Jurgen Klopp explains dramatic Liverpool formation change to include 4 forwards

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp made a surprise team selection for Tuesday night's Champions League clash against Rangers by including four forwards in his line-up.

The Reds have stuck to a 4-3-3 formation throughout the seven years since Klopp's appointment at Anfield, in a setup that encourages the three midfielders to hold their positions with both full-backs instructed to join attacks as much as possible.

However, Klopp took fans aback by selecting just two midfielders for the visit of the Scottish giants as four forwards were all included from the start as Mohamed Salah was joined by Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.

That ensured that the home side started the game in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which has only been deployed sparingly by Klopp across his spell at the club. It was indicative of a more attacking system at the expense of an extra midfielder in the middle of the pitch.

That typically would mean that Liverpool would have less control of the ball and lower protection for their back four and in particular their two central defenders, but in which the forwards may have more defensive work to do and where the full-backs had less attacking responsibility.

The switch in systems appears to be a result of Liverpool's slump in form this campaign, which has brought just two victories in their opening seven matches - including Saturday's 3-3 draw at home to Brighton.

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Speaking ahead of the game, Klopp explained to BT Sport: "We have had to change things a little bit and this is what we have done. We need to see how it works out formation-wise." When asked if it would be a 4-2-3-1 formation, Klopp just smiled and did not commit to a response.

The German then added for further context: "There is never a perfect time to change things and there is never a wrong time, but when you play so many games together so quickly then you have to make changes. We cannot just push the boys through all that. We will not and we are going to use them all. I know that is easy when you are winning all the time but we have to do that in this moment and that is why we decided."

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