Arne Slot looks on during a Liverpool matchplaceholder image
Arne Slot looks on during a Liverpool match | AFP via Getty Images
Arne Slot has been looking for a missing spark in his Liverpool team this season, he has one, he just needs to play them more often.
Liverpool had a strange winter transfer window with Arne Slot having to make do with what he has got for the rest of the season.
The summer will see the arrival of Jeremy Jacquet, a player for both the short and long term. A partnership of Giovanni Leoni and Jacquet is one that already has a sizeable amount of senior experience despite having a combined age that isn’t far off that of Virgil van Dijk’s.
Who Arne Slot should turn to for Liverpool’s plan B
Another position that wasn’t addressed was on the wing. Mohamed Salah has been restored to the starting XI and Florian Wirtz is in fine goal scoring form coming off the left-hand side. With Hugo Ekitike nailing down the no.9 position, there aren’t any real gaps in the attack. This three is clearly Slot’s Plan A.
The problem, has been when Plan A hasn’t worked and the Liverpool boss has had to find another way to break teams down. Fans have called for Federico Chiesa to get more game time, but Slot simply doesn’t rate the Italy international, which only makes the decision to not let him leave all the more bizarre.
The frustrating thing is, Slot already has a Plan B. He has complained about teams who set up in a low block all season and yet rarely deployed the one player who could make a difference.
Cody Gakpo has a decent goal return, but he isn’t the type of player who will create something out of nothing. The player who can, is Rio Ngumoha. The teenage winger needs to play more often in the rest of the season and share minutes with Salah. Slot now needs to start preparing for next season and beyond. There is a reason why Slot should pick Ngumoha, someone he has already labelled as “quality” this season.
What Slot has said about needing a difference maker
Slot has explained in his own words why he needs to play Ngumoha. He is a maverick, unpredictable, and of creating something from nothing. Speaking earlier this season after one of many poor results, Slot said: "In my opinion Cody struggled to dominate the one-v-ones," Slot said. "And if you want to have any chance against them pressing high and also in a low block then the way to score is quite simple: you need a moment of magic from a player or a set piece to score.
"And Cody struggled to find that moment because it was hard for him to dominate and get crosses in and in the first half we played (Dominik) Szoboszlai on the right to be defensively strong not to concede as much as the last few weeks.
"So I changed to Mo on the right side and then with midfielder Florian Wirtz on the left. We hardly conceded but it was throughout the whole game difficult to create that moment of magic.”
Ngumoha is the spark that Slot needs. He is a left-winger by trade but the teenager wouldn’t grumble if given minutes out of position. It’s time to properly unleash him on the Premier League.
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