‘We told the boys’: Klopp shares exactly how long Liverpool have been working on their new 4-4-2

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Jurgen Klopp shared a little detail on the new 4-4-2 at Liverpool and how long they’ve been working on it. The Reds beat Rangers on Tuesday.

Jurgen Klopp opted to try something new on Tuesday as Liverpool hosted Rangers at Anfield. He moved away from the Reds’ typical 4-3-3 formation – a system that has won every major trophy over the last five years.

Instead, Liverpool lined up in a 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 system. They had a flat midfield pair, with two strikers and two wingers. It was a very attacking system that pressed from the front while eliminating any need for the midfielders to push on.

Jordan Henderson and Thiago sat deep, covered the full-backs and controlled the game. This was a much more solid Liverpool team as a result and the 2-0 win solidified the experiment as a success.

Liverpool and their new 4-4-2

Klopp admitted after the game, though, that this wasn’t exactly something his team have worked on. They’d actually had just the one training session to prepare for it, in fact.

“One session, actually,” he told BT Sport. “Of course, there weren’t more. We recovered from the last game physically and then we told the boys how we wanted to set it up.

“And I thought they did it particularly well. We had great moments.”

We’d argue that’s quite exciting, then. Liverpool looked comfortable and effective in the 4-4-2 despite a real lack of familiarity with it.

If Klopp wishes to persist with the system, the Reds should only improve and perfect it. The formation could become even more dangerous as players become used to specific runs and spaces within the setup.

The big question is now whether Liverpool stick with it against Arsenal and Manchester City. They’re the two best teams in the league right now and will exploit any imperfections in the Reds’ system.

So just how brave is Klopp willing to be?