The arrival of Jurgen Klopp has brought much-needed positive energy at Anfield after the closing months Brendan Rodgers’ reign.
Though Liverpool won eight out of 15 points in the five games since the charismatic manager arrived in Merseyside, the team and the players look much better. Draws against Tottenham and Southampton are good results and heavy away wins versus Chelsea and Manchester City were better than expected. The only slip-up was against Crystal Palace, which Klopp’s side clearly got over with their 4-1 win against City at the Etihad.
As much as the situation seems rosy at Anfield, the story at the Liberty Stadium is much closer to a gray tone. After the 2-2 draw at home against Bournemouth, Garry Monk was satisfied with the reaction of his players, coming back swiftly after trailing by two goals margin. “The reaction deserves massive credit. We could have easily capitulated, but we did well to come back”, Monk said. And though he is right, it is hard to justify Swansea’s horrific opening 25 minutes against Cherries, and much more, it is hard to justify the results Jacks have recorded since early September.
After the last weekend’s showing, Swansea will be huge underdogs at Anfield, but where do Liverpool have the biggest advantages in the upcoming clash?
Heavy pressing
Liverpool makes a greater impact on the opposition’s play, pressing them heavily all over the pitch. Albeit it is not happening as much as Klopp maybe would like, it’s still early to make such radical changes in this team. But Liverpool are pressing more, and more importantly, they press properly. Against Manchester City, a team that likes holding the ball when playing at home, the Reds recovered possession 11 times in the opponent’s half of the pitch. That is why Roberto Firmino’s starting as a sole striker paid off, as he’s more able to close down constantly than Christian Benteke is.
Swansea had troubles against heavy pressing even early into the season when they were showing much more than they are recently. Their trip to Sunderland was indeed shaky, just to name one, as then Dick Advocaat’s side was able to put them in trouble with a strong pressure in the first 30 minutes of the match. Sunderland weren’t good enough to score then, but Liverpool showed all the fire power they possess at Etihad and Monk’s players must improve drastically if they are to go back to Wales undefeated.
Swansea’s determination deficiency
Swansea pulled off a comeback against Bournemouth, after going two goals down in the first half. You must call that part of the match determination, yet it is hard to say ‘strong character’ is a good description for the Jacks. In the last seven games, they didn’t keep a clean sheet in, Swansea were the first team to concede in six of those matches. When the team is unable to score more than two goals in a single game for 17 Premier League matches in a row, it is hard to expect more victories.
Swansea players look sluggish, as well. Kyle Naughton and Neil Taylor concede too many crosses, which makes Ashley Williams and Federico Fernandez clear the ball out of the box way too many times. The constant pressure on the centre-backs is never a good thing and inability to score on the other side of the pitch is making things worse. Swans made only 3 percent of their shots from the six-yard box, while 50 percent of the shots were from distance. Only now Bafetimbi Gomis’ nearly 12-hour long goalscoring post makes more sense.
Klopp vs Monk
As much as Gary Monk has the potential to become a successful manager in the years coming, he is still not anywhere near that. His tactical knowledge shortcomings have become obvious throughout this season. When your team drops in form heavily, adapting tactics to the opponents seems reasonable, yet Monk failed to do that. On the other hand, Klopp is much more charismatic in the dugout. His body language is very vibrant, influencing his players on the pitch forcefully. Monk is still a young manager, but adapting to the circumstances will be crucial for him in the short term.
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