Explained: How the 3-3 thriller with Arsenal was analysed

Despite a clinical first-half double from Roberto Firmino, the Reds found themselves behind in the final moments against the Gunners, only for substitute Joe Allen to pop up with a low finish to rescue a deserved point in the last minute.

So, once the dust had settled on an intense Barclays Premier League contest, what did Jürgen Klopp and his coaching staff take from the football they witnessed? Let Lijnders explain…

What was the overall feeling after the incredible game against Arsenal?

The stadium deserves a game like this. This was football in its purest in terms of how we approached the game. You saw very clearly that we wanted to attack the game before we attack the goal of the opposition – one of our main principles. It’s always a confrontation of structures because Arsenal play in a certain structure, we play in a certain structure, they have a certain style and we have a certain style. There’s a confrontation. The idea was ‘where can we create superiority?’ So, which spaces and where do we have the advantage?

The bad thing is Arsenal have good players, but the good thing is that we knew exactly how they wanted to play. In modern football, you have tactical weapons to stop that. I think you saw very clearly in the first 25 minutes how we wanted to force them in certain areas, how we were tight, aggressive and compact in the right moments.

They like to play in a certain way but we want to [make them] play like they hate it and put them in situations that they don’t like so they have to defend, that they cannot play in our spaces in the middle, they can’t turn and combine and make quick combinations, they have time and space for [Mesut] Ozil or for midfielders to turn and play together. We wanted to make them do the things they don’t like to do because that’s the strategy, of course. If you see the first 20 minutes, how we pressed them and how intense we were from the first second.

One thing is winning but the most important thing is development. You’re creating a game model, the manager is implementing a game model – certain principles, tactical patterns and collective intentions to start the game and that’s different in each game but there are main principles and collective intentions.

You see that our style and ideas influence individuals to play in a certain way. Basically, it’s forcing individual development because we want to attack. In the end, the ball percentage example is important but we want to get ball percentages by attacking, attacking and attacking because that’s different than play, play and play.

The common objective between Anfield, us as staff and the players is we want to attack the opponent with the ball but especially without the ball. We want to decide how they [the opposition] can play and have the ball but it’s always to set up traps and force them into certain spaces, positions or triggers to take away what they are good at.

This style we are implementing, for the individual it’s about reaching limits all the time because they have to orientate themselves better as individuals. If there’s not a passing possibility going forward then they have to create one, because we don’t want to play backwards. We want to create. Our style stimulates those individuals by going forward. That’s going better and better and better. The individual gets forced to create better passing possibilities forward and everything that comes with that.

The second thing is that the individual gets forced to create chance after chance for themselves or a colleague with quick combinations, penetration and runs. You see they did that [against Arsenal] really well. In the end we had a big advantage in ball possession, not because it’s from left to right, it’s from left to right then to attack or back to really create a free play in the middle or at the side to create one-on-one situations. The style we play promotes interaction, connection and timings between players. The style influences that connection between players and creating win-win situations, both attacking and defending.

So when you start analysing the game, is it all focused on the positives or mostly focused on the positives?

There are three skills of expression within the game, three levels of expression. One is individual expression, so how was Adam Lallana playing without the ball, for example? If you talk about without the ball, how does he press? If he has the ball, how does he create passing possibilities? How does he orientate himself? Does he see the free players constantly? Does he anticipate the next pass or move? Individual expression is skill one.

Skill two is co-operation. For example, if analysing Adam Lallana and Roberto [Firmino], how are they working together? That’s the front line. Or how is the backline working together? Also, how are sectors working together or how are inter-sectors working together? So Lallana, Hendo, Ibe, Emre or Roberto – how are they working together?

So that’s co-operative expression, then you have collective expression. So a clear game model and clear idea of playing. Every single player going out onto the pitch [knowing what they are doing] with no grey areas. We focus on the tactical patterns and we have our principles. On those three levels you try to analyse how the individual is without the ball, the co-operation part.

But do you analyse the good things? Yes, of course, because you’re building a new model and style of play. You want players to go to boundaries and limits. If you go to limits then you make mistakes and that’s completely normal.

If you take away the goals conceded, is that the way Jürgen Klopp wants the team to play every week? Is that the template?

Yes, of course. If you want to attack, attack and attack then protection is very important. But it’s very difficult if players get fatigued throughout the game or fatigued because you have less rest between games, because your focus and concentration is less present. You want to play that style over a longer period of time, so you want to play 95 minutes long. But it’s football, it’s unpredictable, that’s why you can have talent in so many different ways. It’s a collective sport.

One thing is for sure, the common behaviour between the fans, Jürgen, staff and the players is that everybody is attacking the game in the same way. We have made loads of improvements there. You saw in the game, in the second half they came at our goal one time. And in the Premier League there’s top players. We went 3-2 behind and just played and played, made opportunities non-stop, constant initiative from all the players. Hendo, with every single pass, splitting them up and making the game open. Putting them in situations which really disorganised the opponent. Players coming on and making a difference as well.

What’s really important is that the behaviour between fans, staff and players is the same level. Everybody knows what to expect from us and, of course, you try to have full commitment in the way you want to play. The main principles will always be there.