The arrival of Arne Slot to take over from Jurgen Klopp ignited initial ideas suggesting a potential parallel to Bob Paisley, who capitalized on the solid platform established by his predecessor, Bill Shankly.
Securing the league championship in his initial season signified progress in that direction.
Slot, echoing Paisley’s approach, has aimed to bolster the squad from a position of dominance, bringing in five new first-team players – four of whom were in the starting lineup at Wembley. The potential acquisition of Alexander Isak could mean that new signings comprise half of Liverpool’s outfield contingent.
“The Charity Shield outcome holds little significance”
However, this situation also presents its own set of challenges.
“The Charity Shield’s outcome bears no weight for me,” Paisley reflected, “The true measure lies in securing a spot in the following year’s edition, indicating the achievements attained.”
Slot’s objective revolves around ensuring his team’s participation next season as league victors, thereby enabling Liverpool to defend their title for the first occasion since 1984.
The placement of Florian Wirtz entails advantages and disadvantages
Upon Wirtz’s acquisition, discussions arose concerning his designated role, ranging from the left flank of the attacking trio to a potential role as a false nine.
However, reports highlighting his enthusiasm for Slot’s strategy of utilizing him as a No.10 have proven accurate.
Throughout the pre-season phase, the German player has been assigned the most advanced midfield position, with Slot’s tactical framework now exhibiting a closer resemblance to a 4-2-3-1 formation rather than a 4-3-3 setup.
This tactical adjustment situates Wirtz centrally, allowing him to showcase his capabilities, notably evident at Wembley where he excelled in chance creation, final third passes, and providing an assist for Hugo Ekitike’s initial goal.
Nevertheless, deploying Wirtz in the central No.10 role introduces supplementary challenges; it necessitates the exclusion of one member from the title-winning midfield triumvirate—Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, or Dominik Szoboszlai—while simultaneously requiring three additional forwards, thereby underscoring Liverpool’s existing scarcity of attacking options.
Limited attacking options present a worry
It’s evident that Slot and Liverpool are in pursuit of another forward. “Subbing Ekitike on Sunday was due to limited options to replace him,” Slot explained.
“Do we?” Virgil van Dijk responded when a reporter suggested Liverpool possess ample attacking depth. “Having lost Darwin and Lucho, there’s always space for an attacker to reinforce our squad. We’ll observe the outcomes of the transfer window.”
Of course, this window could facilitate the arrival of Alexander Isak, provided Liverpool achieve their objectives. Nevertheless, even with this addition, the team’s attacking resources remain somewhat scarce.
The effective utilization of forwards from the substitutes’ bench played a pivotal role in securing the league title during the previous season, enabling the team to consistently introduce two players from a pool comprising Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, or Cody Gakpo.
This luxury is currently unavailable, even if Isak joins the ranks—assuming Federico Chiesa’s departure. Harvey Elliott’s anticipated exit further diminishes the team’s options.
In the present scenario, without Isak and with Wirtz positioned in midfield, the starting lineup features Mo Salah, Ekitike, and Gakpo, leaving only 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, alongside Chiesa and Ben Doak, the latter also expected to leave.
The depth of the defense is also a concern
As the new season approaches, Joe Gomez is sidelined due to injury once more, leaving Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as Slot’s central defensive options. The subsequent backups include Wataru Endo and left-back Andy Robertson.
While Slot asserts that these options are adequate, the club’s interest in Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi and Parma center-back Giovanni Leoni suggests otherwise. To mount a strong challenge in both the Champions League and Premier League, Liverpool could greatly benefit from reinforcing their defensive depth this season.
The team’s defensive performance during the pre-season has been less than stellar. Slot himself acknowledged this following the Palace match, noting that the newfound attacking flair facilitated by Wirtz in midfield has created defensive vulnerabilities: “While our capacity to create opportunities has improved, our susceptibility to conceding chances has also increased. Competing for the league title requires minimizing both chances conceded and goals conceded.”
“We need to address several areas to successfully defend our title,” Van Dijk conceded.
If player ratings were applied during the pre-season, Van Dijk’s performance across Liverpool’s seven friendlies would likely be the lowest. The integration of two new full-backs, each offering unique strengths and weaknesses compared to their predecessors, necessitates time for cohesion and synergy.
Liverpool will be improved by the two new full backs.
With the acquisitions of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, Liverpool has undoubtedly infused fresh vitality into their flanks, which will positively influence facets of Liverpool’s gameplay as time progresses.
The unique playmaking qualities of Trent Alexander-Arnold from deep-lying positions are irreplaceable, and his absence will be keenly felt. However, Frimpong’s agility and diligence on the right flank introduce a novel dimension to both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game.
Kerkez’s resolve and dedication are likely to resonate with supporters, yet the young player needs further refinement in his positioning and stability.
Slot’s deployment strategy for the two players could be somewhat unconventional, with the duo alternating between converging inward to fortify the midfield during build-up phases and then overlapping to furnish width and pace in other instances. Such unpredictability poses a challenge for opponents.
The evolving role of Salah and maintaining equilibrium
The shift to a 4-2-3-1 formation, featuring Wirtz as the advanced midfielder instead of Szoboszlai, also raises concerns about Salah’s positioning.
The Egyptian international detailed how discussions with Slot during the previous summer influenced his role throughout the title-winning campaign. “As long as I am relieved of defensive responsibilities, I will deliver offensively,” he conveyed to the head coach.
With 34 goals and 23 assists across all competitions, Salah undoubtedly fulfilled his part of the bargain!
However, has the alteration in system adversely affected the Egyptian’s performance? The evidence from Wembley was unconvincing, with Salah completing the fewest passes among Liverpool’s starting players, generating zero chances, recording a single shot, and executing no successful dribbles. A promising opportunity, directed too close to the goalkeeper, represented his best moment.
One would anticipate a coach of Slot’s caliber to identify a resolution as the season unfolds. Presently, however, the team’s equilibrium appears slightly disrupted.
Hugo Ekitike represents the forward Liverpool required
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