Jurgen Klopp's career can be defined by cycles of roughly seven years.
Developing his counter-pressing philosophy from Arrigo Sacchi's great Milan side of the eighties and his own former coach, Wolfgang Frank, the German applied that to the 4-2-3-1 formation at Mainz and then Dortmund, before coming to England and transitioning what was by then known as his heavy metal style towards the 4-3-3 more commonly associated great rival Pep Guardiola and his predecessor, Johan Cruyff.
Klopp's Liverpool team has lined up in the 4-3-3 most often since his arrival in 2015, and it was only in 2022 when cracks started to show. The Reds' use of a high-line to ensure they could press high up the pitch would mean that their midfield would need to work hard to ensure there was pressure on the ball, but a lack of midfield runners meant deep-lying opposition were able to attack the back four unlike ever before, and the Reds title challenge was doomed from the moment Wilfried Zaha silenced the Anfield crowd on match week two last August.
