Liverpool are the Premier League’s comeback kings – this is why

It has happened so often by now it has almost ceased to be a surprise.

Liverpool’s comeback victory over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend was their seventh come-from-behind victory of the league season, the most they have had under Jurgen Klopp in a single campaign.

They have come in all sorts of different ways – from gradually reeling in an opponent through sheer dogged persistence, to the kind of tumultuous assault that leaves a rival overwhelmed.

But the theme has been consistent: the never-say-die attitude which personified Liverpool at their best under Klopp has returned with a vengeance.

Isolated comebacks can be put down to luck, but when they are done consistently they breed belief. So why have Liverpool been so strong when playing from behind this season?

Stronger bench options

It cannot be overstated how well Klopp has used his bench and the five substitution rule this season. He was always a big advocate of its introduction, but his execution and strategy has not always been effective.

That has changed this season with the German boasting the deepest squad in terms of quality he has had since his arrival at Anfield in 2015.

When everyone is fit, Klopp has two stellar talents to draw on to refresh his attack; in midfield, Harvey Elliott has been a revelation from the bench, while Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones have the ability to shore games up.

Depending on the game state, Klopp can bring on fresh legs, tweak tactics because of his squad’s flexibility and keep the opposition guessing. In the Premier League, Liverpool have the most goals and assist contributions by substitutes (22), this season.

Widen it to all competitions and the difference is more stark. In total, Liverpool have had 47 goal and assist contributors from the bench — 21 more than the next best team, Aston Villa.

Darwin Nunez has been the most effective substitute with eight goal contributions (four goals and four assists) with 16 different players registering at least one goal or assist when coming off the bench.

Substitutes have turned too many games to mention this term, but it was the 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in December — when Elliott struck in stoppage time to complete a scrappy but priceless turnaround victory — which prompted Klopp to say that his replacements had been “the story of the season so far.”

“What we bring from the bench has a real impact.”

Better control = smaller deficits

Liverpool’s midfield problems were well documented last season. A combination of poor form, a drop in intensity levels and structural problems led to them frequently being overrun by opponents.

The summer saw a significant overhaul of the central department with Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all leaving.

Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo arrived, and the fresh legs and their own qualities have helped Liverpool control game states to not let matches get away from them.

In all of Liverpool’s 10 comeback victories, the deficit was never more than one goal. They do not panic when they fall behind, trusting in the quality to carry out the game plan and not taking unnecessary risks too early in the game.

Only twice this season have Klopp’s side fallen behind by two or more goals — late on against Arsenal in the 3-1 defeat in February, and in the Europa League against Toulouse (2-0 and 3-1), although in the latter they had a late equaliser ruled out for a dubious handball.

Central to that has been Mac Allister who is cementing himself as one of the top midfielders in the league. He invariably sets the tempo of the game, injecting urgency when Liverpool need it, and slowing it down when they need to draw its sting.

In the Premier League, Liverpool have only been in the winning game state for 34 per cent of the minutes they have played. It is significantly fewer than Manchester City (44 percent) and Arsenal (41 percent), and only Everton have spent more time drawing matches this season (53 per cent), but it underlines how they do not panic when they are not leading.

More time to come back

As bizarre as it sounds, Liverpool’s comeback attempts have also been helped by conceding goals early. Of their 10 comebacks in all competitions, eight were staged after conceding a goal in the opening 25 minutes, with six coming in the opening 15 minutes.

Last Sunday was a case in point, with Danny Welbeck’s goal for Brighton coming inside the opening two minutes, the quickest Liverpool have gone behind this season. While emotion and tension filled the ground, it did mean there were still 88 minutes of normal time to turn the result around.

It is not the situation you want to be in, but far better than having to stage dramatic late fightbacks such as the one that saw Liverpool overhaul Fulham’s 3-2 lead to win 4-3 in December.

Time has become an even more important variable this season because of the lengthy injury time being added at the end of both halves. Due to VAR interventions, head-injury protocols and extra minutes added for time-wasting and substitutions, time added on has extended beyond 10 minutes on several occasions.

Liverpool have scored four of the goals that completed a turnaround — in other words, put them ahead — after 80 minutes, with two coming in added time: Nunez against Newcastle and Harvey Elliott at Palace.

Andy Robertson scored in the 85th minute to put Liverpool 2-1 up against Wolverhampton Wanderers in September, but despite only five minutes of normal time remaining, Liverpool were not playing like a side battling with the clock. They remained patient, looking like a side who knew they had more time than the clock suggested.

The Klopp effect

It is impossible to quantify the impact a specific person can have on events through their energy and inspirational qualities but, from the moment Klopp arrived at Liverpool, comebacks have become part of the club’s DNA.

From the early 5-4 victory over Norwich when Liverpool were losing 3-1 to perhaps Anfield’s most famous European night, the 4-0 win over Barcelona, Klopp has proved that he can stir belief among players and fans like few others in world football.

Last season, the “mentality monsters” were no more. Their ability to fight back and overcome adversity disappeared. Everything felt hard and it impacted everybody, including Klopp, who at times looked like he wasn’t sure where he was going to find a solution.

That has been completely different this season. Klopp spoke about his renewed energy in pre-season and that has translated into his behaviour on the touchline and how his players are responding to him.

Jurgen Klopp has got his energy back (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

The victory away at Newcastle, when Liverpool turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory despite being down to 10 men, restored the belief that has been absent but it was the win over Luton in February that perhaps best encapsulated this spirit.

Trailing 1-0 to relegation-threatened opponents, and missing almost half a squad’s worth of senior players, Liverpool produced what Klopp called a “thunderstorm” in the second half to run out 4-1 winners.

It sums up a team relishing the opportunity to prove doubters wrong, rather than fearing it.

(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)