"I have carefully studied Pan Yi's 3-5-2 formation. To be honest, there are very few loopholes, but it is not without breakthroughs."
At Liverpool's Melwood training base, Klopp, who has just taken office, is discussing the strategy against Chelsea with his chief assistant Zeljko Buvac.
Buvac has been following Klopp for more than ten years, from Mainz to Dortmund.
Now that Klopp has been invited to Liverpool, Uncle Zha has also brought this assistant with him.
Now, Buvac also submitted a detailed game report, talking about his analysis results:
"In this 3-5-2 formation, the most critical thing is the two wing-backs. Whether Pan Yi plays Marcos Alonso, Cancelo, or Azpilicueta and Yin Wannuo Vic, their movement on both wings has a great impact on Chelsea's overall offense and defense."
"However, they often leave a lot of space behind them after pressing forward. The space here often needs to be filled by the team's defensive midfielder."
"In the current Chelsea, Pan Yi prefers to use a midfield combination of two attacking midfielders + one defensive midfielder, but both Hazard and the B midfielder tend to attack, so this matter is usually done by a single player. Defensive midfielder Kante will complete it."
"When Kanter moves to one side to help fill the gap, if we focus on the other side at this time, then our opportunity will come."
"It can be said that this is the biggest drawback of their single defensive midfielder lineup. I feel that many coaches of the team have discovered this recently. They pay attention to suppressing the forward penetration of Chelsea's double wing backs when defending, and focus on attacking behind them when attacking. This way Can limit Chelsea's performance very well."
"Of course, due to the limited strength of the team, they will often lose in the end, but at least they are not beaten by a big score. In the past few games, except for Stoke City in the League Cup, they used a rotating lineup and were beaten. A 6:0, and no other team suffered a big loss."
"But with the strength of our current lineup, we can hope to compete with them at home, as long as we can seize their weakness."
While listening to Buvac's words, Klopp was also carefully reading the analysis report.
Then, he raised his head, revealing his big white teeth on his stubbled face: "You did a very good job. You are right, this can be said to be a fatal loophole for Chelsea."
Defeating Pan Yi is Klopp's biggest goal in recent years.
It can even be said that one of the big reasons for coming to the Premier League and coming to Liverpool is that we can face Pan Yi with a better lineup here!
This is also a scene he imagined when he was in the Bundesliga.
In Klopp's first Premier League game after coming to Liverpool, he defeated the difficult Southampton 2-0, which also gave him great confidence.
In addition, Liverpool's goal this season is to compete for the top four in the league and qualify for the Champions League, so every game, especially every home game, is important.
If we can beat Chelsea and Pan Yi at Anfield, it will really be a double happiness.
"In recent games, Chelsea did not score many goals." Buvac pointed to the game data in the report, "I think Pan Yi is a bit too arrogant, daring to use a single defensive midfielder formation, but even if he is stronger than Kanter has no way to split up to both wings to help with offense and defense. In addition, his formation does not have conventional wingers and relies too much on wing backs when attacking from the wing. This is the important weakness I just mentioned."
"But in this case, their attack in the middle is still very sharp." Klopp said, "The front two centers Harry Kane and Lukaku, plus the two attacking midfielders Hazard and Bernardo... Silva, the firepower is really strong."
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Buvac nodded: "Then we have to defend accordingly."
Klopp thought for a moment: "Then we will use three defensive midfielders to fight against them. On the one hand, we must prevent their attack from the center, and on the other hand, we must seize the loopholes behind their wing backs and use their single back The waist compensates for the shortcomings of not being able to defend in time and hits them hard in the back.”
"Well." Buvac said, "In this case, the characteristics of Coutinho and Lallana will play a key role in this game. We must firmly seize this loophole to fight and focus on this area." area to create opportunities.”
Coutinho's technical characteristics are that he is good at dribbling, accurate passing, and powerful long-range shots, but he is not fast and has weak physical confrontation ability.
These technical characteristics determine that Coutinho is more of an offensive midfielder or attacking midfielder, rather than a traditional winger.
