The Early Signs of Arne Slot’s Liverpool Team
It’s not been long, but here’s what the idea seems to be
Much like Klopp’s opening draw against Spurs in 2015, the contrasts are so stark, which, if nothing else, is entertaining to observe. I fondly remember James Milner flitting around White Hart Lane like a cannonball; the induction of the gegenpress.
The Style
Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football has already spoken about Arne Slot’s build-up play, it seems evident that he wants his players to move through the middle. It’s so refreshing to see this idea in an era where stretching the pitch to oblivion seemed to previously be the blueprint tactics of any top 6 side.
By the way, this doesn’t mean high-risk football, this simply means Liverpool’s centre-halves are just as likely to pick out players in the pocket as they are to players on the touchline. Crucially, it means the defending teams are hesitant to heave themselves all the way across the pitch pre-emptively — they’re now second-guessing themselves.
How many times have you seen ‘the underdog XI’ jog widths of the pitch like they’re warming up? Then they sprint over to Mohamed Salah the moment anyone even looks at him.
Why the change was needed
Roberto Firmino used to be that route B. He was either the alternative route or the red herring. Very basic stuff but sometimes football is just about movement and exertion. Since Firmino exited, Liverpool have just knocked the ball around until Trent Alexander-Arnold spots something and carves out the genius ball.
Unsustainable when, say, he gets a hyperextended knee for a few months.
Why this style isn’t mainstream
What would be the problem with playing it onto the pocket all game? Well, a good press would give the opposition a very nicely-placed counterattack; in a central position too! How do you avoid that? Making it a philosophy is half of the battle, but with good coaching the central midfielders will expect the ball on the half-turn…
You may have already spotted part 2 of this… central players that are great on the half-turn! Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch might as well be hand-picked for this. Diogo Jota loves working in tiny spaces, hence his recent promotion. Dominik Szoboszlai is currently working as a distraction, an option to bounce it off of, or run down the wing. Hmm, more time needed on that one.
Unfortunately, I fear this has eliminated Darwin Nunez as a first-team player; who would be too detrimental to this kind of play ticking along. I also have my doubts that Andy Robertson will last long under Slot. As he is not the most versatile of full-backs when it comes to inverted play.
What to expect this season
I genuinely believe this season is an audition for most of the squad, hence the lack of incoming transfers. I think this could be Mohamed Salah’s resurgence (wild way of putting it I know) — he won’t be as tightly marked this season and there were moments towards the latter end of Klopp’s reign when he only got the ball to bounce it back to the defence.
I think Darwin Nunez will be sold at the end of the season and Slot will request a profile that fits Jota’s. I.e. lots of movement and versatility.
In terms of the league this year… Liverpool are likely to endure too many periods of the season without their preferred XI and there’s no way Slot’s ‘undesirables’ will be able to win every game once injuries happen, so I’m anticipating an impressive 3rd place finish, perhaps more next season.
