Necessary Evil
Arne Slot has sacrificed stardust for stability.
You asked for change, and you got change. Liverpool finally returned to winning ways on Sunday afternoon, defeating West Ham United by two goals to nil.
After conceding ten goals in three games, Arne Slot decided to make a few pretty drastic moves, dropping Mohamed Salah to the bench while also fielding a centre-back as his right-back.
The Reds looked much better. But there’s lots to consider here. Let’s get into it.
Alright, positives first. It was nice to see Liverpool restore some degree of stability from front to back. Slot’s men looked defensively assured throughout the contest, with West Ham posting just 0.3 xG from seven shots.
That’s really good, and largely stemmed from how the Reds fixed their problematic right side. Having previously been a strength for Liverpool, the right wing has caused more trouble than it has been worth this term.
Salah has continued to perform like a superstar with defensive freedom, which is understandable considering he was exactly that last season, and it resulted in him breaking records for scoring and assisting 47 goals in the Premier League.
The Egyptian returned at a rate of about 1.3 goals and assists per 90 last season, which was just ridiculous. This time around, he’s posting 0.5 goals and assists per 90, without his defensive efforts changing much.
Indeed, earlier in the campaign, Marc Cucurella referenced Salah’s tendency to stay high when reflecting on Chelsea’s win over the Reds. ”Salah is always ready to attack, so if we do a good process, maybe we will have a lot of space in there,” he said.
But it’s not just Salah, no. Liverpool have also experiencing turbulence in their right-back department since Trent Alexander-Arnold’s summer departure to Real Madrid.
We haven’t even reached Christmas, and yet, Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and now Joe Gomez have all occupied Liverpool’s right-back spot this season. Not cool.
The latter was deployed there on Sunday. And Szoboszlai took Salah’s place further forward, with the Reds suddenly looking far more watertight against El Hadji Malick Diouf and Lucas Paquetá, two of Nuno Espírito Santo’s most dangerous players.
Liverpool’s first clean sheet in a month followed. Shock.
It was a joy to watch Florian Wirtz, too. I haven’t said that anywhere near enough since the two-time Bundesliga Player of the Year moved to Merseyside, but he looked himself on the weekend.
I wrote about Wirtz being a connector in the summer. At his best, he’ll perform like the Pied Piper of your attack. Think Sergio Busquets, only in the final third.
He was exactly that against West Ham. Loads of touches all over the place. Not necessarily creating tons of chances per se, but playing a key role in every attack. Accelerating moves with his first touch. Providing the glue, completing all but three of his 45 passes.
The below clip is a good example of what I’m talking about. Slow, nothing happening. And then boom, Wirtz touches the ball and speeds everything up. Now we go.
When you’re watching the real Florian Wirtz, you’re watching a dominant offensive player. Everything good runs through him. Give him the ball. He’s your conductor. Your poet.
I’m not necessarily sure Wirtz played well purely because Salah was on the bench. But the platform that Slot provided certainly benefited him, with Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch all positioned within his vicinity. Looks what happens when you surround him with a functional unit.
West Ham also helped. A lot. The Hammers were terrible and showed Liverpool far too much respect considering their recent form. It was a blessing of a fixture. Wirtz was largely allowed to play. And he’ll always look better whenever his team dominate possession.
Now, I don’t want to focus too much on the negatives after what we’ve had to endure over the past month, but come on. You’ll allow me to mention one or two things, right?
First, while Szoboszlai and Gomez locked down the right side for Liverpool, it’s reasonable to suggest they don’t quite offer enough on the attacking side of the game as a duo.
You had the latter providing width more often than not, which isn’t ideal considering he’s simply not that much of a threat. If I was managing a team against Liverpool, I’d leave Gomez with as much time and space as he desired with the awareness that he’s unlikely to hurt me.
With Gomez as a right-back, the Reds will benefit from three things. His defensive presence behind the ball, his tendency to play safe when in possession, and set-pieces, with Liverpool currently -8 for the season in that department.
That’s cool, as long as you’re aware that some offensive moves will break down at his feet. Either that, or he’ll be presented with advantageous situations that he won’t quite maximise.
But I want to be clear. Gomez was a big positive against the Hammers. Given Liverpool’s issues right now, having him on the pitch was a good thing. Even despite the prospect of failed attacks. In a squad of final third guys, he’s one of the few who actually wants to carry the piano. Treasure him.
In other negative news, Salah got benched and didn’t even enter the fray as a substitute. And West Ham completely opted against pressing high, allowing Liverpool to skip the whole build-up phase. Neither of those two things will keep happening.
Slot took necessary steps on Sunday afternoon. Your highest-paid player on the bench. A centre-back as a full-back, after signing two flying options in the summer. The defence prioritised at the expense of the attack, with Liverpool creating just nine shots worth 1.2 xG.
So much of what lies ahead depends on whether Gomez stays fit. And whether Slot can keep Salah satisfied with a role that simply doesn’t reflect his status as one of the modern greats.
But let’s just enjoy three points for now. We can save the misery for later.
Excellent piece. I believe we witnessed the blueprint for the post-Trent/Salah era: Wirtz as the creative hub with Isak and another striker up top, fullbacks pushing high and wide, midfielders dropping in for cover and technical quality in possession.
Your Gomez analysis is spot on. For the first time, I can see how Frimpong could fit. Hopefully Gomez stays fit—he brings real composure.
A brave call by the manager, but everyone looked clearer and more focused on their roles. Tougher tests ahead, but echoing your point from last week, we need to establish some constants for stability.
First assist by a fullback in the league though!