Liverpool head coach Arne Slot
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Arne Slot was still getting to know Liverpool and vice-versa when the new Reds boss greeted the media for the first time last July. And there was something the Dutchman was keen to get off his chest given the intrigue over his tactical approach for the team.
“I’m a bit, sad is maybe not the right word but I was hoping if people look at my team, they will not say it’s 4-2-3-1 or it’s 4-3-3 or it’s whatever formation you want to call it,” said Slot.
“I was hoping they would say there is a lot of freedom when they have the ball to take in different positions. So sometimes it’s a 4-2-3-1, sometimes it’s a 4-1-4-1, sometimes we do build up with three.
“I’m curious who told you we played 4-2-3-1? Maybe that one should go and get his licence or analyse a bit better!”
Of course, it didn't take long for supporters to realise the very basis of Slot's formation was indeed a 4-2-3-1, with the big shift the greater onus on Liverpool to keep possession while transforming, as much through necessity as design following the collapse of the deal for Martin Zubimendi, Ryan Gravenberch into a defensive midfielder alongside Alexis Mac Allister.
And where Slot scored highly was with his willingness to adapt to available personnel, the opposition and the game situation. It didn't take long for the Liverpool squad to be impressed.
“In the first few games, in the second half he always changed the tactics," said Mohamed Salah "Not just (substitutions), the tactics themselves.
“You go to the game and you see some managers like, ‘this is my style and you have to do it the whole game’, but he’s adapting somehow to how our opponent is playing and just like putting Dominik (Szoboszlai) in a different position, putting Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) in a different position.
"He doesn’t have that ego that, ‘okay, these are my tactics and it didn’t work but it will work in the second half’. No, no, no. He can adapt around. And in my head that’s very clever, very disciplined."
Salah's role was tweaked effectively enough for him to become the Footballer of the Year and win the Premier League Golden Boot and Playmaker awards.
But there were others who benefited from Liverpool's tactical evolution. Not least Luis Diaz, whose temporary switch to a false number nine proved crucial in guiding the Reds through the winter months and establishing a lead that saw them romp to a record-equalling 20th championship.
And nor was Slot averse to changing formation entirely. An experiment playing with Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones at the top of a box midfield - essentially leaving Liverpool without a recognised striker - earned a 3-2 win at Brighton in the League Cup and was repeated to successful effect in the 2-0 Premier League triumph at Manchester City four months later.
True, not all tactical masterplans are bulletproof. Newcastle United exposed a set-piece shortcoming in the League Cup final when Dan Burn capitalised on being marked by Alexis Mac Allister - one of Liverpool's smallest players - to head the Magpies ahead on a dire afternoon during which the Reds posted one of their worst-ever showpiece performances.
But that Liverpool players have been queuing up to praise the tactical acumen of Slot this season has been telling.
So too were the comments of the head coach in April. "Me and (Liverpool sporting director) Richard (Hughes) talk a lot about next season, and it is nice to have versatile players, players who can play in multiple positions," said Slot.
Which leads us to the current transfer window and the capture of Jeremie Frimpong in particular. Liverpool insiders have been keen to point out Frimpong isn't being regarded as a right-back as such, more a player capable of filling in along the flank.
That will prove useful when Salah departs for Africa Cup of Nations duty over Christmas, a period during which the Egyptian could miss up to 10 games. And it also opens up the possibility of Liverpool operating with three at the back with Frimpong a ready-made wing-back.
Then there is the deal for Florian Wirtz, which is now close to being completed as Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen thrash out the finer details regards the value of add-ons.
Wirtz is expected to start as an attacking midfielder but is capable of featuring on either flank and, given his ability to win back possession high up the pitch and ability to link play, could also play as a false nine.
And the introduction of the 22-year-old in his regular number 10 role would also free up the versatile Szoboszlai to be employed elsewhere, adding another option for Slot.
The Liverpool boss has already proven himself one of leading proponents of tactics in the game. Now the summer transfer business is poised to make his armoury even stronger.