Jürgen Klopp chose Tuesday to return to the familiar and beloved 4-3-3 that has given Liverpool fans so much joy for the past seven years. This fall, uncertain performances combined with many injuries led the German to try several variations of the 4-4-2, but this only led to an improvement in individual matches.
One man happy to be back in Tuesday’s 4-3-3 was Mohamed Salah, who in the 2-0 win over Napoli scored the goal that makes him the top scorer of the Champions League group stage alongside PSG’s Kylian Mbappé.
– This is the position I’ve played for the past five or six years and I have to say it’s the best for me, Salah told BT Sports when he received the man of the match award.
At the same time, he added that he plays wherever he is asked to play.
– It is up to the manager to decide the tactics, and as a player you have to do what the manager says, said the 30-year-old, who now together with Steven Gerrard has scored the most goals in Europe in the club’s history.
Carvalho likes 4-4-2 more
Fabio Carvalho also talked about formations and where he prefers to play, and his answer is not exactly that of Salah.
In Fulham, the Portuguese played primarily in the wing role, while in Liverpool he was primarily used as a left winger or left inside runner.
– I probably feel better on the left or in the middle of the field as number ten, but we don’t usually play with a number ten on this team. The change of position was probably the biggest change from last season, because in Fulham I played more centrally, and then I also had Aleksandar Mitrovic to play with, he says. Echo of Liverpool.
– It probably suits me best when we play 4-4-2 and I can be behind Bobby or Darwin, but it can be a flexible position. Bobby can also play in the gap and we have two wings who also like to enter the pitch. To be honest, the most important thing for me is just playing, he says.
Carvalho learned a lot during his early months on Merseyside.
– So far the managers and coaches have mainly focused on the defensive part of my game because they already know what I can give in attack. A lot has been about where and when to push because the team is so focused on that, he says.
