The Age of the Flyer

Is Arne Slot about to set a new trend?

Liverpool are going to win the Premier League this weekend. Pretty cool, right? I mean, it’s been in the post for a while. Manchester City never did go on that run.

The Reds need a single point from their upcoming bout against Tottenham Hotspur, who never draw matches. Sunday’s clash promises to be a spectacle to say the least. We’re almost there.

But I don’t want you drinking pint after pint until you forget where you live, no. I want you thinking about tactics. You subscribed to this Substack for a reason.

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I want you to pay attention to Spurs at Anfield. Watch what Ange Postecoglou does with his full-back duo, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie.

The pair invert virtually every week. When Spurs have possession, the right-back tucks inside and primarily stays behind the ball. And the left-back does exactly the same.

Those guys form a safety net with Rodrigo Bentancur, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, with two midfielders, two wide men and Dominic Solanke usually forming Postecoglou’s front five.

Now, I realise the stupidity of using Spurs as an example for anything nowadays. They are an unhinged side at the moment, sat 16th in the table despite scoring more goals than all but four teams.

On the defensive end, they aren’t good. You can have as much space as you want against them. It’s playground football. So what’s the point in focusing on Porro and Udogie, then?

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Well, Liverpool are toying with an interesting dynamic ahead of next season, with Trent Alexander-Arnold reported to be moving to Real Madrid in the coming months.

His replacement seems likely to be Conor Bradley or Jeremie Frimpong if you believe the word on the street. Two flyers. Two guys known for their running as opposed to their football.

On the opposite flank, Liverpool’s next starter seems destined to be Milos Kerkez based on the rumour mill, who is very much in the mould of a peak version of Andy Robertson. Again, another flyer. Another marathon man.

You can see where I’m going with this, right? I’m very curious about the idea of Liverpool going into next season with a gang of flyers forming their full-back department, without a single true inverted option. In 2025.