Liverpool was extremely careful in building the Arne Slot 2.0 version this summer, and they had a reason for that.
First of all, the amount of £ 300 million that Liverpool has spent is very huge, even though the current feeling is to own quality players, spending a large amount of money is indispensable. The number of £ 300 million clearly requires time and careful consideration.
Second, replacing 4 main players has never been easy. Coach Arne Slot finally had the opportunity to shape Liverpool into a multifunctional collective of his style. In terms of tactics, fans are waiting for a big change.
The Premier League championship last season was the first stage, but there were many other arenas that Liverpool felt they could improve, besides the goal of protecting the throne. In an interview with “men in blazers”, the Dutch coach revealed what he did this summer, looking for new ways to turn Liverpool into another “animal” on the pitch in the 2025/26 season.
Slot said: “We see that more and more defensive teams are lower than the imagination (last season), and one of the reasons we still win such matches is because we keep a clean sheet. We have worked very hard to just score a goal enough to win. And we have done it many times, and won many matches with just one goal.
I think by adding the creativity of Florian (Wirtz), the foundation of Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez, we will have more 'weapons' in such matches. If you don't evolve, if you keep doing it again, the opponent will find a way to neutralize your play, and that has somewhat happened in the second half last season. “
Therefore, if the strategy plan last season revolves around more control of the ball instead of constantly playing counterattack, the 2025/26 season will be more exploitation of more technical and dynamic players. Just by looking at Liverpool's friendly matches in the last season, you have clearly seen this team more creative and more unpredictable by the freedom in the movement of the players.
No one has a fixed position, with Wirtz and Ekitike constantly moving throughout the yard to create different options, causing the opponent to disorder – a style that is somewhat similar to PSG last season. In the following part of the interview, Slot talks about Liverpool having to evolve in terms of tactics to continue the highest level of success, emphasizing the team that needs to be excellent in every aspect of the match.
He added: “We have always been a threat over the past years under Jurgen Klopp and even the previous season, in the status transition phase. And I think now, if you want to dominate the tournament, you must be good at everything, from state transfer, attack, fixed free kick, firm defense, high quality to high defense blocks.
You must achieve the best performance in every part of football, and that's what we are trying. We are working extremely hard to become as best as possible. I don't remember where I read, but there was a saying that 'we tried to achieve perfection, but on the way, we touched the excellence'.
Liverpool now reaches maturity. Like you are watching a “galacticos” squad – not only because of the transfer value, but also because of the talent that Slot can exploit tactics. If last season, Mohamed Salah was the main weapon, now, Liverpool owns a whole collective with every individual can become a weapon.
