Obviously, Klopp wasn't ready, and he couldn't.

Because the 3-2-4-1 formation put forward by Chelsea today is actually the formation that Pan Yi moved from the "future", and it is also an advanced version of the five-way attack launched in response to the team's recent lack of attack.

And this lineup, in Pan Yi's previous life, was first sacrificed by Guardiola, and it was in the game against Klopp's Liverpool that he won 4:1.

It can be said that this formation is "proven" and can beat Klopp's favorite style of play.

In this formation, Jesse Lingard and Bench B operated on the flanks, with two wingers widening and Harry Kane dropping back in the number nine position.

First of all, in the ball stage, this five-man ball system of three defenders and two midfielders of Manchester City is difficult to target.

Assuming Liverpool press high up, Coutinho and Lallana, who are on the wings, will find that there are no full-backs against them, and they will have to leave their tactical positions to press Chelsea's full-backs, while allowing the two central midfielders to press the opposition's back.

But once Jesse Lingard and Bench B retreat, then there will be a clear 4-on-3 situation in the middle of the pitch, and Liverpool will not be able to grab the ball anyway.

Then there was the attacking phase, where after the ball was advanced to the front, Chelsea were pulled apart by two wingers, with the two forward midfielders flexibly running to receive the ball, and the number nine in the middle became a false nine.

The first type of attack is for the wingers on either side to use their individual ability to pass to the front of the ribs to link up with the wall, or the wingers look for opportunities to cross and shoot.

The second way of attacking is to combine the double midfielders and the number nine position at the edge of the penalty area, waiting for the moment to pass directly to the two wingers who have been inserted.

Of course, there are a lot of other small combinations and ways to attack, but in general it is to divide the pitch vertically into five zones, and each zone has players in position, which is a typical five-way attack.

Finally, in the defensive stage, the formation of 3241 is destined to have 7 people who press through the half of the court during the attack, and it is inevitable to use the tactics of high pressing.

In the face of seven men, many teams can't get out of the ball most of the time, because few teams can calmly face so many enemies at the back.

In the case of 7 players on the ball, the difference in the number of people will make it very, very difficult for the team to play the ball, and it will be the norm for the big foot to find the front court to return the ball.

In other words, if you play against a team with a poor ball system, it is easy to press the opponent without shooting.

Of course, all formations have their weaknesses, and 3241 is no exception.

With no full-backs in this formation, there will be a lot of space on the flanks, and it will be difficult for the backline to deal with once the opponent breaks through and presses.

In addition, the requirements for the two midfielders will also be high, they have to retreat to receive the ball, the ball, get rid of, counter-attack, and defend, which has high requirements for the ability and physical strength of the players.

If you are playing against a team with a lot of pace, partial turnings and breakaways, then it will be difficult for Chelsea.

But the problem is that the current Liverpool team does not have a super winger like Salah or Mane to play on both wings.

And for such a situation, Pan Yi also has a pre-eucalyptus.

Why David Luiz at the back?

In addition to the fact that he can meet the requirements of a midfielder in the 3241 formation, there is an important reason why he is a central defender.

In defence, David Luiz can drop back to centre-back and form a double centre-back with Virgil van Dijk.

Ake to the left and John Terry to the right, switching to a back four, leaving two full-backs to deal with the two possible breakaways of the opponent's wingers.

Overall, the pros of this set of 3241 outweigh the cons, at least today.

On the one hand, there are enough people in the midfield, three central defenders + two backs, and they are not afraid of Liverpool's high pressing, which can effectively ensure ball control and ball.

On the other hand, with the thick "base" support, once the offense is pushed up, the front five can give full play to their offensive ability.

Finally, thanks to Chelsea's abundant talent pool, Pan Yi easily discharged a strong attacking combination of double forward + two wingers + single center.

Even on the bench at this time, there are still Goretzka, Lukaku, Mbappe and others who can be used.

It's just that Harry Kane, who has more drop-back and passing ability, has been used in the centre-forward position for tactical reasons.

If it's Liverpool on the opposite side, to be honest, in addition to the starters, if you want to use 3241, you can only let Benteke start, and then Firmino comes back to play the front midfield, but there is still one person missing, so I don't know who to let go.

Maybe it's okay to let Divock Origi play as a winger, but the intensity is really not comparable to Chelsea's, and there are even fewer people on the bench.

