{"id":373177,"date":"2019-03-04T03:59:17","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T08:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonfootball.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=373177"},"modified":"2019-03-04T04:00:36","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T09:00:36","slug":"style-change-philippe-coutinho-departure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2019\/03\/04\/style-change-philippe-coutinho-departure\/","title":{"rendered":"The Change in Liverpool’s Attacking Style Post Philippe Coutinho Era"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liverpool <\/a>fans were left devastated when Philippe Coutinho forced his way out of the club.<\/a> Everybody around the club felt it was impossible to replace their star man in January and the club would struggle without their ‘Little Magician’. Yet, in the absence of their star man, the Reds went on to reach the Champions League final, even after not signing a replacement in January. Coutinho was one of the key players in Liverpool\u2019s attack. He brought an incredible vision to the team with his playmaking skills. Although the Brazilian was loved by the Merseyside club and the fans, he broke everybody\u2019s heart and expectations by signing for Barcelona<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Change in Attacking Style After Coutinho Departure<\/h1>\n

Not Signing a Coutinho Replacement<\/h2>\n

Currently, the last thing Liverpool fans are missing this season is their ‘Little Magician’. Even after not spending money on a proper Coutinho replacement, Klopp has made Liverpool into serious contenders for the League title. When the Brazilian left the club, nobody thought Liverpool would reach this far. Klopp has pulled out a miracle<\/a> by changing Liverpool\u2019s attacking system in such a way that they won\u2019t miss their little magician at all.<\/p>\n

Not pursuing another signing after the\u00a0Nabil Fekir<\/a> deal fell through was a bold statement from the German manager. He felt that signing an attacking playmaker to replace Phil should not be Liverpool’s priority. The Liverpool\u00a0manager instead spent the heavy bulk of money on luring Alisson from Rome. Alisson has arguably been the best keeper in the Premier League this season. The Brazilian has really helped Klopp\u2019s side become serious contenders for the league. On the attacking side, Klopp signed Xherdan Shaqiri<\/a> for a bargain price. He considered the former Stoke City<\/a> winger’s role as a back-up for the attackers. So, even after not spending much money on any attacker, Klopp maintained Liverpool\u2019s image as one of the best attacks in Europe in the Brazilian\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n

Importance of the Two Full-Backs<\/h2>\n

It actually took Klopp a prior \u00a38 million combined investment to improve Liverpool\u2019s attacking standards. This is the investment made on the full-back pair of Andrew Robertson<\/a> and Trent Alexander-Arnold<\/a>. After Coutinho left, Klopp shifted his focus on to the full-backs to create attacking chances for the front three. One of the best examples of this full-back attacking show was seen a few days ago when Liverpool hosted Watford<\/a> at Anfield. In a 5-0 victory, it was the two full-backs who assisted all the goals. Klopp changed Liverpool\u2019s approach of attacking from the centre of the pitch to the wide areas.<\/p>\n

It has been very rare this season that Liverpool have scored a goal from the central positions. The deadly duo of Robertson and Alexander-Arnold has been the main source of attacking threat for the club this season. The quality of their crosses in the box is absolutely world class,\u00a0especially Alexander-Arnold’s, which always cause a problem in the opposition\u2019s penalty area.<\/p>\n

This system of attacking from the wide areas has also helped Liverpool in improving their defensive stability. This has boosted the club\u2019s title charge this season. CIES football has named Alexander-Arnold and Robertson as two of the most valuable full-backs in the world, currently. Changing Liverpool\u2019s attacking style after Coutinho\u2019s departure was a world-class tactic by the German manager. With the full-backs getting involved in the game, the club’s attack looks stronger than ever.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a>