When Liverpool originally announced their pre-season fixtures, there were only four matches scheduled – far fewer than the Reds typically would have had in recent times.
By Matt Ladson, ThisIsAnfield.com
So it was no surprise that new head coach Arne Slot has added in two more games since officially starting on Merseyside, with a behind-closed-doors game against Preston North End kicking off pre-season, followed by three games in the USA – against Real Betis, Arsenal and Man United.
Those three matches were all won, with six goals scored and just one conceded. We should never read too much into pre-season results, but the performances and style of play have given supporters reason for new optimism going into Slot’s first season at Anfield.
Slot’s side host not one but two LaLiga sides at Anfield on Sunday, with Sevilla and Las Palmas the opponents – the latter a late addition to the schedule that will also be behind closed doors.
Here’s what we’ve learned from Slot’s pre-season so far and how Liverpool are shaping up under their new head coach.
Arne Slot’s style is more Guardiola than Klopp
We’d heard prior to his arrival this summer that Slot was a disciple of Pep Guardiola’s, with the Dutchman once saying that the Spaniard’s teams give him the “ultimate joy in football” and that “there is no team in the world I would rather watch than Manchester City.”
He also added, in an interview last year: “I certainly don’t want to compare myself to Pep, but he is a control freak just like me.”
Pre-season has given us a lot of insight into the new coach’s methods and style of play, with an open training session in Pittsburgh providing plenty of early details and the three friendlies giving solid evidence of what we can expect.
Slot clearly wants more control of the play, less rushed, fewer counter attacks conceded.
“Every time you lose the ball, you lose an opportunity to score a goal,” he was heard telling his players in training. “Kill them with passes,” he shouted.
And he was right about the ‘control freak’ comment, too, it seems, being very hands-on in training sessions. He appears to be very much just as advertised; a head coach rather than a manager.
Slot’s training sessions have involved a lot of things we see a lot from Guardiola’s teams; overloads out wide followed by square passes across goal; third man runs from midfield; and up back and through patterns of play.
Liverpool are going to be much less heavy metal and far more meticulous.
Building out from the back – “that is our style”
Slot also, again like Guardiola, wants the team to build from the back – something that will likely lead to seem teething issues in the early days. “I think we gave away too many chances,” admitted Slot despite a 3-0 win over United in South Carolina.
“The style of play, with trying to build out from the back, that is our style,” Slot explained after the first friendly against Real Betis.
“To control the game, to not concede constant counter-attacks, that will hopefully be our style during the season.”
One of the criticisms of Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool, especially in recent seasons, has been their lack of control and how open they have been to counter-attacks, quite often relying on the brilliance of Alisson to bail them out.
Expect Liverpool games to look far less open and basketball-like and more possession-heavy for the Reds. Patience is being practiced.
The midfield will be “the heart of the team”
We’ve heard a lot from players about the new style of play, including Harvey Elliott describing Slot’s style as elegant and typically Dutch ‘Total Football’.
But the most interesting insight arrived from a very open press conference Curtis Jones gave early on the American tour.
“The principles are the same, but I feel that now the centre-mids are going to be more the heart of the team,” he explained.
“We’re not in a rush to attack, we want to have the ball and break teams down. I feel in the past it was a rush to get the ball back and it was a little too direct, up and down, up and down.”
Those words echo those of Slot’s in relation to being open to counter attacks, and provide true insight into how the Dutchman wants his midfield to control the game.
Elliott and Szoboszlai should prosper
Jones added that he felt under Klopp “the centre-mids were always lads who were runners and more disciplined.”
This certainly rings true. Often under the former boss the likes of Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and James Milner were critiqued for their lack of contributions from midfield, but it truly does seem that they were simply following out instructions.
The new style will suit almost all the midfielders in the Reds’ squad, with Jones, Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai potentially the three biggest benefactors.
Elliott has shone in pre-season, he earned FotMob’s player of the match against Arsenal with an impressive 8.6 rating after creating four chances and assisting two goals. The 21-year-old has occupied the No.10 position, with Slot’s formation being more 4-2-3-1 than 4-3-3 like Klopp’s.
We also saw Szoboszlai connect nicely with Mo Salah for a goal against Betis, with the Hungarian saying: “Last year it didn’t happen so often so I just always let him know I’m always ready to [make] these runs. Hopefully you’re going to see me [do that] in the season a couple of times.”
“Style of play is different now, it’s more about in possession now,” said Elliott.
Wataru Endo isn’t an Arne Slot style of midfielder – but Zubimendi is!
However, there is one player who seemingly isn’t suited to the new midfield set-up, Japan international Wataru Endo, who was hooked at half time in the friendly against Betis after what was a very off-the-pace showing.
Since then, Slot utilised Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch as the starting holding midfielders against Arsenal and United.
Clearly, the No.6 position is the biggest requirement for the Reds this summer- just as it was last summer – with the pursuit of Martin Zubimendi ongoing at the time of writing.
Zubimendi ranks at 91.4% for successful passes on FotMob, but also offers impressive defensive stats, particularly in the air where his aerial duels won in LaLiga last season put him in at 90% ranking. His interceptions are even better at 96%, and recoveries at 91%.
Get the 25-year-old Spaniard, who seems a much better fit for Slot’s midfield than he would have been for a Klopp midfield, and Liverpool will certainly be looking very strong going into the new season.
(Images from IMAGO)
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