With Liverpool’s first season below Arne Slot taking a pause for worldwide soccer, it provides us a possibility to analyse what has modified up to now.
After 9 years of Jurgen Klopp, many had been fast to take a position on simply how completely different the brand new coach’s soccer could be.
We’ve seen Slot-ball 3 times on the highest degree now. So what have we discovered about Slot at Liverpool?
Pragmatic
One second within the dominant win at Outdated Trafford encapsulated loads of what Slot has delivered to Liverpool. It begins with Virgil van Dijk receiving the ball on the midway line.
We’ve seen this actual situation many occasions through the years. Van Dijk’s signature cross is a protracted, correct swap out to the appropriate flank, the place a teammate can run immediately at their defender.
And right here, Trent Alexander-Arnold – not inverting into midfield however pushing forwards from right-back – is out there for precisely this ball.
Solely this time, Van Dijk makes a distinct alternative. 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 purpose.
We’ve been anticipating to see plenty of possession, quick 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 virtually as an addition or a bonus up to now. We noticed Van Dijk play certainly one of his trademark switches within the buildup to the second purpose vs. Ipswich.
We noticed a blistering counter-attack purpose to take the lead versus Brentford.
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— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 27, 2024
And for all three targets 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 resembling Ange Postecoglou – he’s completely happy to let his crew hold taking part in to their strengths, whereas making small adjustments that permit them to evolve their sport.
Downside-solver
What are a few of these small adjustments? Properly, the plain one is the swap to a double pivot in midfield.
However it’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 distinct 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’ sport. At Outdated Trafford we noticed Alexander-Arnold monitoring again to defend counters himself, somewhat 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) exhibiting for the ball.
Gamers can simply discover a quick cross 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 stable base.
Decisive
Maybe essentially 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 up to now, and all three have labored nicely.
Using the full-back we’ve already lined, with Alexander-Arnold already notching two ‘pre-assists’ (the cross earlier than the cross) 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 Outdated Trafford, and his capacity to hold the ball forwards has helped to overload opposition defences.
And with the advantage of a companion 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 vast to rotate along with his wingers – in addition to getting on the top of probabilities himself.
This has additionally had a optimistic impression on Luis Diaz. After scoring simply eight occasions in 37 league video games final season, he has three in three up to now.
All through his Liverpool profession, he’s tended to get on the ball out vast after which drive inside to make his personal probabilities, resulting in some spectacular targets however not spectacular purpose numbers.
Below Slot, he’s been way 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 very best remains to be absolutely to come back from Slot tactically.
For all the clip-worthy passages of play, we’re nonetheless ready for the primary purpose to come back from eye-catching pass-and-move soccer.
Up to now it’s been direct balls up high (vs. Ipswich), medical counter-attacking (vs. Brentford) or successful 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 below Klopp, and so they’re nonetheless paying dividends.
That implies that whereas Liverpool discover ways to play their finest soccer, they’re nonetheless successful and successful nicely.
Maybe we’ll look again on this begin and say: that is once we discovered that Arne Slot is a winner.
