Slot can unleash scary new Liverpool XI but it doesn’t include Isak | Football | Sport

Arne Slot again utilised a diamond midfield for Liverpool‘s impressive Champions League win away at Inter Milan having also used the same set-up at Leeds United. And the Dutchman may be able to field an exciting new-look line-up if he sticks with the same formation in the weeks ahead.

The Reds were without several players in Milan. Chiefly, of course, Mohamed Salah but also Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Jeremie Frimpong and Wataru Endo. And should Slot be able to repair his relationship with Salah, the 4-1-2-1-2 could actually allow the Egyptian to return to the team post-AFCON without his off-the-ball intensity being a big problem.

With Alexander Isak needing to be rotated with Hugo Ekitike up top due to a lack of alternative No.9s, using Salah as a striker in a front two would help allow the Swede to come in and out of the side. His fitness could be managed easier by Slot. At this point, it may be until next season that the Premier League champions truly see the best of him because his lack of a pre-season has had a massive impact on him.

Isak and Salah are not too dissimilar in their off-the-ball work whereas, in possession, Salah can be far more creative than the striker. Despite his struggles this season, the 33-year-old could actually be an upgrade on this current version of Isak. Salah gets more involved in the build-up and is better at creating goalscoring chances.

Crucially, the diamond allows Liverpool to be shored up defensively. The extra body in midfield means Salah’s work rate would not come into question as much because the defence have the extra protection. In the 4-2-3-1, with Cody Gakpo’s defensive output also not ideal, more gaps open up. In a 4-1-2-1-2, Salah could stay on the last line instead to focus on making runs in behind, with Ekitike dropping deeper to facilitate play and create overloads between the lines and give the likes of Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai a team-mate to link with.

Behind the front two, the midfield should be nailed. Ryan Gravenberch sits at the base of the diamond while Wirtz is the perfect player for the tip of the quartet. In the middle are Liverpool’s player of the year Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, who is outperforming Alexis Mac Allister at the moment. The pair can be rotated if the Argentine finally regains form.

Defensively, Ibrahima Konate partners Virgil van Dijk while this system could allow all four of Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, Andy Robertson and Milos Kerkez to flourish. While the set-up requires huge effort for the full-backs to get up and down the pitch, it also affords them the chance to push forward more and provide width in the final third.

Earlier this season, Kerkez had almost been asked to act as a left-sided centre-back and it did not play to his strengths. His athleticism is a key reason why he was signed, and the same goes for Frimpong. Bradley has proven himself capable of being a threat in attack too.

It may not be the solution for the rest of the season but just while Liverpool need to be stronger at the back and more controlled in midfield, this formation may be the fix. “We hardly gave away a chance,” Slot enthused post-match at the San Siro.

While Liverpool’s attacking quality means the focus long-term must be on trying to win games rather than focusing on not losing them, this is a side that has conceded two or more goals in a match on 12 occasions this season. They have only played 24 matches. So for now, a focus on consistently solid defensive performances makes sense.

The diamond might be the way for Liverpool to get some stability, momentum and confidence back. They’re four games unbeaten and maintaining that run into the New Year would do the side a world of good.

Liverpool’s 4-1-2-1-2 XI: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch; Jones, Szoboszlai; Wirtz, Ekitike, Salah