How and Where: Liverpool wrested the advantage in the Klopp Derby

Arun S Kaimal

ByArun S Kaimal, SportsCafe Editor

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In an emotional night for Jurgen Klopp at the Signal Iduna Park, Liverpool produced a clinical display to make Thomas Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund look ordinary in front of their own fans. The 1-1 draw gave the Reds the edge as the action shifts to Anfield in a week’s time for a place in the semis.

Formations

Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Weidenfeller (GK), Piszczek, Bender, Hummels, Schmelzer, Castro, Weigl, Durm, Mkhitaryan, Reus, Aubameyang

Thomas Tuchel’s boys usually play in a 4-2-3-1 formation and they did the same on the night with striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the line with Marco Reus, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Erik Durm behind him. The fluid formation shifted to 4-1-4-1 when they attacked, while they reverted back to the original formation when Liverpool got the ball.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Simon Mignolet (GK), Nathaniel Clyne, Alberto Moreno, Dejan Lovren, Mamadou Sakho, Jordan Henderson, Emre Can, James Milner, Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho, Divock Origi

Liverpool also started in a similar formation as their rivals with Jurgen Klopp opting to play Divock Origi at the top instead of Daniel Sturridge. The Belgian’s work rate and ability to hold the ball up the pitch got him the nod over the Englishman. Roberto Firmino, who returned from an injury, started on the bench with James Milner starting behind Origi.

1. Gegenpressing vs Gegenpressing

Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund were the ultimate masters of the counter pressing strategy. Thomas Tuchel took over from Klopp and perfected the approach by giving the team more of an attacking threat. On the other hand, Liverpool under Klopp have been a work in progress showing glimpses of what they can do before throwing up problems of the Rodgers era. At the Westfalenstadion on Thursday, both teams employed their usual pressing tactics giving the other a lot to think about.

Although Liverpool showed a lot of heart, Dortmund put forward a much more refined version of the tactic overrunning the Liverpool midfield with Wiegl and Castro running the show. When Dortmund took the control of the ball in the central areas, the Reds pressed both the full backs and the wide players to carve out gaps in the Dortmund defence. With both sides cancelling each other out with their play, it was no surprise to see the first leg end in a 1-1 draw.

2. Origi returns Klopp’s faith with goal

Although, Daniel Sturridge is the premier striker at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp opted to bench the England striker for the crucial first leg tie against Dortmund giving Divock Origi the start. The Belgian did exactly what his manager wanted by holding the ball up the pitch and allowing Coutinho, Lallana, and Milner to join him the attack. With Dortmund enjoying the majority of the possession, the decision to start Origi instead of Sturridge proved to be a masterstroke by Klopp on the night after Origi put the Reds ahead in the 36th minute.

The 20-year old’s ability to run between the lines and hold the ball up was on show in the first goal after Milner’s flick-on header found Origi in space. The striker ran with the ball to the edge of the box and unleashed a shot, which took a deflection outfoxing Weidenfeller in the Dortmund goal.

The striker occupied the space between the lines once again in the final minutes of the first half and had the perfect opportunity to kill the match. The pressing from Liverpool once again showed. Milner and Coutinho doubled up on Durm and forced an error from the German before bombing forward in a counter. Origi’s shot which went straight at Weidenfeller proved to be the only mistake by the Reds in what was a classic representation of Klopp’s tactics.

3. Liverpool's vulnerability in the air

The Reds have been notorious for their inability to deal with the aerial ball, and it once again came to the limelight on the night after Mats Hummels made it 1-1 just after the break. Liverpool kept out the RAM - Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who scored 72 goals among themselves in the season – out of the goal for 45 minutes, but a lapse in concentration paved way for the goal from a central defender.

Hummels is known to be one of the best-attacking headers of the ball in Dortmund, and the defender made his way into the box unnoticed to head the ball into the back of the net from Mkhitaryan’s delivery. Adam Lallana was the closest to the Dortmund skipper, but was never going to trouble the German with the entire Liverpool defence caught napping just after the break.

When the day started Borussia Dortmund were the favourites to go into the semis. After all, they thrashed the second-best team in England – Tottenham Hotspur– 5-1 in the pre-quarters. Liverpool languish ninth in the English Premier League and were supposed to be a much-weaker opposition than Spurs. But, when the day ended the Reds from Merseyside returned to their home ground with an away goal in their bag to set up another magical European night at Anfield on next Thursday.

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