Although it wouldn't hurt, Liverpool cannot rely on favours from the supernatural
Liverpool's recent win was a scrappy affair, but it still counted as a victory nonetheless. The Reds controlled the ball for the majority of the match, but still struggled to convert their possession into clear-cut chances. However, given their current position in the Premier League table, they cannot afford to be too picky about how they collect points.
As the season enters its final stretch, there is always the possibility of teams fighting for survival producing unexpected results. Southampton recently held Arsenal to a 3-3 draw, while bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United led Manchester United 3-1 with just a few minutes left to play. In this context, Liverpool's upcoming match against West Ham, a team battling to avoid relegation, is unlikely to be a straightforward encounter.
Liverpool's hopes of securing a top-four finish are still alive, although they are facing an uphill battle. Even if they win all their remaining fixtures, they will still need other teams to slip up in order to qualify for the Champions League. However, their recent form has been encouraging, and they have closed the gap on the teams above them in the table.
Liverpool's victory over Newcastle United was a perfect example of their recent improvement. While the first half was a cagey affair, the second half saw a flurry of goals, with Liverpool eventually emerging victorious thanks to a late strike from Mohamed Salah. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota also put in impressive performances, and Liverpool will hope that they can maintain this level of form in their upcoming matches.
Overall, Liverpool's season has been a rollercoaster ride, with some exhilarating highs and some crushing lows. However, there is still hope that they can salvage something from the campaign, and they will be looking to build on their recent form in the remaining matches. While they cannot control the results of other teams, they can certainly control their own performances, and if they can maintain their recent level of form, they will give themselves a fighting chance of securing a top-four finish.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp seems to be experimenting with a new tactical system that has seen Trent Alexander-Arnold playing in a more advanced role, freed from the defensive responsibilities that have traditionally been expected of him. This change in system has been made possible by the solid performances of Andy Robertson in the left-back position, allowing Alexander-Arnold to push further up the pitch and contribute more to Liverpool's attacking play.
The tactical tweak has resulted in Liverpool playing with a three-man central defensive unit, which is as close as Klopp has come to playing a traditional 3-5-2 formation. This is surprising given that 3-5-2 is a formation that is traditionally associated with German football, which is where Klopp hails from. However, Klopp is known for his innovative approach to the game, and it seems that he is willing to incorporate elements of traditional German football into his own tactical system.
Klopp's reluctance to adopt a 3-5-2 formation may be due to the fact that it was the dominant formation in German football during the late 1990s and early 2000s, a period when the German national team was struggling to achieve success. The team had been picked apart by Croatia in the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup, and even when they won the 1996 European Championship, they were widely regarded as one of the weakest German teams in recent memory.
Despite the criticism of the 3-5-2 formation, Klopp persisted with his own preferred formation of 4-3-3, which was seen as a more modern and flexible approach to the game. This stubbornness may have been mirrored by German football's reluctance to move away from the 3-5-2 formation, which had served them well for so long.
However, Klopp seems to be willing to adapt and evolve his tactical system, and his current experimentation with a three-man central defensive unit is evidence of this. The success of this system could potentially lead to the extinction of certain midfield roles that have become accustomed to playing in Liverpool's traditional 4-3-3 formation.
Furthermore, the return to form of forward Diogo Jota could be crucial for Liverpool's run-in, as they aim to pick off results one at a time and keep an eye out for favours from elsewhere. With the season entering its final stages, it seems that Klopp is willing to try new things in order to keep Liverpool's title hopes alive.
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