Jurgen Klopp has admitted Liverpool are still coming to terms with their recent formation change which has seen Trent Alexander-Arnold utilised as an inverted full-back.
Such a switch sees the England international push into midfield alongside Fabinho, with the Reds’ other two midfielders, in recent games Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones, playing further forward. Meanwhile, such a set-up has also prompted a tweaked role for Andy Robertson with the Scotland captain having to be more selective regarding when he attacks forward down the wing.
Both full-backs will claim assists from set-pieces in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday. And speaking after the game, Klopp praised Robertson’s understanding of the new system as he admitted it has made his role in the team more difficult.
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“Of course it changed his role slightly. That’s clear,” Klopp told reporters. “We cannot have one full-back in the centre of the field and the other constantly high up on the left side.
“That’s difficult so Robbo has to judge the situations when he can be involved and when he can overlap like at Leeds when he overlaps Diogo passes to Cody, Mo, goal.
“These situations are still there. But in the first moment of the build-up, yes his role and positioning has changed slightly. But he’s a very experienced player, a very smart player and he knows when we need him there.
“Today it was a bit of a mix. From time to time he had to be high but that depends on the moment and the situation. The boys have to learn to read these situations right and do these things in the right moment.
“Today Nottingham tried to man-mark both sixes and both tens with Hendo and Curtis. That made life slightly tricky. Gave Ibou a lot of moments on the ball and at the beginning he didn’t use it that well.
“Ibou had a lot of time and space, and that’s the next thing. If an opponent is doing that, how can we help Ibou to use these moments slightly better. It’s early days with this system so we have to work on that.”
Meanwhile, Klopp also admitted that he hadn’t expected Diogo Jota to score his second goal in the 3-2 victory. Having ended a year-long goalscoring drought against Leeds United on Monday night, the Portuguese netted another two goals against Forest with the second a superbly-taken volley after bringing down Robertson’s free-kick on chest.
Pointing out the positive impact returning to scoring ways has had on Jota, Klopp was full of praise for the forward’s contributions at both ends of the pitch.
“The second goal, you can really see what goals do to offensive players, the German said. “They give confidence. It was a super first touch. It didn’t look like a massive chance in the first moment when you see him free in the box.
“First touch, great, and the second one is exceptional. He could have scored a third one in the first half as well.
“Again, that shows you can be, as an offensive player, be involved in absolutely each defensive situation and still be a threat offensively. There is no if or. You can do both. And Diogo is doing that.
“That makes him so valuable for us. That’s why he deserves that. It’s wonderful after the long, long time that he was out, having these positive things.
“He was involved in the Arsenal equaliser in a very important manner and now having scored two braces is top.”
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