With Liverpool’s first season underneath Arne Slot taking a pause for worldwide soccer, it provides us a chance to analyse what has modified thus far.
After 9 years of Jurgen Klopp, many had been fast to take a position on simply how totally different the brand new coach’s soccer could be.
We’ve seen Slot-ball thrice on the highest degree now. So what have we discovered about Slot at Liverpool?
Pragmatic
One second within the dominant win at Previous Trafford encapsulated a number of what Slot has dropped at Liverpool. It begins with Virgil van Dijk receiving the ball on the midway line.
We’ve seen this actual state of affairs many instances over time. Van Dijk’s signature go is a protracted, correct change out to the suitable flank, the place a teammate can run straight at their defender.
And right here, Trent Alexander-Arnold – now not inverting into midfield however pushing forwards from right-back – is accessible for precisely this ball.
Solely this time, Van Dijk makes a unique selection. He punches a ball by the strains to Ryan Gravenberch…
…who’s taking part in as one of many deepest midfielders. His first contact will get him out behind the United press, permitting him to run on the defence…
…and the ball is in the end turned in by Alexander-Arnold, although VAR disallowed the objective.
We’ve been anticipating to see a lot of possession, brief passes, taking part in by strain – hallmarks of Slot-ball that we noticed at Feyenoord. And this transfer is an efficient instance of that.
The factor is, although, we’ve seen this type of soccer nearly as an addition or a bonus thus far. We noticed Van Dijk play one in all his trademark switches within the buildup to the second objective vs. Ipswich.
We noticed a blistering counter-attack objective to take the lead versus Brentford.
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— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 27, 2024
And for all three objectives that stood vs. Man United, Liverpool pressed excessive and compelled United into decisive errors.
What this tells us about Slot is that he’s a pragmatist.
Reasonably than dogmatically sticking to his imaginative and prescient – like coaches corresponding to Ange Postecoglou – he’s completely satisfied to let his crew preserve taking part in to their strengths, whereas making small modifications that enable them to evolve their recreation.
Drawback-solver
What are a few of these small modifications? Nicely, the apparent one is the change to a double pivot in midfield.
But it surely’s not as a result of Slot has a philosophical attachment to a formation – actually, he has been adamant that he doesn’t use a 4-2-3-1, along with his setup merely a unique interpretation of a 4-3-3.
It’s extra a response to Liverpool’s tendency to concede counter-attacks, which denied them management of video games final season.
By switching to 2 deeper midfielders, Slot has simplified his full-backs’ recreation. At Previous Trafford we noticed Alexander-Arnold monitoring again to defend counters himself, fairly than counting on a teammate to cowl.
It additionally permits Liverpool to commit extra gamers to buildup, with six gamers (4 defenders and two in midfield) displaying for the ball.
Gamers can simply discover a brief go to a teammate, and with the opposition compelled to commit numbers ahead to press, it additionally permits for direct balls as much as the entrance line.
This provides as much as a crew that may dominate possession simply, has alternatives to go direct on the proper time, and has a greater construction to defend counter-attacks.
Heavy steel with a deeper, extra strong base.
Decisive
Maybe probably the most eye-catching instance of Slot’s decisiveness was his substitution of Jarell Quansah at half-time vs. Ipswich.
However whereas that change grabbed the headlines, Slot has been fronting as much as the large calls from day one – and getting them proper.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: right-back. Ryan Gravenberch: No. 6. Diogo Jota: centre-forward.
These are the three massive positional calls Slot has made thus far, and all three have labored nicely.
The usage of the full-back we’ve already coated, with Alexander-Arnold already notching two ‘pre-assists’ (the go earlier than the go) alongside his three clear sheets.
Gravenberch struggled to nail down a spot in Klopp’s 4-3-3, however he’s been integral to Slot’s double pivot.
His technical safety permits Liverpool to play passes like Van Dijk’s at Previous Trafford, and his capacity to hold the ball forwards has helped to overload opposition defences.
And with the advantage of a associate alongside him and a again 4 behind him, he can step as much as win the ball on the proper second.
As for Jota, he’s dovetailed successfully along with his No. 10. He’s free to drop deep and hyperlink play, create house for Dominik Szoboszlai to run past him, and pull large to rotate along with his wingers – in addition to getting on the tip of possibilities himself.
This has additionally had a optimistic impression on Luis Diaz. After scoring simply eight instances in 37 league video games final season, he has three in three thus far.
All through his Liverpool profession, he’s tended to get on the ball out large after which drive inside to make his personal possibilities, resulting in some spectacular objectives however not spectacular objective numbers.
Below Slot, he’s been far more direct: ending off a counter-attack vs. Brentford earlier than scoring twice in opposition to United – each with a first-time shot.
By eradicating the onus on him to stay to the touchline, Slot has given him the platform to attain extra regularly.
No stone unturned
The factor is, the perfect continues to be absolutely to come back from Slot tactically.
For all the clip-worthy passages of play, we’re nonetheless ready for the primary objective to come back from eye-catching pass-and-move soccer.
To date it’s been direct balls up prime (vs. Ipswich), medical counter-attacking (vs. Brentford) or profitable the ball excessive up the pitch (vs. Man United).
It takes time for a brand new strategy to correctly click on.
However Slot is permitting his gamers to nonetheless play in transition, press aggressively and do all of the issues that labored nicely underneath Klopp, and so they’re nonetheless paying dividends.
That implies that whereas Liverpool discover ways to play their finest soccer, they’re nonetheless profitable and profitable nicely.
Maybe we’ll look again on this begin and say: that is once we discovered that Arne Slot is a winner.
