Jurgen Klopp on Tuesday opted to return to the familiar and beloved 4-3-3 formation that has given Liverpool fans so much joy over the past seven years. This fall, a faltering performance coupled with several injuries led the German to attempt variations of 4-4-2, but that only led to an improvement in singles matches.
Among the players who were happy to be back in Tuesday’s 4-3-3 match was Mohamed Salah, who scored the goal in the 2-0 win over Napoli that made him the top scorer in the Champions League group stage with Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe.
“This is the position I’ve played in the last five or six years and I have to say it’s the best for me,” Salah told BT Sports when he took home the award for best on the pitch.
At the same time, he added, he plays wherever he is asked to play.
“It is the manager’s job to define tactics, and as a player you have to do what the manager says,” said the 30-year-old, who with Steven Gerrard has now scored the most goals in Europe in the club’s history.
Carvalho likes better 4-4-2
Fabio Carvalho also talked about the formations and where he prefers to play, and his answer is not quite the same as Salah’s.
At Fulham, the Portuguese played a key role in the First Division, while at Liverpool he was mostly used as a left winger or an indoor runner.
I probably feel better on the left side or in the middle of the field as a number ten, but we don’t usually play as a number ten on this team. The change in position was probably the biggest change from last season, because I played at Fulham more centrally and then I also had Aleksandar Mitrovic to play with, he said. Liverpool Echo.
– Maybe it suits me better when we play 4-4-2 and I could be behind Bobby or Darwin, but it can be a flexible position. Bobby can also play in the gap and we have two wingers who also want to go into the field. Honestly, the most important thing for me is just playing, he says.
Carvalho learned a lot during his first few months on Merseyside.
So far, coaches and coaches have mostly focused on the defensive part of my game because they already know what I can contribute offensively. He says a lot has been about where and when to pay because the team is so focused on that.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
