Liverpool youngster Fabio Carvalho has said that the Reds are trying to restore their pressing identity during training camp.
The Reds are currently training in Dubai as they look for a strong return when the Premier League resumes later this month. They trail league leaders Arsenal by 15 points and have looked like a shadow of their usual selves.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has always been known for his high-pressing and high-intensity footballing philosophy, known as ‘gegenpressing’. However, his side have not looked the same this season and have often been outrun by opponents.
Carvalho has said that the Reds are fighting to revive their identity and working hard to ensure that. As quoted by The Liverpool Echo, the midfielder said:
“One hundred per cent, that’s what we’ve been working on all week, and, obviously, it paid off today.”
“We could have done it more often and we just need to tidy up with little tweaks and together we can do it. Like it showed (yesterday) in the first minute, it paid off, and we’re going to keep working on that.”
He continued:
“For me it has certainly helped because we have been looking at videos from last season, and obviously it has helped. We want to get back to pressing how the team pressed last year, which was very useful in games, and we created a lot of chances from it. We haven’t quite been at the level pressing-wise this year, and it’s something we’ve been working on and will keep working on. Hopefully, we’ll be back to our best.”
The Reds lost 3-1 against French side Olympique Lyonnais in a friendly on Sunday (December 11). While Klopp won’t be happy about the scoreline, he will be enthused with Carvalho’s goal that came as a result of excellent pressing.
Jurgen Klopp gutted after Liverpool attacker’s latest injury setback
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has labelled Luis Diaz’s latest injury setback as a ‘proper smash in the face’. Klopp said:
“Yeah, he was not in the best possible place. It’s clear it’s a big disappointment for all of us, for him as well. It was a non-situation in training, honestly nothing, felt something.”
“(He) didn’t feel a lot next day, but we wanted to be really cautious and said, ‘OK, come on, let’s have a look’. Yeah, then the news came, and it was a proper smash in the face. But that’s it now.”
The Colombian attacker was injured in the Reds’ 3-1 Premier League loss against Arsenal on October 9. Having recently made his comeback from the setback, Diaz suffered a fresh injury in Liverpool’s training session in Dubai earlier this month. The fleet-footed winger is expected to undergo knee surgery, which could keep him out till March.