Premier League: Slot walks a fine line at Liverpool

Winning the Premier League in your first season banks a lot of credit among fans and owners alike. After doing that unbelievable feat last season with Liverpool, Arne Slot must have felt a job security unlike any other manager starting their second season at a club. But professional sport is a fickle lover and after a rather indifferent season, the drums calling for the Dutchman’s head are now growing louder.

Last Saturday’s morale-crushing late defeat at the hands of Bournemouth meant that the reigning champions, have only five wins in their last 18 league matches. Bottom half type form but for the fact they had five straight wins over August and September.

The hope

Ahead of this season, it was easy to see why optimism was riding high at Liverpool. The club spent nearly half a billion pounds on new and exciting talent, leading many giddy fans into thinking about dynastic legacies.

Suffice to say, it has not worked out that way. And there are several reasons and issues behind the setbacks.

The belief that buying so many exciting new players would only boost Liverpool’s abilities this season, in reality, had the effect of disrupting the side’s balance. Requiring time for the new faces to settle.

Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, Jermaine Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez were all exciting big-time signings, but with the exception of Ekitike, the rest have struggled to blend, while Isak was unfortunate to break his ankle before he could truly make any impact. It is also fair to say, the new signings now are showing signs of their excellence, especially Wirtz, but it has taken the predicted time for them to settle.

Indeed, more of an issue now has been the step-back in quality of the existing players at the club. Mo Salah, Alexis MacAllister, Ibrhim Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo are just a shadow of their former selves, with only Dominik Szoboszlai from last year’s class being able to say he has held his own and even progressed as a player. The weakness of Konate and Van Dijk in the Liverpool defence, has been notable, exemplified in the lackadaisical approach Van Dijk had to closing-down the Bournemouth breaks last Saturday.

While the attention was on the new names coming in, little was made of the effect from so many experienced players been lost by the club. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Luis Díaz, Darwin Nunez, Kostas Tsimikas, Harvey Elliott and Caoimhin Kelleher all left the club. Those players accounted for a collective 243 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring 33 goals and producing 22 assists between them. And then there was the loss of Diego Jota and the emotional impact his death had on the squad not to mind the incredible impact of not having his goals-total either.

Shapes

But maybe the most important issue has been Slot’s approach to his side’s formation. It’s well known that Slot dislikes facing the ‘low block’ what was once known as ‘parking the bus’ tactic, successfully enacted by many sides facing Liverpool this season in the league.

Slots preferred formation in the league of 4-2-2-2 plays into the opposition’s low block rebuttal, who can counterattack into the wide-open spaces left by Liverpool on the wings, especially when the fullbacks push up to assist the attack.

Slot’s formation is very effective in attack. Liverpool will score in most games but with a narrow midfield square and no width to the defence it does catch out the centre backs who are often left exposed on the counter without assistance in midfield from the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and MacAllister.

Liverpool do not face this in the Champions League as most teams are not laid out in low block formation and thus open to exploitation between the lines by Slot's arrow attack. As shown with the 3-0 and 6-0 wins over Marsaille and Qarabag respectively in recent weeks. Liverpool look like their champions in Europe, only to return to a seemingly clueless approach on their return to Blighty.

Fix it

Slot has been able to identify the problem behind opponent’s low block tactic readily enough but is seemingly unable to do anything to address it. Resulting in the rash of criticism to his approach from Liverpool fans and pundits alike.

Steven Gerrard noted on TV that he was sick of Slot bemoaning the low block, “He is the boss, he has to figure out how to handle it”. Which seems a fair criticism of any manager.

To be fair to Slot, as lucky as he was last season, things have not gone his way this time out with injuries and dips in player form. But some are asking, is that down to fatigue and players settling in, or has he just lost the locker room? The difference in form between Europe and domestic indicates that it is more the former than the latter.

So far, the ownership has stuck with Slot, after all he brought success well ahead of schedule and they may want to give him the time to see his rebuild project through.

Still, most believe that if Slot doesn’t qualify Liverpool for next season’s Champions League, then he is definitely gone. Like most businesses, the credit built up with owners only lasts as long as it doesn’t start costing them money.