Something is different about Liverpool this season. That much is obvious — and it’s equally obvious that change was needed.
At times, the previous campaign was tough to watch. It was broadly the same Liverpool team that had won every major trophy on offer, but that was ultimately part of the problem for Jürgen Klopp, as stagnation and age caught up with a squad that had written itself into history with its high-energy, high-intensity approach. The summer brought with it some new legs in midfield. Alexis Mac Allister was first through the door, followed by Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endō and finally Ryan Gravenberch.
But this was more than a mere refresh. Looking at the new players, they are not just newer, shinier versions of the midfielders that came before. There is a sense that Klopp is working on a big idea, an impression furthered by his repeated references to ‘Liverpool 2.0’.
Yet it’s one thing for fans to speculate based on what they are watching. It’s another for a member of the camp to confirm a change in direction, and that’s what Diogo Jota appears to have done. For all the brilliance of Klopp’s ‘original’ Liverpool, deep defensive blocks were always something of an Achilles heel. Jota, per the ECHO, has hinted that the manager is using the rebuild as a chance to finally address that.
“I think we have developed a lot as a team and we are focused now on this, let’s say, new idea. Obviously the midfield being a lot different, we kind of have a different play style, that suits us to play against a lower block and more defensive teams. And it’s getting better, the results are the most important thing and we are doing things right until now and we want to continue in that way.”
