Arne Slot chose to play Liverpool in another new formation on Wednesday evening.
Although it didn’t work out as he would have wanted it to, the fact that Slot is willing to experiment with what he has available shows that he could be starting to get Liverpool up to speed.
Liverpool’s Carabao Cup defeat against Palace was expected, especially after the team that the Dutchman chose to start.
mail iconJoin our newsletter for news & smart analysis.
And, while fans may be annoyed that there’s one less trophy for Liverpool to try and win, it will give them some extra time to recover and perhaps allow them to focus more on the Premier League and Champions League.
Steven Gerrard kisses the Champions League trophy after Liverpool beat AC Milan in the 2005 final.
Photo by Tom Jenkins/Getty Images
The result didn’t go Liverpool’s way on Wednesday, but it did allow Slot to learn how to get results out of his players, especially since it confused Crystal Palace.
Liverpool’s set-up in their new formation was difficult for Crystal Palace to ‘come to terms’ with
Stephen Warnock, the former Liverpool player, was on commentary for BBC Sport during the clash, with the pundit sharing why the Reds’ new formation was difficult for Oliver Glanser’s men to deal with.
“It’s a back three for Liverpool and then you have Calvin Ramsay and Milos Kerkez as wing-backs,” he said in quotes relayed by BBC Sport.
“Federico Chiesa is up top on his own, but he is flanked by Rio Ngumoha and Kieran Morrison.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
“It is an interesting formation. It is positive from Liverpool and Palace are struggling to come to terms with the formation that Liverpool are playing.”
The fact that Palace were struggling to figure out how to deal with Liverpool’s set-up is rather interesting.
As mentioned, only a few of the Reds’ senior players started the game, so imagine what they could do when they’re used in that formation.
Indeed, some, such as Mohamed Salah and Jeremie Frimpong, haven’t had much luck this term, but if they’re played in their preferred roles, things could start falling into place.
Liverpool must stick with this formation and try it out when their senior team members are back
Salah, Frimpong, and Alexander Isak would all likely benefit from this new formation that Slot tried out against the Eagles.
Not only does it provide the team with much more defensive stability, but their full-backs would also be given much more freedom to roam, while also allowing them to use their attacking prowess more often.
It’s been made more than clear this season that a back four for Liverpool is no longer working, and since their defence is one of their biggest issues at the moment, adding another body into the mix could help shore things up.
October has been an awful month for Liverpool, and if there’s any way that the Merseyside outfit can claw things back, they need to take it.
Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot is pictured prior to the UEFA Champions League football match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Liverpool FC in Frankfurt.
Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images
November is gearing up to be a massive month for the Anfield outfit with games against Manchester City and Real Madrid coming up next week.
Here’s hoping a solution to their problems is figured out by then; otherwise, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will run riot.