The trip to Newcastle United will be a slugfest for the league champions, shaken up by two members of the mid-table in the last fortnight. Thankfully for Liverpool, they can call on the services of a key midfielder, and the boss believes that the "balance will be better" thanks to his return to the lineup.
‘It would definitely help us to have him back’
**Liverpool**locked in for their preseason prep last month, jetting out to **South Asia**to face **AC Milan**and Yokohama Marinos before a double header against Athletic Club at Anfield. With no major international tournament this summer, it has been easier for the manager to get the group up to speed.
“It is helpful but we did have a good pre-season; we had six weeks compared to last season when we only had two. We had six weeks as well, but only two with most of the players, so we've had our time to train already and I think that is also what you could see in the Bournemouth game because if you look at the data and running stats, it was the most intense game that was played at the weekend.”
Milos Kerkez and **Jeremie Frimpong**have filled in as flying fullbacks. Both men have experience of English football, but are not the most stable defensively, and the team’s chemistry needs a little work.
*“That tells you our match fitness is where we want it to be and where we need it to be if you want to go to Newcastle, by the way. It is also clear in pre-season, I changed line-ups and then it is normal that you see every time the right connection between some players or some lines. That was already very good against **Athletic Club**and OK-to-good against Crystal Palace and against Bournemouth.”*
On Monday, the side should have Ryan Gravenberch. He was missing for the Community Shield due to the birth of his partner's baby, before a red card suspension at the end of last season ruled him out of the first match on the Premier League fixture list. His return is welcome from his compatriot.
“I think a lot if he is the same player as he was last season, that could help us a lot. If you look at the second goal we conceded, they could just go from one side from the eighteen yard box to the other without being attacked: Virgil and Ibou needed to go back because it was a 4 against 2 situation.”
The Dutchman was more of a box-to-box midfielder at Ajax, but he accepted the role of a sitting six last campaign and excelled on the way to the title. **Curtis Jones**and Dominik Szoboszlai have played in the double pivot in the previous two games, and the balance has suffered thanks to that choice.
Antoine Semenyo scored both of his goals on the counter last Friday as the Cherries cut through the heart of the hosts' defence. His second strike, off the back of a bustling ball carry, confirmed the point.
“I think if you look back at last season and every single time he played, Ryan would have been in that position and for him not being there and us playing with very good players but very attack-minded players, that hurt us with Semenyo’s second goal. That wasn't the first time where we lacked a player in that position on a counter-attack for the other team. It would definitely help us to have him back.”
‘Most changes I've made are due to match fitness’
Fitness and personnel play a part in the task of game management, but so does the self-ownership of the players. Slot admitted that his men should have sensed danger before Semenyo's second strike.
“The first goal was mainly unlucky that we lost the ball in a position we shouldn't lose it and then we were three against three, which is normally not a problem but we had a disadvantage to our opponent. The second goal is being too open. If all your three midfielders are inside the box, that’s too open.”
At the same time, the 46-year-old does not want to curb the instincts of the men in the midfield to break into the box and get goals when the time is right, referencing the contribution of Curtis Jones.
*“But the reason why we scored the 3-2, it was one of our midfielders, Curtis Jones, who arrived in the box and made it difficult for the goalkeeper, the ball fell to Federico. So, it's also who we are but we need to find the right balance by not being too open. But that balance will be better with Ryan.”*
Now, the manager is in a much better position to use his first choice double pivot of Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. The trip to **St. James' Park**will be a bruising battle in the middle of the park against a top team in transition, so he hopes that the pair can finetune the tiny details on Tyneside.
*“But with Macca being back, with Ryan in his normal position, I expect us to be even better prepared for the counter-attack than we were in this 2-2 moment, because I don't think – apart from the two goals, especially the second one– that there were many other counter-attacks from Bournemouth.”*
Critics will also assess how the Dutchman decides to use his bench. Against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, the Reds gave away goals when he sent on substitutes who are not as strong as members of the starting eleven. Slot set out to explain the logic behind his in-game rotation.
“Most changes I've made in the game are due to match fitness and players who were not available in the whole pre-season. Hugo Ekitiké that I took off twice, needs to make a step from Bundesliga to the Premier League and missed part of pre-season.
*“It's the same with Alexis Mac Allister, who was not able to start, in my opinion, against Palace but I think that he needed playing time. It's the same why I started him against Bournemouth. Was he already on the top of his level? No, he needs playing time.”*
It is also worth noting the game winner against the Cherries came through a volley from Federico Chiesa. It was proof that the team will need all of its members to succeed with clutch contributions.
“And we do have players on the bench that are equal to the ones that start, so then you need to use your squad. I see it as a coincidence that we've conceded our goals after the substitutions, but time will tell if I'm right or wrong. But on the other hand, we also scored a goal after a substitution.”