lijnders, explaining the change. \u201cThat differentiates him from many others of his type. He\u2019s a real goalscorer.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, to have him in the last line as high as we can, with the speed he has, the goal threat he has, it makes it easier for us to create a freer role for Bobby.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Mo, it’s really good to understand the game in that way, to be the point. For him it’s great. He’s closer to the goal, he can use his speed more, he’s more where we want him to be. That’s a natural development for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Still, was it not an issue to tell Salah, with his array of personal awards and his rising global profile, to change his role?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Lijnders replies. \u201cI think how this team is constructed anyway, it’s glued by character, ambition and passion. It really fits well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s what I say has influenced the evolution. You bring in not only world-class players, but players who are very hungry for training as well. That’s what I like most about our project.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look to our squad and what we are trying to achieve and what we are achieving, that hunger for becoming better is clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cMo is a good example of that. He’s always searching for the next step and the next level. For me, the difference between a good player and a top player is that the top players can solve problems before they become problems, or they can solve problems in many different ways. And a top player can do it constantly. Mo does that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He certainly does, and as Liverpool head into the final third of the season, they find themselves well and truly alive in the two competitions they crave most.<\/p>\n

The Premier League title race threatens to go down to the wire, while the Bayern tie should ensure another pair of classic Champions League nights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese moments made the team smell the hunger for the last step,\u201d says Lijnders, with a smile. \u201cWith all we did so far, we are trying to make this last step.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Assistant coach Pep Lijnders explains how Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has turned his side from top-four contenders into title hopefuls The Champions League final, last May. A heart-breaking night for those of a Liverpool persuasion. An evening defined by Mohamed Salah\u2019s injury, Gareth Bale\u2019s brilliance and Loris Karius\u2019 anguish. A tearful conclusion to a remarkable … <\/p>\n

Read more “Fabinho, Salah and organising the chaos – Inside Liverpool's tactical evolution”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-premier-league"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1957\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onhee.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}