Liverpool's Improving Individuals Down Manchester United to Spur European Push
Taking on Manchester United for the first time in Europe in their long and storied history, Liverpool produced a comprehensive, overwhelming performance in the UEFA Europa League to ensure a comfortable lead for next week's last-16 second leg.
Goals from Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino were enough to secure a 2-0 win, with the Reds now heading to Old Trafford confident of progress to the quarter-finals of the competition—crucially, at the expense of their bitter rivals, with both sides vying for UEFA Champions League qualification for 2016/17.
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Were it not for the intervention of an inspired David De Gea, Liverpool could have been home and dry, but the Spanish goalkeeper made a number of vital stops to hand United a lifeline on their journey back up the M62.
Jurgen Klopp was buoyed nonetheless, as the Reds followed up on Sunday's remarkable 2-1 comeback win against Crystal Palace with another defiant showing, performing with a welcome blend of grit and quality.
Set against the backdrop of an emphatic Anfield atmosphere, the improvement of a number of key individuals under Klopp spurred this victory, and this is central to what could be a stunning European push this season.
"Everybody needs to be in the best shape in these two legs and the crowd is involved," Klopp told reporters, including the club's official website, on Wednesday afternoon, once again acknowledging the importance of a passionate backing:
"You know I believe in the influence of the crowd—I try everything to show the crowd and show the people that we do it for ourselves, of course, but not only that because we do it for them especially.
We really enjoy the relationship with the crowd and it helps, there is absolutely no doubt about it. We can show that we can create a better atmosphere in the first leg than Manchester United in the second leg.
It’s very, very important and it can be very decisive for sure. It’s a big part of football—and if it was not a big part, we could play without supporters in the park.
"
Much of Klopp's time on Merseyside so far has been something of a crusade, with the German seeking to foster a winning mentality not only on the field, but in the stands—with his famous "doubters to believers" mantra ringing throughout his first five months in charge.
Addressing reporters before the game, Klopp laid down a call to arms for the Anfield faithful, and they rewarded his positivity with a spectacular showing.
A dozen rounds of You'll Never Walk Alone echoed around the stadium before kickoff, drowning out a travelling United contingent hell-bent on spoiling Liverpool's evening; this is what Klopp was looking for.
Clattering into Morgan Schneiderlin in the opening stages, captain Jordan Henderson responded to this in kind, setting the tone for what was a fiery encounter between English football's most bitter rivals, with referee Carlos Velasco Carballo struggling to contain the contest with any composure or consistency.
Klopp set his side up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, matching up with that of his counterpart, Louis van Gaal, with Henderson joined by Emre Can at the base of the midfield, behind a four-man attacking unit that saw two changes from Sunday's win at Selhurst Park.
Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge came in for James Milner and Divock Origi, adding undoubted quality to Klopp's forward line.
But as Thursday's clash played out, it was their colleagues, Firmino and Adam Lallana, who proved central to Liverpool's dominance.
Pinning back a timid, injury-stricken United defence, Liverpool enjoyed the majority of the possession throughout—59.6 per cent to United's 40.4 per cent—and spent much of the evening stationed just outside their opponents' penalty area.
With Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana and Sturridge all interchanging in a fluid attacking system, Klopp employed the overlapping runs of full-backs Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne, and the creative support of Henderson and Can, to swamp the Red Devils.
It was Clyne's powerful surge into the box that saw Memphis Depay concede a penalty in the opening 20 minutes, with Sturridge duly stepping up to put his side 1-0 ahead.
Firmino's strike, after some great work from Lallana, sealed the victory for Liverpool, and this goal encapsulated the Reds' dominance at Anfield.
Both Lallana and Firmino have spent much of their time at Liverpool as scapegoats, struggling to find consistency due to a variety of factors—most notably for Lallana, his fitness; for Firmino, his tactical duty.
But Klopp's arrival at the beginning of October has sparked an upturn in fortunes for the duo, who have been stationed in key roles in the Reds' attack since.
Firmino's rise to prominence has taken the headlines—with the Guardian's Barney Ronay describing the Brazilian as Liverpool's "lieutenant of the forward press"—and perhaps rightly so, as nine goals and nine assists in 30 appearances since Klopp's arrival make him Liverpool's most influential attacker.
As Ronay observed, while Firmino's on-goal prowess has been key to many of the Reds' best performances—including January's 5-4 win away to Norwich City, and the 3-0 triumph over Manchester City at the beginning of March—his work off the ball has been invaluable.
Klopp noted this back in November, describing the former Hoffenheim man as the "complete offensive player," as relayed by Sky Sports, and with the 24-year-old deployed centrally in all but one of his games since the change in manager on Merseyside, has continued to showcase his infectious work rate.
Lallana has seemingly latched onto this, finding a kindred spirit in Firmino, with his own ability to harry opponents and close down space intelligently ensuring a regular role in Klopp's starting lineup.
Like Firmino, Lallana has shone in Liverpool's landmark displays under Klopp, belying the inconsistency that marred his time under former manager Brendan Rodgers.
Like Firmino, this has been marked by an improvement in his output in front of goal, with three goals and three assists in his last seven appearances for the Reds, finally matching his off-ball excellence with a cutting edge that is required of a £25 million attacking midfielder.
Lallana's big-money move from Southampton in 2014 was soon followed by another Saints star in Dejan Lovren, who joined in a deal worth £20 million less than a month after his former captain—and like Lallana, and many others, Lovren had struggled to find a sustained level of form prior to Klopp's arrival.
Alongside the imperious Mamadou Sakho in defence on Thursday night, Lovren performed with a composure and strength that eluded him for much of his maiden campaign on Merseyside.
Lovren now stands as one of Klopp's first-choice defenders, surpassing the in-form Kolo Toure to become Sakho's regular centre-back partner, and keeping Liverpool stalwart Martin Skrtel on the sidelines despite the Slovak's successful recovery from a hamstring injury.
Throughout 2014/15, Lovren was held up as a pariah by the Anfield faithful; but on Thursday night, he was roared on, producing a stellar display, capped by another shutout—in his 19 starts for the Reds under Klopp, Lovren has helped keep 10 clean sheets.
It is this turnaround in fortunes, and individual improvement, that has marked Klopp's time at Liverpool so far, with Can and Origi two other key beneficiaries of the German's patient approach to development.
Thursday night's victory saw this rewarded with an emphatic victory, giving Liverpool momentum as they push for success in Europe.
After falling at the last hurdle in his first opportunity to bring silverware to Merseyside in February's Capital One Cup final, Klopp will be desperate to ensure success in the Europa League this season. Do so, and it would serve as a tangible sign of the improvement within his squad, just months after his arrival.
Statistics via Transfermarkt.co.uk and WhoScored.com.
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