There is no way to do this, Klopp took over halfway, and there is no way to buy people according to his own ideas, and he can only adapt measures to local conditions and follow the prescription.

Of course, the most important component of Klopp's "prescription" is still the pressing of the frontcourt, and this characteristic will not change depending on what team he coaches or what formation he uses.

Therefore, after the start of the game, Liverpool took advantage of the home advantage to launch a rush attack on Chelsea, which had the potential to frustrate Chelsea's spirit.

In accordance with Pan Yi's pre-match deployment, Chelsea unhurriedly used three central defenders + two backs + goalkeepers in the backfield, and the six-person ball system played around with it.

Once the ball was up front and possession was taken away by Liverpool, Chelsea's five attacking players immediately switched to siege mode and quickly returned Jurgen Klopp's approach to the opposition.

As a result, the game was played at a fast pace from the first minute, and the excitement continued.

In the fifth minute, Liverpool created a good shot on goal.

Firmino dropped back, received a pass from a team-mate, and made a wall back pass to Lallana.

Lallana didn't stop the ball and went straight behind him, while Coutinho ran diagonally and successfully countered offside and got the ball.

It was a great opportunity to get the whole Anfield stadium boiling.

But at the critical moment, Ake quickly chased back to Coutinho and blocked his way.

It also deprived Coutinho of a one-on-one chance.

The Brazilian had no choice but to cut inside and shake off a little angle before firing a powerful shot into the back corner.

But Courtois was very focused, and he was well aware of Coutinho's characteristics and had been on guard.

I saw him pounce sideways and confiscate the ball steadily.

The success of this defense is mainly due to Ake.

He spotted Coutinho's anti-offside intentions in time and chased back at the first time, and then stuck his position to make Coutinho have nothing to do, and finally had to shoot hastily.

In fact, in Pan Yi's previous life, Ake also grew up slowly at Manchester City, and gradually gained Guardiola's appreciation, and eventually became the main force of the team.

And in the 3241 tactical system used by Gua Shuai, Ake is also very important.

He is a natural left-footed centre-back, which is a very scarce resource in football.

This allows him to play very smoothly in the left centre-back position, and the smooth movement of the ball can avoid the embarrassment of the right-footed player having to take an extra step to change feet in this position.

And, whether it's moving to left-back or going up to left-back, he can do the job very well, and he is very focused defensively and does his best in every move.

Such excellent versatility and hard work are exactly what makes him appreciated by Pep Guardiola.

And Pan Yi also uses Ake in the same way.

In other words, the 3241 that Pan Yi used today also allowed Ake to show his super adaptability "early" and maximize his strengths.

Now, Ake has shown the style of a big man at the age of 20 and can be an effective contact point for the team when the team has the ball, plus Van Dijk in the middle, John Terry on the right and Courtois behind him, Chelsea's entire central midfield is still very reassuring.

What is even more rare is that when Ake defended Coutinho, who had excellent skills at his feet, he did not fall behind at all and showed his own defensive ability.

Maybe one day, this Chelsea academy product will also become the banner of Chelsea's backline like Terry!

-----------------

"I really didn't expect that the face of the team would change so much in such a short period of time that Klopp took over Liverpool."

In the Sky Sports studio, Linkel exclaimed.

Ten minutes into the game now, Liverpool still have a certain advantage from the current scene.

In such a fast-paced game, Liverpool's Christmas tree position of three back midfielders + two forward midfielders played a very good role, and they did a good job in the midfield scramble and pass control.

At least in terms of possession and shots on goal, Liverpool are currently ahead of Chelsea.

"It's true that it looks like Dortmund back then, but the formation is different." Liverpool legend Carragher agreed.

Borussia Dortmund's style of play is very ornamental and very aggressive attacking football, which is very pleasing to the fans.

Apparently Carragher is also a supporter of Klopp's style of play.

