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Desperate times call for desperate measures. And where Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool are concerned, attack is usually the best form of defence.

A victory at Bournemouth won’t cure all the Reds’ ills, but there was something reassuring about the way Rodgers’ side played on Wednesday night.

The flaws were still evident, but there was something purposeful, something positive, something Liverpool about the performance. In a season of little cheer, it provided some much-needed comfort for Kopites.

It seems unusual to suggest that a 3-0 defeat at the home one of your biggest rivals could provide any solutions to a team’s problems, but Sunday’s reverse at Old Trafford was an unusual one in that respect. Liverpool lost, and lost painfully, but may well have found a blueprint for recovery in the process.

It was on Saturday night that rumours of the Reds’ team selection against Manchester United first surfaced. They were, largely, greeted with a mixture of incredulity, disbelief and anger by the social media brigade.

Brad Jones’ inclusion was one thing, but a three-man defence? A team without a recognised striker? At Old Trafford?

It was, in many ways, a shift from one extreme to another from Rodgers. Having tried, with mixed results, to add solidity to his line-up in the previous fortnight, this was a dramatic change of direction.

Of course, with hindsight we can say the decision didn’t pay off on Sunday. Liverpool may have looked more fluent in an attacking sense, but they still didn’t score, and they still lost. Hailing a tactical success after a three-goal shelling is not a road Rodgers, or anyone else for that matter, should go down.

Still, the key to any defeat is what you learn from it. Liverpool were given some lessons at Old Trafford, and some harsh ones at that, but if they can learn from them, they could find themselves in a much better place before too long.

The evidence at Bournemouth - and it was “only” Bournemouth - was promising, at least.

The game in pictures:

For Rodgers, the hope is that a change in outlook will yield swift improvements. A manager who prides himself on finding solutions to tactical problems, the Ulsterman may well have uncovered a system, nominally a 3-4-2-1, that allows an ailing team to rediscover its mojo.

His switch to a three-man defence is not a new one - he tried it last season, with mixed results - but has enabled him to fill his side with more attacking quality. And if the last campaign proved anything, it is that defensive shortcomings can largely be overcome if you have the capacity to score goals at the other end. If you want to be strong, play to your strengths, and back them to outweigh your weaknesses.

So while the backline remains porous – and let’s not ignore the fact that Bournemouth had plenty of chances to make life pretty uncomfortable for the Reds on Wednesday – going forward Liverpool look a more cohesive prospect.

Raheem Sterling’s placement as a No.9 has given them a threat in behind, Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho have found joy as roaming support acts, while Steven Gerrard finally has targets to hit with his forward passes. Lazar Markovic’s performance as a left wing-back also augurs well, while Jordan Henderson’s simplified role on the other flank seems to be benefiting him as much as it is the team.

Suddenly, Liverpool look threatening again. They had 16 shots against Bournemouth, and 19 against Manchester United, and many of those came from strong positions (i.e. centrally inside the penalty area).

Of course the system, like any other, has its weak points. Fielding three central defenders, for example, leaves space to be exposed on the flanks – especially if, like Liverpool, your central defenders lack genuine pace. Mamadou Sakho’s return to the side could aid that issue, but it is a question of whether the manager fancies him or not.

Rodgers has also spoken in the past of how a two-man central midfield can sometimes struggle to cover the width of the field, defensively.

After a 2-2 draw at St James’ Park last season, he expressed concerns at how easily Newcastle were able to drag Liverpool’s midfield duo across, before switching the play quickly.

It was a tactic which brought the Magpies their first goal that day, through Yohan Cabaye, and one which can expose the tendency of Liverpool’s midfielders to vacate their stations in front of the back four and leave the centre of the field bare.

Lucas Leiva’s return to the side has helped to a degree, but the Reds midfield could still fill spaces better, to prevent the opposition counter-attacking when the ball is lost.

It is an issue Pep Guardiola drills his players about at Bayern Munich, and Rodgers could do with doing the same. At present, Liverpool are too easy to play through, especially through the full-back areas.

Another issue lies in asking ostensibly attack-minded players – in particular Henderson and Markovic – to do a job which demands so much defensively.

Markovic did well against Bournemouth, tracking back to cover in full-back areas as well as supporting the attack, but wing backs require concentration and positional discipline as much as energy and technical attributes, and against better opposition, it is easy to see that being an issue for Liverpool, particularly with none of their main central defenders particularly comfortable defending wide areas.

As for Sterling, his role will be key in the coming weeks – or at least until Daniel Sturridge’s long-awaited return from injury. The 20-year-old is not a natural centre-forward in terms of his physique and the way he strikes the ball, but his movement, and his ability to receive and protect the ball, make him a more than useful stand-in.

In two games as a No.9, with Lallana and Coutinho probing behind him, he has found himself with at least six gilt-edged scoring chances. If the ratio continues, the goals will flow.

Whether Rodgers persists with his new-look system, time will tell. But in his two-and-a-half seasons on Merseyside, he has shown a willingness to tweak and to experiment in order to get the best from the players at his disposal.

Arsenal will provide a stern examination this weekend, but at present, the 3-4-2-1 looks the way to go for Liverpool.

More on this: 5 things we learned from Liverpool's win against Bournemouth