Jurgen Klopp’s tactical mistakes are costing Liverpool the Premier League title

Klopp’s Reds are top after Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but don’t be fooled, things should be so much better.

Jurgen Klopp, hang your head in shame. Your tactical decisions could cost Liverpool the Premier League title.

Liverpool squandered the chance to take full advantage of a game in hand because of Klopp’s tactical missteps. His uncharacteristic caution, coupled with an ongoing struggle to strike the right balance between defense and attack, means momentum is still with Manchester City in the title race.

A three-point lead with 11 games remaining was there for the taking against a drab and injury-hit United squad acting strangely negative at home. Actually, scratch negative. United were downright cowardly against their fiercest rivals on their own patch.

Despite riding a run of eight wins and a draw from nine league games, caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to pay a curious tribute to his ill-fated predecessor Jose Mourinho.

The sad tribute involved the hosts sitting deep in numbers. United packed players behind the ball and refused to press the play or seize the initiative in possession.

Instead, Solskjaer’s men were content to soak up pressure and strike on the break. They were also timid and there to be beaten.

The problem was Klopp approached the game with the same pragmatic mindset. His all-too-careful approach was summed up by selecting not one, not two, but three holding players in midfield.

Fielding Jordan Henderson with Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum meant Liverpool weren’t lacking for graft. Yet there was a damaging absence of guile and flair.

Being without the latter two qualities explains why Liverpool managed just one shot on target during 90 turgid minutes.

What’s not so easy to explain is why Klopp felt the need for a trio of holders against a United team allergic to crossing the halfway line. Why didn’t Klopp allow at least one of his central runners off the leash?

Wijnaldum is the obvious candidate thanks to his technique and eye for goal. He showcased both when he scored a peach of a goal during the 3-0 win over Bournemouth earlier this month. That result represents the Reds’ only victory in the last five games in all competitions.

It’s a dire run caused by the kind of negative thinking that’s keeping Wijnaldum miscast in a deep-lying role.

Klopp’s bigger crime was not to start with a more naturally creative midfielder in the first place. He could have gone with either Adam Lallana or Xherdan Shaqiri.

The latter, who scored twice when Liverpool beat United 3-1 at Anfield back in December, rotted on the bench for 72 minutes. Meanwhile, Lallana wasn’t introduced at all.

And what exactly was the point of spending a small fortune on Naby Keita? He’s endured a tricky adaptation to England’s top flight, but Keita’s skill taking the ball past players can break down a stubborn defensive shape.

Sticking with a midfield devoid of creativity denied supply to an overworked forward line. It was a major factor behind the subdued performances of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Klopp had a right to expect more from his star forwards. However, neither was helped by his strange decision making once Roberto Firminio left with an injury after just 31 minutes.

Daniel Sturridge came on to replace the versatile Brazilian. Sturridge, a natural No. 9, was soon wedged uncomfortably into a wide role while Salah moved into the middle where center-backs Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof found him easier to handle.

When Sturridge and Salah rotated positions, the latter couldn’t escape the attentions of left-back Luke Shaw.

Yet it was the decision to bring on Sturridge that qualified as a major gaffe. He didn’t offer the aerial threat Liverpool needed to maximize an advantage in wide areas.

United started the game with a midfield diamond designed to boss the middle. The shape was a narrow one, allowing Liverpool freedom to exploit width on the flanks.

Being able to put more crosses into the box demanded a natural target man. Divock Origi fits the bill but was left on the bench until there were just 11 minutes left.

Klopp’s reticence to bring on the burly Belgian earlier meant full-backs Andrew Robertson and James Milner rarely had a focal point to aim for. Instead, their many (many) deliveries were easily and routinely nodded clear by Smalling and Lindelof.

Origi is not everybody’s idea of a top-level striker, but he offered Klopp the chance to show there’s another string to his bow. More than just instructing his team to press high and play between the lines at pace.

Klopp failing to produce a plan B only added to the nagging suspicion he only has one way to win. United know the formula by heart, one reason they have held Liverpool without a goal in three of their last six league meetings.

It’s also why Liverpool won’t win the title this season.

Klopp’s desire to make Liverpool stronger defensively hasn’t just led to record spending on players like goalkeeper Alisson Becker and center-back Virgil van Dijk. It’s also engendered oddly passive tactics when it matters most from a manager usually defined by “heavy metal.”

Being passive won’t be enough to protect a slender one-point lead against goal-mad City.