Liverpool spent huge sums in the summer transfer market and bought in several new players, throwing them in from minute one, which has backfired in what has been a difficult season
Arne Slot has been unable to mount a second successive title bid at Liverpool
Arne Slot has been unable to mount a second successive title bid at Liverpool(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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Ex-Liverpool star Joe Cole admits that Arne Slot's desire to throw in all his new signings from day one of the new season did backfire - and he should've "drip fed them in" with the balance of the team suffering.
The Reds kicked off the campaign on a Friday night against Bournemouth and were heavily tipped to retain their title come May. The champions had spent huge sums in the summer, twice breaking the British-transfer record, and wasted no time in introducing their new players.
Slot named more than £200million of new talent in their starting side with Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez occupying the two full-backs berths. Florian Wirtz came in as the team's playmaker with Hugo Ekitike leading the line.
The Frenchman would score in the first-half against Bournemouth, backing up the goal he had scored in the Community Shield. But whilst he enjoyed a stellar start to his Anfield career others did not follow and Wirtz's early struggles were well documented with his contributions in the final third particularly low.
Liverpool surrendered a two-goal lead that night to the Cherries, before scoring twice late on to claim victory, but the early warning signs that would later haunt them were there.
Cole told The Mirror: "I think they recognised the age of the squad was getting on. I think they were right in recruiting when they were at the top, the mistake I think they made was starting with four new players at the start of the season. The first time in Premier League history that a champion has started with four new players.
"So I think it was the right thing to recruit, but maybe with hindsight they'd have gone we shouldn't have started them all, maybe drip feed them in."
Slot was happy to change a winning formula but Wirtz, a conventional playmaker, was put into the team which led to subtle tweaks which left the team off-kilter.
Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike were two of the club's major summer signings
Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike were two of the club's major summer signings
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"Balance in midfield is crucial, sometimes its not the best players that should play," said Cole. "I think Mac Allister is different to Wirtz, even though they'd both be classed as 10s, Mac Allister would be more comfortable playing deep. So that helped with the balance and that's the managers job.
"I'd have kept the midfield three at the start of the season, that style, and bought Wirtz on when games were opening up. I've never managed a game in my life, but I think the balance of the midfield from the start of the season has been a little bit off."
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