But he can reverse to the wing during the game, and then seek to advance to the center. This is more sudden and harder to prevent than if he stays on the wing.
Lallana's characteristics are that he can run, know how to run, and has good skills. This is perfectly consistent with Klopp's requirements for large space counterattacks and a large number of substitutions.
In other words, he can also suddenly insert behind the Chelsea wing-back to beat the opponent's time difference.
In the initial stages of the Kremlin Red Army, Lallana was an extremely important tactical piece for the Germans and an indispensable lubricant on the offensive end.
Now, if he and Coutinho are placed in the attacking midfielder position, and they cooperate with the three defensive midfielders behind them to fight against Chelsea's midfield combination, they should be able to take advantage.
Since Chelsea has no wingers, Klopp uses a formation that concentrates in the center, and then uses Lallana and Coutinho to open up the opponent's wing backs, and then looks for opportunities.
Klopp praised: "Then let's refine the training plan for the next few days, and you can arrange relevant training later."
"Okay, I understand." Buvac nodded in agreement.
Now that Chelsea's weakness has been grasped, Klopp and the coaching staff must create targeted tactics based on this weakness, and practice defensive and counterattack routines to restrain Chelsea in the team.
Finally, Klopp adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and smiled again:
"Pan Yi, I will give you an unforgettable meeting gift at Anfield Stadium!"
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"Viewers, welcome to the live broadcast room of Sky Sports, I am your old friend, come to Inker."
"Hi, I'm Alan Shearer."
"I'm Carragher."
"I'm Zola."
In the studio hall of Sky Sports TV, after all the guests greeted the audience, the host Lainkel said:
"Today's match in the 11th round of the Premier League is the most watched match in this round. The red team Liverpool will face the blue team Chelsea at Anfield."
"I believe everyone is looking forward to this game. First of all, this is Klopp's first official appearance at home this season after taking over Liverpool midway. We all want to know, after having a With a new captain, will this once giant Liverpool ship be able to sail smoothly?"
"At the same time, this will also be the first meeting of the old rivals Klopp and Pan Yi in the Premier League. Whether Pan Yi continues his overwhelming advantage over Klopp, or whether Klopp succeeds in counterattacking with the new team, this will matter. These are all points worthy of our attention.”
"For Chelsea, they have only one goal, and that is to equal the Premier League record of 49 unbeaten sets set by Arsenal twelve years ago!"
"The miracle that Wenger created with Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira was once thought to be impossible to surpass. But in the second year after Pan Yi came to the Premier League, he was already so close to it. Got it!"
"What's interesting is that in the next round, Chelsea's opponent is Arsenal! In other words, if Pan Yi can overcome Liverpool today, then whether Chelsea can finally break Arsenal's record will depend on it. To Arsenal themselves!”
"Is this a coincidence? Or is it an arrangement from God? But no matter what, Chelsea must first escape from Anfield, otherwise the game a week later will not be of such great significance."
"It can be seen from the TV broadcast that the Russian behind Chelsea boss Abramovich also came to the scene to watch the game in person, but the Anfield fans did not seem to welcome him and responded with boos."
"Okay, we've got Liverpool's starting lineup first, let's see how Klopp is preparing to deal with his old rival Pan Yi."
"This looks like a 4-3-2-1 formation? The goalkeeper is Minho, the defense is Moreno, Lovren, Skrtel, Klein, and the three defensive midfielders are Emre Can , Henderson, Milner, the two attacking midfielders are Coutinho and Lallana, and the center forward at the top is Firmino.”
"What do you think of this starting lineup?"
With that said, Reinker threw the question to the Red Army star Carragher.
"Klopp arranged a Christmas tree formation today, which is a bit surprising because as we all know, he is better at 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation." Carragher said in his thick northern British accent. "But it's understandable, because the 3-5-2 that Pan Yi often uses this season focuses on attacking in the middle. Klopp wants to limit the performance of Chelsea's two attacking midfielders and two forwards."
