Southampton vs Liverpool

St Mary’s Stadium

KO: 8pm

Sky Sports

4th of January 2020

The Reds are tonight looking to kick off 2021 with a return to winning ways, as they face Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton side in the Premier League .

Liverpool finished the calendar year top of the table, but two consecutive draws against both West Brom and Newcastle have left Manchester United breathing down their necks.

The last thing Jurgen Klopp needed, was a tricky away trip, but their first game of the new year is on the road to Southampton. The Saints are winless in their last four games, but they have drawn three of those, and conceded only two goals during that period.

But, rather than focusing upon the match itself tonight, I thought I would examine the similarities between the two managers.

It has been dubbed the Alpine Klopp against the Black Forest Klopp tonight at St Mary’s.

The nickname “Alpine Klopp” given to Austrian Hasenhuttl, started when he came to the Premier League. The nickname started due to the similar styles of football both their teams play and the similar physical appearance of the two men .

But Southampton against Liverpool can feel more like a meeting of minds rather than a clash, and it tends to be a reunion between both managers.

It is almost 20 years since Jurgen Klopp and Ralph Hasenhuttl, in their early 30s, winding down their playing careers, preparing for the next phase, stuck up a friendship, as they both completed the same coaching course in Cologne together; so both men know each other very well.

There are clear similarities in a style of play, that both Jurgen Klopp and Ralph Hasenhuttl adopt. The Austrian prefers 4 2-2-2 and the German plays a 4-3-3 , with both sharing a fondness to gegenpressing; a tactical philosophy that was popularised by Klopp during his time at Borussia Dortmund.

Hasenhüttl told bundlesliga.com in an exclusive interview that, “ Klopp and I appreciate a similar philosophy on football – we want to play a high tempo game, we want our guys to sprint around, press well and these are elements which make the game livelier and varied and get people excited.”

Some characteristics can equip players at both clubs. There is a similar approach again adopted by both managers. .

Consider last season’s Premier League. Liverpool made the most pressures in the final third. Southampton were second. Liverpool topped the table for tackles in the final third. Southampton were third. This season, they have made an almost identical number of tackles in the final third, 42 and 41.

That Liverpool have the second fewest pressures in their own third illustrates the extent to which they keep opponents out of it. They and Southampton rank second and third for most successful pressures; in other words, when they close teams down, they are better than almost all at regaining the ball.

Southampton won the most tackles in the division last season; they were also dribbled past more than any other team, yet that is because they commit opponents by getting close enough to them, rather than backing off.

And playing at pace and with attacking intent has consequences. Southampton were guilty of the second most miscontrols in the Premier League last season; Liverpool, despite winning the league with 99 points, came sixth, whereas Manchester City were 20th.

The similarities in ethos extend to defending. A fondness for a high defensive line backfired when Southampton lost 5-2 to Tottenham and Liverpool 7-2 to Aston Villa. It is a risky policy that, when it backfires, can go very wrong but, with only two subsequent Premier League defeats between them, has actually rewarded them for their gambling instincts.

And 2020 reaped a dividend. Predictably, Liverpool took the most points in the calendar year. More surprisingly, Southampton finished fifth. The Alpine Klopp’s mini-Liverpool prospered in part because of similar styles and beliefs.

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