The Ladder
Has Arne Slot solved the puzzle?
So just days after the light at the end of the Anfield tunnel went out, it seems supporters have found a new glimmer of hope. A beacon of promise in the form of Arne Slot’s latest system.
Liverpool’s performance against Tottenham Hotspur was pretty awful last weekend, but it did coincide with several regular starters on the bench, including Hugo Ekitike, Mohamed Salah, Milos Kerkez and Ibrahima Konaté.
All of those guys returned to face Galatasaray midweek. It was a must-win knockout bout for Slot, and his boys delivered. Let’s take a glance at what changed.
So there’s been one recurring theme on the pitch — and on this Substack — this season. On a countless number of occasions, I’ve highlighted how at least one player always seems to be occupying a role that’s alien to him.
The reasons have differed throughout the campaign, but for the most part, Slot has struggled to establish what I would label as a harmonious system, with each player doing exactly what comes natural to him.
At the start of the season, for example, Kerkez spent most of his time forming part of Liverpool’s safety net behind the ball, despite thriving as an overlapping flyer at Bournemouth.
Salah has spent lots of his time hugging the touchline. Florian Wirtz has been tried on the right flank here and there. Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones continue to do shifts at right-back. Things like that.
Well, in the Champions League on Wednesday night, Slot finally managed to present his players with a platform to essentially be themselves. No thinking required. Nothing but familiar situations to maximise.
Slot employed a 4-2-2-2 of sorts. You could also argue that Liverpool used a midfield diamond depending on your perspective, with split strikers darting inside from wide(ish) starting positions.
Liverpool played with layers. Almost like climbing a ladder. You had a back four in place, two deep-lying midfielders, two advanced midfielders, and two strikers.
