It is fitting –if somewhat ironic- that tomorrow’s clash between Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund will be punctuated by the notion of the quick transition. While the playing style has at times had fans on the edge of their seats, the real transition Jurgen Klopp is undertaking will become clearer over the coming weeks and months. Dortmund will offer a stern test of where Liverpool are at, writes Sean Duffy.
After seven years at the Westfalenstadion, Jurgen Klopp departed Borussia Dortmund last summer having seemingly wrung every ounce of energy out of the team he returned to glory against the odds. That he himself seemed to have burned out was seen as a type natural ending to a beautiful marriage. His divorce from his beloved Dortmund has been …show more content…
He remarked that players were too tense when in scoring positions and that they needed to recover from setbacks over the course of ninety minutes. The smooth alacrity with which Dortmund go about their business was probably an unfair place to start a comparison, but if this Liverpool squad wants to demonstrate progress, there could be no better opponent against which to show it off.
Despite improvements, this remains a team with a distance to travel under the German. The glaring difference between the two sides at present is the dynamism and belief at which Dortmund are able to execute the final ball when in advanced positions.
Klopp has managed to ensure Liverpool regain the ball higher up the pitch, but their ability to execute in the final third remains haphazard. On the occasions the players pull it off, it can be sublime. More often than not, there’s an incorrectly weighted pass here, a wrong option chosen there.
Dortmund will offer a glimpse of what this type of football looks like when all the cogs in the wheel are well-oiled. The attacking trident of Marco Reus, Henrique Mkhitaryan and Pierre Emerick Aubamayang are a mesmerising blend of force and finesse. Indeed, far lesser lights have caused chaos in the Liverpool defence this season. A goal haul of 73 between the three at the beginning of April tells its own
After seven years at the Westfalenstadion, Jurgen Klopp departed Borussia Dortmund last summer having seemingly wrung every ounce of energy out of the team he returned to glory against the odds. That he himself seemed to have burned out was seen as a type natural ending to a beautiful marriage. His divorce from his beloved Dortmund has been …show more content…
He remarked that players were too tense when in scoring positions and that they needed to recover from setbacks over the course of ninety minutes. The smooth alacrity with which Dortmund go about their business was probably an unfair place to start a comparison, but if this Liverpool squad wants to demonstrate progress, there could be no better opponent against which to show it off.
Despite improvements, this remains a team with a distance to travel under the German. The glaring difference between the two sides at present is the dynamism and belief at which Dortmund are able to execute the final ball when in advanced positions.
Klopp has managed to ensure Liverpool regain the ball higher up the pitch, but their ability to execute in the final third remains haphazard. On the occasions the players pull it off, it can be sublime. More often than not, there’s an incorrectly weighted pass here, a wrong option chosen there.
Dortmund will offer a glimpse of what this type of football looks like when all the cogs in the wheel are well-oiled. The attacking trident of Marco Reus, Henrique Mkhitaryan and Pierre Emerick Aubamayang are a mesmerising blend of force and finesse. Indeed, far lesser lights have caused chaos in the Liverpool defence this season. A goal haul of 73 between the three at the beginning of April tells its own