SLOT THE DIFFERENCE WHEN TACTICS FALTER

Stars line up to praise Arne’s willingness to adapt mid-match

- By IAN DOYLE

ARNE SLOT was still getting to know Liverpool and vice-versa when the new Reds boss greeted the media for the first time last July.

And there was something the Dutchman was keen to get off his chest given the intrigue over his tactical approach for the team.

"I'm a bit, sad is maybe not the right word but I was hoping if people look at my team, they will not say it's 4-2-3-1 or it’s 4-3-3 or it’s whatever formation you want to call it," said Slot.

"I was hoping they would say there is a lot of freedom when they have the ball to take in different positions. So sometimes it’s a 4-2-3-1, sometimes it's a 4-1-4-1, sometimes we do build up with three.

"I'm curious who told you we played 4-2-3-1? Maybe that one should go and get his licence or analyse a bit better!"

Of course, it didn’t take long for supporters to realise the very basis of Slot's formation was indeed a 4-2-3-1, with the big shift the greater onus on Liverpool to keep possession while transforming, as much through necessity as design following the collapse of the deal for Martin Zubimendi, Ryan Gravenberch into a defensive midfielder alongside Alexis Mac Allister.

And where Slot scored highly was with his willingness to adapt to available personnel, the opposition and the game situation. It didn’t take long for the Liverpool squad to be impressed.