Coach Arne Slot did very well before helping Liverpool to coronation of the Premier League. But the new season could be much more arduous, because he had to seek to integrate a series of rookies into a stable collective.
The Premier League 2025/26 is less than a month away, but Arne Slot's Liverpool is still struggling in the pre -season period. And the 2-4 chaotic defeat against AC Milan on Saturday is a testament to that.
Although the friendly results do not mean much, it reflects a fact: the Anfield team needs to assemble about 4 new faces into a team that has won last season. In addition, they can still continue to supplement, depending on the Alexander Isak deal, while Luis Diaz is said to be able to join Bayern Munich.
This is a squad with a lot of changes. And the problem is: Most of these rookies do not have the optimal position in the traditional 4-3-3 diagram of Liverpool. Ryan Gravenberch can be flexible between midfield and defense, but many other players, especially Wirtz and Ekitike, are more suitable for the 3-4-3 diagram. It seems that it will be the long -term direction of the slot.
However, in a harsh tournament like the Premier League, the Dutch coach did not have much time to test. Slot needs to make accurate decisions, when Liverpool is now the “destination to defeat” of the opponents. Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City have improved significantly, and the championship race will be even more fierce than the previous season.
Slot is more pressure than when he first arrived, then he was only expected to keep the team stable after Jurgen Klopp. But his first season was unexpectedly succeeded: he built a repetitive tactical system, helped Liverpool overcome the tournament since January and maintain the first position despite the downward performance in the second phase.
Now, rivals have data to analyze Slot's system, and Liverpool also face a big challenge: the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has now moved to Real Madrid. That forced the attack to take more than the creative role that was largely burdened by Alexander-Arnold.
Florian Wirtz is the name that is expected to replace Alexander-Arnold in creative stage. But at Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz often plays in the system with two numbers 10 so he can comfortably receive the ball and organize the attack. Meanwhile, last season Liverpool almost did not use the number 10, and came against Milan recently, Wirtz was even arranged … number 9 virtual.
This is a confusing decision. When playing too high, Wirtz is easily “disabled” by the enemy center -back, from which Liverpool lost the necessary creativity. Wirtz is still very young (only 22 years old) and cannot carry the creative task of the team alone.
Ekitike is one of the other notable contracts. Despite possessing speed and techniques, the French player still needs time to integrate, especially when he does not have much experience playing at a continuous high level. Where Slot uses Ekitike, striker or wing, will be an important factor to create a balance for the attack.
Liverpool has spent a large amount of money to bring contracts such as Wirtz and Ekitike, and face many disturbances in the middle and defense. Arne Slot needs to adjust quickly, not only because of the competitiveness of the Premier League, but also because of the expectations from the fans are higher than ever.
There will be no time for long -term tests. If Slot wants to defend the championship and continue to raise Liverpool after the Klopp, he must find the solution to the tactical problem and have to find out next month.
