Arne Slot has overseen some changes at Liverpool since taking over from Jurgen Klopp as manager in 2024
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - MARCH 03: Arne Slot, the Liverpool manager looks on prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool at Molineux on March 03, 2026 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Arne Slot is facing a tricky second season as Liverpool manager(Image: David Rogers, Getty Images)
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Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey is urging the Reds' star players to rise to the occasion for Arne Slot in the season's final weeks. However, he concedes he would have struggled to play alongside Mohamed Salah while also outlining some differences between the Reds' approach under Slot and predecessor Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds bolstered their chances of a top five finish with a 5-2 triumph over West Ham United on Saturday, only to lose ground when they lost away to bottom-of-the-table Wolves in midweek. Expectations have been adjusted since the reigning champions started the season as many people's title favourites to the point that securing Champions League football after a tumultuous campaign may well be viewed as a relative success.
Ex-Red Heskey, part of a cup treble-winning side under Gerard Houllier in 2001, has been closely monitoring how manager Slot has shaped his team since replacing Klopp in the summer of 2024. He believes the Dutchman has primarily concentrated on his attack during his tenure at Anfield, with Liverpool top-scoring in the league last term.
"I think you're looking at individual players to step up for Liverpool," Heskey told OLBG. "When Jurgen Klopp was at Liverpool he started from the back and built the defence first. He didn't worry too much about the forwards. He knew that would all come.
"He cemented a structure at the back that basically sustained them up until not so long ago and it's done really well over the years that he was there. Then he could go onto the forwards and really start building that heavy metal football.
"With Arne Slot, he's gone with the forward line first, and it's been a little bit more difficult at times because you want Florian Wirtz to be getting on the ball all the time. You want Mohamed Salah to be scoring all the goals like he did before.
"Liverpool still need someone to emulate what we had with Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz and you probably want someone up front who's going to give you sort of the balance that Roberto Firmino brought having two goalscorers either side of him. Slot is building something totally different and it's never going to look the same but now Liverpool have got Hugo Ekitike up front and I think he's done fantastic."
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - JANUARY 10: Emile Heskey a pundit on Sky Sports is seen prior to the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St James' Park on January 10, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Emile Heskey has spoken in detail about his former club(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse, Getty Images)
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Heskey ended up with 60 goals in 223 appearances for the Reds between 2000 and 2004. During that period, he forged a prolific partnership with Michael Owen for club and country and would frequently utilise his physical prowess to meet crosses from wide players.
Liverpool use their wide forwards differently these days, though, with Heskey suggesting he might have less fun in the current system. "I remember someone asking me a few years back, would you have liked to play with Mohamed Salah? I said probably not," he added.
"I'd probably prefer to play with Trent (Alexander-Arnold) because I know he's going to cross the ball for me. Mo's not going to cross. Mo wants to score goals. We've gone from wingers who want to provide to wingers who want to score goals."
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