The Reds have stumbled on a winning formula - and the £125m man isn't part of it
ANFIELD — In hindsight, Liverpool probably could have saved themselves £125m on Alexander Isak.
It did seem somewhat excessive to break the British transfer record to bring in another forward after giving Mohamed Salah a wage structure-busting new contract and spending £200m on two other elite-level forward talents.
Initially, however, the consensus was that Liverpool had carried out an all-timer of a transfer window. Yes, they were over-inflated in the strike department, but what a dilemma to have! Is there such a thing as too many world-class options up front?
Yes, as it turns out. Florian Wirtz cost too much money to leave out, and with Salah immovable, Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo to fit in, the solution previously this term was to deploy as many as possible, at the same time
Late goals masked deficiencies with Arne Slot’s all-out attack approach early on. Defensively, last season’s second-most-impenetrable backline looked exposed, shipping more goals than Virgil van Dijk had ever borne witness to since arriving on Merseyside.
How Liverpool turned a corner
Taking a leaf out of Arsenal’s book has helped Slot stop the rot. Two wins in a week, both to nil – sticking it to Trent Alexander-Arnold and new foes Real Madrid the added bonus – came about, in the main, as a result of Liverpool being more solid, harder to beat than they have been thus far.
In victories over Aston Villa and Madrid, aided by Isak’s injury absence, Slot has taken a more conservative approach, deploying an extra body in midfield. The fact that addition was fit-again Alexis Mac Allister, who scored the winner in Tuesday night’s 1-0 triumph, has proven pivotal.
Slot should be wary of diverging from this more sensible system, certainly against elite-level opposition at home or abroad.
It will require the stoicism of the highest order, leaving hundreds of millions of attackers on the bench week in, week out. These big calls are nonetheless part and parcel of the job around these parts.
Arsenal have stormed out in front domestically as a result of eight successive clean sheets. Keeping the ball out is just as important as scoring goals down the other end, even if you possess the most expensively-assembled strike force in history.
Slot masterminds a miserable night for Madrid
As Real Madrid slipped to their second successive defeat at Anfield, they recorded just two shots on target, their fewest in a Champions League game since their 1-0 win over Liverpool in the 2021-22 final.
They didn’t manage a single one in the second half, even when chasing the game, the first time that has happened since the 2023-24 quarter final against Manchester City at the Etihad.
The 1-0 scoreline flattered Real. Liverpool never looked troubled despite facing Kylian Mbappe at the peak of his goalscoring powers, Vinicius Junior and a fit-again Jude Bellingham.
Alongside the metronomic Ryan Gravenberch, Mac Allister adds that extra layer of protection and, more pertinently, control. He won 100 per cent of his duels, tackles and completed 91 per cent of his passes.
With Dominik Szoboszlai, playing that bit further ahead but still aware of his defensive responsibilities, Liverpool just don’t look quite so vulnerable.
Why Wirtz’s role change was key
Wirtz played out wide against Madrid after previously being as a No 10 (Photo: Getty)
Wirtz played out wide against Madrid after previously being as a No 10 (Photo: Getty)
Wirtz has so far mostly been utilised at the head of a midfield three, but much more as a traditional No 10, giving his side essentially a four-pronged attack.
Exciting to watch, certainly, but it is not sustainable, not when your biggest Premier League title rivals look near impenetrable.
Wirtz actually put in his best Liverpool performance from a wide forward role, creating five chances from open play for the second time in a red shirt, the only Premier League player to do so in more than one game across all competitions this season.
But it is what they ceded down the other end that will have pleased Slot the most. It won’t be easy to manage, as many of his forward options have their own reasons for being immune to omission.
There is, however, no other way. Liverpool won’t be able to rediscover anything like top form, in all competitions, with four forwards on the pitch every match. Slot seems to become aware of that in the nick of time.
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