on the lack of creativity from midfield but I’d argue it’s the opposite. In an attempt to make his midfield more creative Klopp has broken his team. The root of this stems from Wijnaldum leaving the club and effectively being replaced by Thiago.
With Thiago that midfield doesn’t work as hard and with his propensity for possession and creativity the ball is spending much longer in midfield than before. Combine this with an ageing Henderson and a perpetually injured Fabinho and the creative attacking players no longer have the protection and industry behind. This wouldn’t be such an issue if Klopp had adjusted his tactics to suit but he hasn’t, they still play like the midfield is stacked with dogged powerhouses.
The turnaround during last season was immense. We had absolutely no right to finish fourth and Conte made the seemingly impossible happen. Levy then got his chequebook out, and if Spurs didn’t ‘win’ the transfer window, we were top 4. All signs pointed to an exciting season.Is Conte just a pragmatic coach who excels only when he has multiple world class players who can muster something out of nothing? It all feels a bit… José.Spurs for the most part play horizontal football. Crisp and quick breaking of lines are hardly ever seen, quick transitions from defence to midfield to attack are rarer still.