Jurgen Klopp appears to shift towards very attacking Liverpool 4-2-4

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Jurgen Klopp may be moving Liverpool towards a 4-2-4 formation. That’s the suggestion from last Sunday’s win.

Liverpool got back to winning ways on Sunday as they beat Sheffield United 2-0. It may have been against the worst team in the league but a win’s a win – it’s just nice to see a fine performance.

But it was also notable for how Liverpool shaped up. There wasn’t a drastic change but it does appear that Jurgen Klopp shifted formation every so slightly.

The Liverpool boss could be setting up for a 4-2-4.

4-2-4?

This was how Liverpool’s starters looked against Sheffield United, per Whoscored. [Playing right to left]

Now, on the teamsheet, this was 4-3-3. In reality, Sadio Mane and Curtis Jones played differently. The former drifted in quite some way, while Jones was actually further forward than Mane.

That affected the midfield, too. Gini Wijnaldum moved left to cover Jones, while Thiago did the same to reduce the space. The result was a two-man midfield.

The rest of the team adapted. Mohamed Salah stayed wide right and Roberto Firmino moved across, leaving space for Mane and Jones.

Trent Alexander-Arnold played a little more withdrawn, too. Note also, the two clearly defined centre-backs.

And here’s Liverpool against Everton the previous weekend, again per Whoscored. [Playing left to right]

It’s a mess, really. Liverpool’s midfield are all on top of one another, while Jordan Henderson effectively played there, too.

There’s unmistakably a front-three, while Alexander-Arnold is very advanced, creating a huge gap between him and Ozan Kabak.

And here’s Liverpool away at Leicester City, per Whoscored. [Playing right to left]. Now, James Milner’s position is slightly skewed as he went off early.

The rest, though, is telling. A very defined front-three, while Henderson again drifts into midfield.

Priorities

We wonder if this is Klopp taking advantage of his attack. It’s far and away the strongest area of his squad, after all.

Both the defence and midfield lack the key players that make them work. The attack has them all – plus a returning Diogo Jota.

So why not lean into that? Thiago and Wijnaldum should be able to hold as a two – both are versatile enough to pull that off.

Then the choice is whether you want Jones roaming the left or adding Jota as a winger, moving Mane inside. Either way, Liverpool end up with four goal threats.

Maybe this was just a tactical decision against Sheffield United – they do play an unconventional formation, after all. But with the players at his disposal, we do wonder if this was Klopp making a slight shift.

If it was, we think it could work.