Carragher continued: "Under normal circumstances, this kind of Christmas tree formation is more focused on advancing in the middle, but judging from the current situation of Liverpool, Coutinho and Lallana often pull two wings, and it is obvious that they focus on the attacking style of play on both wings. This should be an innovation on the part of Klopp, and it should also be a strategy that he came up with to deal with Pan Yi. ”

Alan Shearer also nodded, "Indeed." If you look at the midfield, Emre Can and James Milner are both up front, have a lot of range and both players are aggressive. Coupled with the fact that Henderson is behind him, the defensive pressure in midfield is greatly distributed, so Coutinho and Lallana can have more energy to devote to playmaking and attacking. ”

"It must have been carefully arranged by Klopp." Linkel pointed to the screen, "The centre-forward Firmino is also very much in line with Klopp's tactics, both in the drop and in the middle. I think that in the winter window or summer window, even if Klopp wants to buy people to strengthen him, the position of center forward does not need to be considered. ”

At this time, the only dissenting person in the room reappeared, and it was, of course, Zola.

He shook his head and said: "You guys are blowing Klopp into the sky, but did they score?" No. Come on, soccer is not a game where whoever has the ball wins the game...... In other words, do you see the mystery of Pan Yi's 3241 formation? ”

The crowd honestly replied, "No." ”

"Huh." Zola sneered, then said, "I don't see it either. But I have a vague feeling that Chelsea's possession rate is not as good as Liverpool's, and it is Pan Yi's intention......"

Everyone laughed again.

"You are really Pan Yitianzi's No. 1 brain remnant fan now." "Even if he doesn't do anything, you think he must have done a lot." ”

Zola didn't answer, his eyes still fixed on the screen: "We'll see." Don't forget, Pan Yi has never let us down......"

-----------------

Zola was not wrong.

Pan Yi's set of 3241 focuses on a "encirclement point" in the attack.

First, Hazard, Lingard, B, and Gnabry are the four attackers behind Harry Kane, while N'Golo Kante can switch positions with Lingard and B in the double midfield, and David Luiz is the central defender in the forward and back position responsible for organizing and retreating to the back line to strengthen the defensive advantage in the middle.

Second, through the player's ability to hold the ball to reduce the speed of the offensive and defensive transition, to ensure the team's integrity and local advantages, sacrificing speed in exchange for stability.

It is embodied in the excellent local marking ability of the bilateral central defenders Terry and Ake, the offensive formation of 3241 changes to defend 433, and the front three lines each retreat one line, so as to make up for the disadvantage of Manchester City's lack of speed on the wing, and organize possession through the ability to hold the ball.

Such a tactic must sacrifice possession of the ball in order to achieve absolute possession and possession, and then strive to play tactical value efficiently.

Yes, with this formation, many times you can win with a low rate of possession.

When Manchester City eliminated Bayern in the quarterfinals of the 2022-2023 Champions League, they also had less possession than Bayern.

And today, Pan Yi also wants to replicate this style of play.

So, after withstanding Liverpool's opening waves, Chelsea began to threaten by taking advantage of the attacking group's excellent possession and passing ability.

And the frequent cross-changes of the people in front of Chelsea have also made it more and more difficult for Liverpool to defend.

】

In the 25th minute, Chelsea had a chance to hit the counter-attack.

Seat B's precise long pass in midfield, Gnabry attracted Moreno's defense on the left flank, and Hazard on the left easily won the ball;

Klein came to fill in again and let Lingard go again;

At this time, it was too late for Lovren to come back to make up for the defense, Hazard had already passed the ball to Lingard, and Lin Huang reversed the triangle to pass back, Klein couldn't defend back, Harry Kane followed up and shot into the net!

"The ball is in!

！

！

！

！ ”

"Wow, oh my God, Chelsea have been so good this time!"

"This goal, after the tacit cooperation of five people in Chelsea's front court, simply passed the ball into the door of Liverpool! It's unbelievable! ”

"It's really beautiful football. In this attack, Liverpool's defense is really taking care of one or the other. ”

"And from this goal, we really saw the power of Pan Yi's new 3-2-4-1 formation."

'It's like everybody among them can be a midfielder, anybody can be a centre-forward, everybody can pull the wings, everybody can pass the ball, everybody can shoot at goal.'

"As for why Harry Kane scored at the end, it was just because he was in the middle of the wheel and he was in the right position in front of goal. And this also illustrates his sense of smell as a shooter. ”

"We were very excited after seeing Kane score, but we rushed to the sidelines and interacted with the head coach Pan Yi, and it looked like we should be thanking Pan Yi for his trust and support."

