Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has to revert to his philosophy after suffering a 3-0 defeat to rival Manchester City. The fifth Premier League loss of the season has put the Reds in eighth position and eight points behind Arsenal.
Liverpool enjoyed a high-spending summer and made numerous changes within the squad, signing proven players to bolster their title-winning squad. However, the drastic changes immediately raised many questions about the balance of the squad and Slot’s philosophy that helped Liverpool.
Last season, the Dutchman inherited a strong team from the legendary manager Jurgen Klopp and only made philosophical tactical changes. Instead of the highly electrifying attacking style of play that Klopp implemented, Slot used a more balanced approach at Liverpool.
During his early days as a Liverpool head coach, Slot revealed his philosophy to Jamie Carragher in an interview with Sky Sports. He said:
“Liverpool used every moment they could to play the ball in behind [before]. That meant that the game was sometimes a bit open, especially in the last period of Jurgen. Sometimes I tell the players to get a better judgement in risk and reward.”
Liverpool showed Slot’s philosophy in the first season, displaying more control in possession than always bombarding forward. The philosophy allowed the team to control the space and emphasise both the defensive and offensive sides.
While Liverpool enjoyed an incredible Premier League season, they showed vulnerability against physically imposing sides. Their struggle against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United made it necessary to provide a more physically imposing presence in certain games.
However, Liverpool opted to sign several attacking players, including more attack-minded fullbacks in Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. While these signings are impressive on paper, they raised doubts over the balance of the squad as a whole.
New signings Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, along with Florian Wirtz, are already an incredible attacking addition. To balance their arrival, many assumed that Liverpool would recruit more balanced defensive options even in wide areas.
Another imbalanced performance: Manchester City exposed Liverpool
Every moment counts during a football game, and there is no denying that referees cost Liverpool immensely against Man City. The wrongfully disallowed goal only adds to the long list of high-profile wrong decisions officials have made against the Reds.
However, both Liverpool fans and Slot know that the performance in itself never deserved anything from the game. The disjointed Liverpool is completely imbalanced from top to bottom, with players struggling with both individualistic and collective form.
Speaking after the match (via Liverpool Echo), Slot admitted that his game plan against Man City should receive the blame before the players. He said:
“It was difficult for some of our players then to make the right decisions. It wasn’t about my players not wanting to make duels, they had to run a lot because they were so much better on the ball than us. Our players were then sometimes too late. I would look to the game-plan first and foremost of us and them and not blame my players at all.”
Player Factor: Multiple high-profile names need to be held accountable
Mohamed Salah’s loss of pace and guile to beat defenders at 33 years of age is understandable, but his overall struggle is concerning. From poor decision-making to the bad application of his technical ability in the final third, the Egyptian has struggled immensely.
Wirtz continues to struggle with the league’s pace, but he has not received any help from his out-of-form teammates. Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo has also struggled to regain his last season’s form despite playing regularly for the team.
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is losing the faith of the fanbase due to the ongoing contract saga and his poor form.
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is losing the faith of the fanbase due to the ongoing contract saga and his poor form.
However, the biggest issue for Liverpool is in the defensive aspect of the game, which starts with Ibrahima Konate. The Frenchman’s ongoing contract saga and future uncertainty have only raised doubts among the fanbase about his commitment.
Simultaneously, following numerous instances of poor performance and prominent errors, Konate must take responsibility for his actions. While players like Kerkez can argue that they have just arrived in a squad that is struggling to find balance, Konate has no excuse as one of the experienced players.
Rest assured, any potential road to recovery starts with Slot drastically changing things at Anfield before his job becomes unstable. The Dutchman needs to revert to his formerly successful philosophy, as there was never a need to change the formula that worked so well last season.