With Liverpool’s first season below Arne Slot taking a pause for worldwide soccer, it offers us a possibility to analyse what has modified thus far.

After 9 years of Jurgen Klopp, many have been fast to take a position on simply how totally different the brand new coach’s soccer can be.

We’ve seen Slot-ball thrice on the highest degree now. So what have we realized about Slot at Liverpool?

Pragmatic

One second within the dominant win at Outdated Trafford encapsulated plenty of what Slot has delivered to Liverpool. It begins with Virgil van Dijk receiving the ball on the midway line.

We’ve seen this precise situation many occasions over time. Van Dijk’s signature move is an extended, correct change out to the fitting flank, the place a teammate can run instantly at their defender.

And right here, Trent Alexander-Arnold – not inverting into midfield however pushing forwards from right-back – is obtainable for precisely this ball.

Solely this time, Van Dijk makes a unique alternative. He punches a ball by way of the traces to Ryan Gravenberch…

…who’s taking part in as one of many deepest midfielders. His first contact will get him out behind the United press, permitting him to run on the defence…

…and the ball is in the end turned in by Alexander-Arnold, although VAR disallowed the aim.

We’ve been anticipating to see a lot of possession, brief passes, taking part in by way of stress – hallmarks of Slot-ball that we noticed at Feyenoord. And this transfer is an effective instance of that.

The factor is, although, we’ve seen this sort of soccer nearly as an addition or a bonus thus far. We noticed Van Dijk play one among his trademark switches within the buildup to the second aim vs. Ipswich.

We noticed a blistering counter-attack aim to take the lead versus Brentford.

11.6s ?? pic.twitter.com/xmp83I1pux

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 27, 2024

And for all three targets that stood vs. Man United, Liverpool pressed excessive and compelled United into decisive errors.

What this tells us about Slot is that he’s a pragmatist.

Quite than dogmatically sticking to his imaginative and prescient – like coaches resembling Ange Postecoglou – he’s glad to let his group hold taking part in to their strengths, whereas making small modifications that permit them to evolve their recreation.

Drawback-solver

What are a few of these small modifications? Nicely, the apparent one is the change to a double pivot in midfield.

Nevertheless it’s not as a result of Slot has a philosophical attachment to a formation – in truth, he has been adamant that he doesn’t use a 4-2-3-1, together with his setup merely a unique interpretation of a 4-3-3.

It’s extra a response to Liverpool’s tendency to concede counter-attacks, which denied them management of video games final season.

By switching to 2 deeper midfielders, Slot has simplified his full-backs’ recreation. At Outdated Trafford we noticed Alexander-Arnold monitoring again to defend counters himself, fairly than counting on a teammate to cowl.

It additionally permits Liverpool to commit extra gamers to buildup, with six gamers (4 defenders and two in midfield) displaying for the ball.

Gamers can simply discover a brief move to a teammate, and with the opposition compelled to commit numbers ahead to press, it additionally permits for direct balls as much as the entrance line.

This provides as much as a group that may dominate possession simply, has alternatives to go direct on the proper time, and has a greater construction to defend counter-attacks.

Heavy steel with a deeper, extra stable base.

Decisive

Maybe essentially the most eye-catching instance of Slot’s decisiveness was his substitution of Jarell Quansah at half-time vs. Ipswich.

However whereas that change grabbed the headlines, Slot has been fronting as much as the large calls from day one – and getting them proper.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: right-back. Ryan Gravenberch: No. 6. Diogo Jota: centre-forward.

These are the three large positional calls Slot has made thus far, and all three have labored properly.

Using the full-back we’ve already coated, with Alexander-Arnold already notching two ‘pre-assists’ (the move earlier than the move) alongside his three clear sheets.

Gravenberch struggled to nail down a spot in Klopp’s 4-3-3, however he’s been integral to Slot’s double pivot.

His technical safety permits Liverpool to play passes like Van Dijk’s at Outdated Trafford, and his skill to hold the ball forwards has helped to overload opposition defences.

And with the good thing about a accomplice alongside him and a again 4 behind him, he can step as much as win the ball on the proper second.

As for Jota, he’s dovetailed successfully together with his No. 10. He’s free to drop deep and hyperlink play, create area for Dominik Szoboszlai to run past him, and pull large to rotate together with his wingers – in addition to getting on the tip of probabilities himself.

This has additionally had a constructive impression on Luis Diaz. After scoring simply eight occasions in 37 league video games final season, he has three in three thus far.

All through his Liverpool profession, he’s tended to get on the ball out large after which drive inside to make his personal probabilities, resulting in some spectacular targets however not spectacular aim numbers.

Below Slot, he’s been rather more direct: ending off a counter-attack vs. Brentford earlier than scoring twice towards United – each with a first-time shot.

By eradicating the onus on him to stay to the touchline, Slot has given him the platform to attain extra ceaselessly.

No stone unturned

The factor is, one of the best continues to be absolutely to come back from Slot tactically.

For all the clip-worthy passages of play, we’re nonetheless ready for the primary aim to come back from eye-catching pass-and-move soccer.

To this point it’s been direct balls up prime (vs. Ipswich), medical counter-attacking (vs. Brentford) or successful the ball excessive up the pitch (vs. Man United).

It takes time for a brand new strategy to correctly click on.

However Slot is permitting his gamers to nonetheless play in transition, press aggressively and do all of the issues that labored properly below Klopp, they usually’re nonetheless paying dividends.

That implies that whereas Liverpool discover ways to play their finest soccer, they’re nonetheless successful and successful properly.

Maybe we’ll look again on this begin and say: that is once we realized that Arne Slot is a winner.