"After all, Pan Yi only sent one striker today, but it wasn't Lukaku but Harry Kane. To be able to top Pan Yi's love will be the starting center position, he naturally wants to try his best to show himself, and fortunately, he did it. ”

'It's the 25th minute and Chelsea are one goal ahead on the road!'

'But Chelsea can't be careless, it's Anfield, Liverpool won't rest on their laurels.'

-----------------

As the narrator says, Liverpool's tenacity is well known, especially at Anfield.

After conceding the goal, the Reds quickly launched a counter-attack.

Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Lallana have slipped diagonally behind Chelsea's defence time and time again, hoping to capitalise on holes in the Blues' defence.

However, Chelsea's three centre-backs and the distance between them and the two midfielders are well maintained, while they also maintain a very good link with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

This allowed Liverpool to sometimes get the ball behind the back of the three centre-backs, but Courtois, who was on the stroke of time, was always able to act as a scavenger and defuse the danger.

This is also Pan Yi's requirement for goalkeepers in the three-center-back system.

He needs to keep his distance from the line of defenders, more running, more technique with his feet, and the range of goalkeepers has also expanded to the concept of "goalkeeper".

Moreover, Courtois often does not handle the ball directly after resolving the danger, but becomes the first initiation point of the attack, handing the ball to the central defender, or even directly passing long passes to the attacker in front to initiate the attack.

Towards 40 minutes into the game, it was after Liverpool's repeated attempts to no avail that Chelsea once again seized their chance.

First of all, Firmino and Coutinho played a one-two against the wall, but when Firmino tried to get behind Van Dijk, Courtois was on the move in time to kick the ball out with his foot and give it to David Luiz in front.

As soon as David Luiz got the ball, he directly rubbed a long ball over the top and hoisted the ball directly into the penalty area.

Gnabry scrambled out between Offren and Skrtel like a ghost, got ahead of everyone, chested the ball, and fired a right-footed volley without waiting for the ball to hit the ground.

The ball crashed into the net with lightning speed before Minho could react.

Zero to two!

This ball is much simpler than the first ball, but it embodies the essence of Pan Yi's formation: flexible position, quick and sharp counterattack.

The Liverpool players didn't expect that Gnabry, who had been pulling very wide and moving almost along the sideline, would be inserted into the center forward position at this time and come to such an end.

It was probably only three or four seconds before Chelsea went from the goalkeeper to the goalkeeper to the ball in midfield and then to the winger inserting the shot.

Hurry, it's so fast!

The goal also silenced the Reds fans at Anfield.

And Klopp, who was on the sidelines, also looked at the field with his mouth wide open, as if his expression had frozen all of a sudden, and no one knew what he was thinking now.

"Our three-backed...... It seems that they can't guard against so many attackers. The assistant coach on the side, Bouacchi, also shook his head and sighed.

The first of the two goals was evident when five of Chelsea's attackers were making a dizzying combination, and the fact that the back three were unable to keep up with their targets and not return to the edge of the box in time to protect was a serious problem.

And the second goal exposed the problems of Liverpool's backline.

Lovren and Skrtel are undoubtedly a very good pair of central defenders, even in the Premier League, they are relatively high-ranked, and they are indeed quite solid in the defensive of positional battles.

But their weakness is more obvious, that is, it is difficult to deal with fast, dexterous players.

Liverpool's attack looked good just now, but I didn't expect Courtois to cut off the ball and hand it directly to David Luiz, and then the central defender in front of the midfielder directly countered a blow.

His pick-and-roll was very skillful, his vision was excellent, and he grasped the holes exposed by Liverpool's transition from attack to defence, while Gnabry's back cut was also very sharp, and then the stop and volley were a reflection of his individual ability.

They asked themselves, Karlovren and Skrtel really couldn't handle the situation just now, because people were in the big penalty area, and one careless was a penalty.

Of course, it would have been better if one of the three midfielders had been able to entangle David Luiz in time to prevent him from aiming so comfortably.

But now, the ball has been lost.

And one drop is two.

Klopp thought for a moment and said, "If we continue like this, we may lose badly." So, let's recycle Lallana and Coutinho a little bit and play a 4-5-1 so that no matter how they change up front, we have at least five men in midfield and it's not easy to lose our places. ”

Bouács nodded, and that was the only way to do it now.

He also followed Klopp from Dortmund, and at this time, he also recalled the fear of being dominated by Pan Yi......