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Liverpool’s 3-4-3 compared to Barca’s Dream Team 3-4-3 tactics

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The Reds have used the 3-4-3 system to improved effect in recent games

The Reds have used the 3-4-3 system to improved effect in recent games

In the last three games Liverpool have played a 3-4-3 system.

Against Manchester United, Liverpool lost 3-0 but had 19 shots, almost twice as many as United, with 9 of them on target. Sterling missed three one on ones and Balotelli also had some very good chances. However defensively Liverpool were still their old selves.

Against Bournemouth Liverpool again looked good offensively. Fluid, direct, pacey, with plenty of movement and interchanging of positions. A rare sight this season. Again defensively there were mistakes, Skrtel & Lovren were easily beaten by a mazy run by Wilson that should have been the opening goal.

Later in the first half Lovren was twice skinned out on the left flank leading to chances that could have been taken. But Bournemouth lacked the finishing of United, Liverpool were more clinical and deservedly won 3-1. Against Arsenal, the Reds were unlucky not to score many more than the two goals the team managed to.

After the United game Rodgers stated it was one of our best creative performances of the season, despite the lack of goals. After the Bournemouth game he said it was the closest Liverpool had come to recreating the form of last season.

Brendan was certainly brave in picking a system we had never used before. A number of Premier League sides, including Liverpool, have used 3 at the back, but there is a big difference between 3-5-2 and 3-4-3. The latter is more offensive, even with a front 3 who aren’t pure forwards but are instead attacking midfielders.

Rodgers was criticised before the United game for playing such an experimental system, including Raheem Sterling as a striker (although he was more like a false-9 or what Rodgers calls a 9 & 1/2) and it got me to thinking – which is the best side that has played this system?

In fact, one of the greatest ever teams played 3-4-3: Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona Dream team.

A Barcelona side that won 4 consecutive La Ligas, the Cup winners Cup and the European Cup (also losing in another final, although with a different system). It was Barcelona’s greatest ever team, before Pep Guardiola eventually turned his hand to management.

Cruyff’s Barca team obviously had far superior players to Liverpool, but it is interesting to look at how they set up tactically when they used the 3-4-3 system.

*Note – This eleven is arguably the best possible, although there was a limitation on foreigners rule

Cruyff’s team was especially offensively structured. It can be argued that it only had 3 defensive players in it, with Guardiola a deep lying playmaker who covered for the defence but who you couldn’t call defensive.

The biggest difference is in the midfield, with the diamond. Where in Liverpool’s recent system it is more of a flat 4. Gerrard & Lucas sitting with Markovic/Moreno & Henderson operating more like wingbacks/wide-midfielders. For Cruyff he had the energetic Eusebio to the right of Guardiola and the brilliant attacking Laudrup on the left. Bakero usually operated as a No.10. This would provide a lot less defensive cover in wide areas, particularly on the left, and required everyone to take mutual defensive responsibilities.

Another big difference is that the left and right ‘centre-backs’ in Cruyff’s team, Sergi and Ferrer, are really full backs so they’d be very comfortable out wide filling the space if necessary. Contrast this to Lovren struggling when he came out to cover the left flank when Markovic was advanced. Sakho is more suited to this role, not only because of his pace but because he’s actually played left back before. Simiarly Toure has also played at right back in his illustrious past.

With Markovic playing left midfield, and doing it brilliantly against Bournemouth, it can be difficult to even classify him as a wingback. Perhaps against better opposition the space in behind him can be a bigger issue defensively.

Upfront Liverpool played essentially with 3 attacking midfielders, but Cruyff’s Barca team played with forwards. Txiki Begiristain was a winger/forward while Romario & Stoitchkov were two of the world’s best strikers.

Barca’s complete domination of the ball meant in this system they would always have quality players in and around the box and opponents would struggle to cope. Liverpool’s system is more about having extra players in midfield and breaking fast from transition. It will of course evolve when Sturridge returns.

This Barca team was superlative, and while it is incomparable with the Liverpool team in terms of quality of players, it’s also interesting that Cruyff used the 3-4-3 structure in a rather different tactical set up.

Let’s hope in the coming matches the Liverpool team continues to improve in the system while tightening up our defence. We’re certainly a very long way away from emulating Cruyff’s Barcelona.

You can catch more from me on my own blog: http://taintlessred.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow me on twitter: @taintlessred

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Gabriel Darshan (Writer) - aka Sutha Nirmalananthan aka TaintlessRed. I am a lifelong Liverpool fan who has followed the Reds from near (e.g. living in Kirkby) and far (e.g. living in Johannesburg), though am again living back home in the UK. I’ve watched football in stadia all around the world, from the Maracana to the Camp Nou, though Anfield will of course always be the greatest! I enjoy healthy football debate, preferring reasoned analysis based on sound evidence over gossip. I also write a blog at http://taintlessred.blogspot.co.uk/ on all things Liverpool FC and you can follow me on twitter @taintlessred

3 comments

  • Diego Digger Souness says:

    This system won’t succeed in English football, BR is living in a dream world. Our game is too explosive and physical. Hate to say it but look at the physicality of Chelsea they can compete physically and technically.

  • Chan says:

    Look at this Barca team, it is virtually a dream team and the are playing in the La Liga plus and that is a big plus, they had a world class manager then.

    Fast forward to the present day LFC team, we have dodgy goalkeepers, defenders, strikers, virtually the entire team, a team that BR assembled himself at over 100 mill this season alone. The only exemption is players like Sterling (signed by Rafa), Sturridge, Coutinho and Gerrard. We can emulate any tactics, only if we have the personnel.

    This season is a revelation as it shows who BR really is, an egomaniac who picked a hat way too large for himself. His supporters points to last season’s 2nd place but his stubbornness and ego in not appointing a defensive coach cost us a first Premiership Title. Don’t be fooled, this is a continuation of the malaise in BR’s 1st season with us except that unlike last season we do not have Suarez playing the form of his life to bail us out. Imagine after 3 seasons, we still do not have a defense.

    A world class coach like Rafa would know what to do, what personnel to buy and what tactics to use in each game. If you run a sushi restaurant would you employ a cook or a chef who only had experience working in a traditional fish and chips restaurant, no matter how good he is ? When he turns out to make lousy sushi, would you blame this chef then ? Worse still in the first place why did you ignore a host of Sushi chef available (Remy, Bony) and gamble in this Fish and Chips cook ? Why should he take this unnecessary “risk” in the first place when options are clearly available? Did anyone notice Remy is unwell while turning out for Chelsea ?

    What profession in this world where 2 out of 24 people that you hired turns out to be any good and after hundred of millions of pounds, that you would have no accountability what so ever and worse, refuse to change and let the organization you are working for mired in trouble solely due to your own poor judgement?

    We had descended into a mid table or worse relegation battling team under BR. If JH does not take immediate action to sack BR and replaced him with Rafa, then he is carries the ultimate dereliction of duty towards this great club.

  • majik says:

    who is physical at Chelsea? are you referring to Oscar, Willian, fabregas and hazard? don’t this players have the same physicality as sterling, coutinho, marcovic and sturridge?
    Gerrard v matic, Lucas v Mikel, can v ramires gives no difference in physical play or strength!
    the forward line of balotelli v Costa are similar in terms of physique. Lambert v drogba anyone?
    the defence is evenly matched.
    the reason Chelsea are doing better is that they have higher efficiency than us.

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