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Liverpool are quietly rediscovering what they lost under Jurgen Klopp
There was the quickfire double from Curtis Jones, a blistering free-kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold and, of course, the emotional reception for Roberto Firmino.
But as the Liverpool team bus pulled away from the King Power Stadium late on Monday, there was another reason for satisfaction after an evening that kept alive slender hopes of unlikely Champions League qualification.
A third successive clean sheet was further reward for the improvements that have been made to a defensive effort deservedly criticised at times this season, not least during the opening months of the campaign when Jurgen Klopp’s side stopped the opposition from scoring on only three occasions out of 13.
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“The clean sheet is really important for us and the way we defended is important, especially away from home,” said Jordan Henderson after the 3-0 win at Leicester City. “We need to keep that going.”
The Liverpool skipper is correct to make a point of the Reds shutting out an opponent on their travels, given that has been hard to come by in the Premier League this season.
Indeed, Monday saw only the fifth away clean sheet in the top flight this term for Liverpool, with just the final-day trip to Southampton to come on the road. It matches the lowest such tally in a full season under Klopp, which came in 2017/18.
For comparison, the Reds managed nine away Premier League clean sheets last season, matching their best of 2018/19. And even the difficult season two years ago – in which Champions League qualification was assured in remarkable fashion – saw Liverpool achieve seven away league shut-outs.
The rediscovered defensive resolve – a fourth successive clean sheet at home to Aston Villa on Saturday would be the Reds’ first such sequence in more than 12 months – has coincided not only with the switch in formation that has invited Trent Alexander-Arnold to occasionally add legs, bite and creativity to the base of midfield and allowed Fabinho to concentrate on his defensive responsibilities, but also with Liverpool’s now-traditional strong end to the season. They know they have something to fight for.
Individual performances and a settled team have also improved matters. The same back four has lined up for five of the seven consecutive wins, while one of the two changes, Joel Matip, scored the winner when starting at West Ham United. The positional change has increased Alexander-Arnold’s appetite for defensive work, while Ibrahima Konate continues to mature and Virgil van Dijk has quietly regained his air of authority, particularly in the air.
Throw in the return to fitness of pressing machines Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, along with Cody Gakpo emerging as the first line of defence as the central striker, and the overall defensive effort is more cohesive and insistent than at any time during the campaign.
Of course, the recent surrender of a three-goal lead to Tottenham Hotspur and the difficulties dealing with Nottingham Forest’s set-pieces indicates the improvement remains very much a work in progress. The subsequent narrow 1-0 wins over Fulham and particularly Brentford, however, demonstrated Liverpool are continuing to learn.
“The game was the defensive set-piece session I ever saw in my life against the best set-piece team I have every played,” said Klopp after the latter match earlier this month. “We didn’t concede a chance and it’s because the boys were really focused. From a focus point of view it was extremely good. Against Nottingham we struggled a lot with these kind of things.”
The form of Alisson Becker – competing with Mohamed Salah to be named Liverpool’s player of the season – has also been integral, the goalkeeper demonstrating against Leicester with saves from Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes that he remains at the top of his game.
It may not be quite enough to claim a Premier League Golden Glove award ahead of David de Gea – the Spaniard has 16 to 14 of Alisson – but that the Manchester United man has been heavily scrutinised this season indicates clean sheets aren’t the ultimate arbiter of a goalkeeper’s performance.
And for all Liverpool’s troubles in defence, only Manchester City and Newcastle United have a clear better defensive record in the Premier League this season, conceding 31 to the Reds’ 42. Both Manchester United and Chelsea have leaked 41 times but have played a game fewer, while title challengers Arsenal – lauded for long parts of the campaign for their rearguard action – have conceded the same amount as Klopp’s side.
Concede in either of their last two games, and Liverpool will post their worst defensive Premier League record during a full season under Klopp. But the reality is the Reds are rediscovering their mean streak. The challenge now is to take it into next season.
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