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- Liverpool Recruitment Analysis 2025/2026 & Marcelo Bielsa's Five Types Of Off-The-Ball Movement
Liverpool Recruitment Analysis 2025/2026 & Marcelo Bielsa's Five Types Of Off-The-Ball Movement
Today, we have a recruitment analysis article focusing on Liverpool's 2025/2026 transfer activity, along with a tactical theory on Marcelo Bielsa's five types of off-the-ball movement.
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After lifting the 2024/2025 Premier League title, Liverpool entered the summer transfer window with an unmistakable sense of ambition.
Under new tactical leadership, the Reds were not merely content to defend their crown; they were intent on refining and reinforcing their squad to maintain both domestic and European dominance.
This intent was made clear through a proactive recruitment drive, shaped and steered by the club’s highly regarded data analysis department.
The departures of key figures Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the latter making a high-profile move to Real Madrid, could have left sizeable gaps in the team’s structure.
Instead, Liverpool responded with precision signings designed not just to replace, but to upgrade.
Jeremie Frimpong was identified as the ideal modern right-back to fill Alexander-Arnold’s role, offering explosive pace, progressive carrying, and advanced attacking output.
On the opposite flank, Milos Kerkez arrived as a strategic left-back upgrade.
His energy, defensive discipline, and attacking versatility provided a fresh dynamic in a position where Andrew Robertson’s performances had dipped in consistency.
Up front, the additions of Hugo Ekitiké and Florian Wirtz signalled Liverpool’s commitment to evolving their attacking play.
Ekitiké brings youthful athleticism, pressing intensity, and a profile suited to breaking defensive lines, while Wirtz offers creative ingenuity, elite ball progression, and the versatility to operate across multiple attacking roles, qualities that directly elevate the squad following the losses of Díaz and Núñez.
In this data analysis, we will explore how and why Liverpool’s data team chose these four players, examining the statistical reasoning behind each acquisition and the tactical fit within Arne Slot’s evolving structure.
We will analyse their profiles against the outgoing players, assess their potential impact on Liverpool’s style of play, and consider how these moves position the Reds for sustained success in 2025/2026 and beyond.
In this tactical analysis, we will explore the five types of off-the-ball movement that Marcelo Bielsa identifies and teaches as the foundation for generating passing lines, sustaining ball circulation, and breaking defensive structures.
For Bielsa, the game is not limited to the ball possessor; the active and conscious participation of players without the ball is key to destabilising and dominating the match.
Every movement, trajectory, and body profile is designed to benefit the possessor and open new options for progression.
This concept is especially relevant in Bielsa’s model for two fundamental reasons.
On one hand, it supports his idea of protagonism and territorial dominance, where the team must keep the ball in the opponent’s field and force them to retreat.
On the other hand, it demands high technical, physical, and cognitive mastery from the player since these movements must be executed with precision, timing, and constant repetition to generate advantages and maintain game fluidity.
In this tactical analysis, we will explore the five types of off-the-ball movement that Marcelo Bielsa identifies and teaches as the foundation for generating passing lines, sustaining ball circulation, and breaking defensive structures.
For Bielsa, the game is not limited to the ball possessor; the active and conscious participation of players without the ball is key to destabilising and dominating the match.
Every movement, trajectory, and body profile is designed to benefit the possessor and open new options for progression.
This concept is especially relevant in Bielsa’s model for two fundamental reasons.
On one hand, it supports his idea of protagonism and territorial dominance, where the team must keep the ball in the opponent’s field and force them to retreat.
On the other hand, it demands high technical, physical, and cognitive mastery from the player since these movements must be executed with precision, timing, and constant repetition to generate advantages and maintain game fluidity.
TFA Archives 📆
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Juventus are considering a loan with obligation deal but only if a midfielder leaves.
Dive back to his Celtic 2022/2023 scout report.
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Dive back to his River Plate 2025 scout report.
What can he bring to La Liga?
Find out below.