"It seems that many people have seen the characteristics of Pan Yi's style of play and are thinking of ways to deal with it." Alan Shearer also nodded, "Klopp did not start the strong center Benteke today. Instead, Firmino, who is more flexible and retreats more, was used, presumably because he wanted him to help the midfielder deal with Chelsea's central players."
"Yes." Carragher agreed with Alan Shearer's statement and added, "Chelsea mainly relies on two wing-backs on the wings, but the two midfielders Liverpool started today are very good at running behind each other. , coupled with Firmino’s flexible movement, it should cause Chelsea a lot of trouble.”
Reinker also said: "It seems that Klopp is very well prepared today. Judging from the camera, he also seems confident. Maybe today is the beginning of his defeat of Pan Yi?"
Carragher smiled and said: "I hope so. The Red Army's revival may start from this game, and I am also looking forward to it!"
But at this time, Zola, Pan Yi's brainless fan, snorted: "With your analysis like this, do you think that our Pan Yi is too simple? He won't play two games in 3-5-2. If If it’s so easy to deal with, why haven’t Chelsea lost yet this season?”
Leinker laughed: "You're right. Let's not forget that Pan Yi's most powerful thing is his on-the-spot changes. Even if the initial formation is firmly restrained by the opponent, he can quickly come up with a response... Ah, Chelsea’s starting lineup has also come out, let’s take a look first.”
At Reinker's reminder, all the guests also turned their attention to the big screen.
There have been pictures of Chelsea players, as well as their formation positions.
Goalkeeper: Courtois.
Defenders: Ake, Van Dijk, Terry.
Midfielder: Kante, David Luiz.
Frontcourt: Hazard, Lingard, B seat, Gnabry.
Center: Harry Kane.
Looking at the starting list, a question mark slowly appeared on Reinker's forehead: "?"
Alan Shearer said: "??"
Carragher: "???"
Then the three of them said in unison: "Why are there no full-backs?"
Yes, the lineup Pan Yi arranged is a 3-2-4-1 in terms of positioning, a combination of three central defenders + double defensive midfielders + two attacking midfielders + two wingers + single center forward, with no fullbacks at all.
Whether it's a full-back or a wing-back, whether it's Marcos Alonso or Azpilicueta, none of them played!
Zola opened her mouth wide, surprised and delighted: "Haha, Pan Yi has indeed found a new life again!
"
Yes, this is definitely a new life, and it is a shocking life.
You know, in the mainstream tactics of this world, whether it is 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 with four backs, or 3-4-3, 3-3 with three backs, 5-2, the full-back's defense and assists are very important components.
But today, Pan Yi's lineup didn't even have a fullback?
In the frontcourt, Hazard, Lingard, B-seat, and Gnabry were four players who were somewhat mutually exclusive and would normally only play two of them, but Pan Yi threw them all at once. .
Even though these Sky Sports hosts and guests are retired stars and can be said to be football experts, this is still beyond their knowledge.
"They only rely on two wingers on the wing? Is this enough?" After a while, Reinker asked his question, "Not even the main center Lukaku... Pan Yi is even Have you given up on the center pivot as well?”
"Perhaps let the two attacking midfielders and two defensive midfielders in the center help." Alan Shearer touched his now bald head and thought, "But I still can't figure out the operating logic of this formation. "
"Today David Luiz was also pushed to the midfielder position to cooperate with Kante. This may also be a change of Pan Yi." Carragher also said, "But I don't quite understand, using Matic or Gray Can't Tsika be used as well? Why do we have to use a central defender as a defensive midfielder?"
Zola laughed again: "If you all guessed it, can Pan Yi still be regarded as the first coach in the world? Just let you coach! Being a good head coach is not like sitting in the studio like us Just talk and talk..."
"Don't tell me, I heard that Gary Neville is already preparing to coach." Reinker also laughed, "I told you to keep laughing at him, but now he really has to prove that he can also be a head coach!"
