Read an interesting article the other day about Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool team. Basically, what we all know; they score a truck-load of goals but can’t defend for shit. Hence the 5-2, 6-3, 4-2 type scorelines that have typified their season. But rather than seeing this as a weakness, the article used it as praise. Basically as long as you score more than your opponents you win the game. Rocket science it ain’t. But you have limited ‘resource’. ie: 11 men. Who can, generally, only be in one place at one time. And if they’re all screaming into the opposition’s penalty area it tends to leave gaps at the back for teams on the break. Its always a balance. Are your two central midfielders there to break things up and protect the back four or do you want more attack from them? How ‘wingy’ are your wing-backs? Are they there when they need to defend? Do your front-line players chase back to help the defence? All interesting questions. If you’re a total football nerd, geek and tragedy.

The article suggested that Klopp’s approach is the correct one. That it provides entertainment. Even if, for Liverpool fans, that entertainment means you never relax during any game, even with a 2-goal, 3-goal, even 4-goal lead. Its always precarious. But, as a neutral, we really could give a toss about the fragility of the average Liverpool fan’s stress levels. Let them take valium. Like the rest of us. And its always been ‘the Spurs way’, attack full-on and if it leaves you a little ‘porous’ at times at the back then so be it, just make sure you score more than you let in.

Manchester City, like all (but relatively very few) ‘super-teams’ manage to get the balance simply perfect. They are irrepressible in attack but incredibly solid when defending. The players have a fluidity of position which maximises both sides of the game. Barcelona have done the same for a generation but that generation is rapidly coming to an end now.

And then there’s Arsenal. Who, in their ‘invincibles’ team certainly shared the dream. But now Wenger has modified the paradigm so that they manage to combine being awful in defence with being shitty in attack. And cursed with the inviolable criterion that you must always ‘walk the ball into the net’. ALWAYS make that extra pass even when you’re through on goal and it’s unmanned.

So we’ll all be Liverpool fans for a day when they play Real in the Champions League final. And I don’t know what the odds are but I would never bet against Liverpool in a Euro match, and I would certainly never bet against the current Klopp boys in any match.

Now I’m off to West Bromwich. Only spiritually.

Happy Friday

A xxxx