Our tactics writer Aidan Smith, from Tactically Speaking, and videographer Ewan Harkness briefly outline how Liverpool will play under their new manager Arne Slot.
Slot’s Feyenoord are good. They’re really good. They can play out from the back, move the ball quickly, spring attacks from nothing, press high, force turnovers, and do it all again. And yet, they’re what you might call ‘normal’. One thing they’re not is revolutionary.
On the ball, Slot likes to create width with one player on each side, with the other eight outfield players taking up central positions. They want to build up with slick, controlled passing — going from defence to attack as swiftly as possible without losing the ball.
The data backs this up, with Feyenoord looking press resistant and taking relatively few touches inside their own half.
Two players who are going to be central to the Slot identity are Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cody Gakpo. Slot likes one full-back to invert, while the other provides width on the flank. At Liverpool, this arrangement takes care of itself, with Alexander-Arnold the natural inverter, and Andy Robertson the more traditional full-back on the left side.
Because of this, Liverpool will need their left-winger to drift inside and almost partner the striker at times. For Gakpo, that’s a dream scenario.
What this does mean is that the right-winger will have to stay wide, something Mo Salah struggles with. They’ll have to be proficient enough at one-v-ones to be able to take players on without an overlap from the right-back — who will instead be more inverted.
This could be the first area where Slot turns to his recruitment team. Feyenoord’s youthful winger Yankuba Minteh has performed this role assuredly, though the 19-year-old has only been a bit-part first team player this term. A Premier League starting role might be a step too far.
Out of possession, Slot’s Feyenoord side deployed a narrow 4-2-3-1 press, trying to force their opponents to play wide, before closing off all passing options infield. This tactic is one that may need some honing before Slot guides Liverpool out at Anfield next season.
While their press is spatially robust, it doesn’t pay a great deal of attention to clever player movements, and Liverpool may find themselves having to chase back towards their own goal to stop counter attacks if they’re not careful.
Possible starting line-up with potential signings
Liverpool’s business in the summer transfer window willlikely revolve around a few key positions. Defensive midfield will be one, with Liverpool in need of better midfield balance this year. Their hyper-attacking line-up last season only carried them so far, and they eventually had to revert to type. One seemingly perfect fit could be Portugal and Fulham pivot João Palhinha, who is destined for a big move sooner or later.
The other two spots of concern will be right-wing and centre-forward, where Liverpool have great players, but perhaps not the right profiles for the Slot philosophy. They need a right-winger who can take players on one-v-one and who can stretch defences with wide positioning. Someone of the Leroy Sané ilk would fit the bill, and with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, Liverpool could have their man.
Up front, a target man striker is what Slot will likely desire. Somebody like Ivan Toney or Gonçalo Ramos could be the athletic, aggressive target man Liverpool need.
Aidan is a football writer whose work on
tactics can be found at TacticallySpeaking
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