"Really, which team is so short-sighted?" Carragher took the opportunity to hurt his good friend, "No wonder he doesn't come to the show recently."
Reinker replied: "Valencia."
Everyone nodded slightly and shook their heads slightly.
Valencia did not play very well this season. It took ten rounds of La Liga to rank seventh. This is a little short of a team that has always wanted to enter the Champions League.
It is precisely because of this that their coach, the Portuguese Nuno, has been in the vortex of public opinion about being dismissed from work recently.
But, why are you looking for Gary Neville?
Why does the Singaporean boss of Valencia feel that Yazi is not very smart...
Could it be that he was really fooled by Gary Neville's eloquent words in the commentary box and the guest box?
It's just that although everyone thinks so in their hearts, they still don't say it out loud.
After all, we are all friends. It's OK to hurt someone occasionally, but you can't just throw away someone's job.
Besides, what if Gary Neville really has coaching talent?
When the time comes, he will lead Valencia back to the Champions League, then have a decisive battle with Pan Yi, and finally counterattack and defeat Pan Yi to avenge his humiliation. What a passionate and inspiring story!
"Okay, everyone, wake up."
Reinker pointed to the big screen: "The game is about to start, let's focus on this strong dialogue first. Pan Yi's 3-2-4-1 formation is unheard of in world football. Let’s observe how it works in the game!”
On the live broadcast of the game, players from both teams entered the stadium one after another under the leadership of the referee. The entire Anfield stadium suddenly burst into cheers, mixed with boos.
Obviously, the cheers were for the home team Liverpool, while the boos were for Chelsea.
"We saw Pan Yi, the head coach of the two teams, shaking hands with Klopp of Liverpool at the exit of the player tunnel. They can be said to be old rivals, but they can also be said to be old friends."
"Since his second season in Hamburg, Pan Yi has maintained an unbeaten record in the league, and has maintained an unbeaten record of 48 games in the Premier League. If calculated in terms of personal record, Pan Yi has been unbeaten in the five major leagues. Unbeaten for 85 consecutive games! This is an unprecedented and terrifying record in the history of European professional leagues!"
"Klopp also said at the pre-match press conference that defeating Pan Yi is his biggest goal all along, and it will make him feel a great honor."
"Now, both teams are ready to go. Let's see whether Klopp can end Pan Yi's unbeaten record, or whether Pan Yi will lead his Chelsea to continue to break records one after another!"
In the commentator's passionate explanation, with the referee's whistle, the focus of this round of the Premier League has officially begun!
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For Klopp, he pretended to be calm when shaking hands with Pan Yi before the game.
Because when he saw Chelsea's starting lineup, he was undoubtedly surprised!
The five-man attacking group, the double midfielders, and especially the lack of full-backs were all things he never expected!
You can't blame Klopp for this. After all, in the history of world football, there are few games where someone has arranged such a formation. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was Pan Yi's original creation.
Although Chelsea used the "pseudo center back + pseudo full back" style of play against Manchester City last season, there was still a full back, or it was still within everyone's understanding.
But it is really the only one in the world to have borderless guards!
Therefore, in such a short period of time, it was too difficult for Klopp to immediately think of Pan Yi's intention and figure out a way to solve it.
Just like the guests on Sky Sports, Klopp is also confused!
In other words, I couldn't understand it, but I was shocked.
But one thing is for sure, and that is that Klopp's preparations before the game will most likely be invalidated.
Chelsea's lineup is neither a pair of forwards, nor a single defensive midfielder, nor a pair of wing-backs. Of course, this original targeted deployment will not be used.
But now, Klopp can only bite the bullet.
He didn't know what Pan Yi thought of arranging such a strange formation. Of course, he didn't know how to adjust it. He could only let the players adapt to the situation.
Now Klopp can only place his hope on Pan Yi's change. It is a whimsical move, but it will cause Chelsea players to be in chaos!
Therefore, when Pan Yi shook hands with Klopp and gave him a meaningful look, Klopp also said a harsh word:
"Don't think you can scare me like this. I'm ready to beat you!"
