All Aboard the Slot Express

[JockStrap]

How deep do you want to go? The immidiately obvious things that are different from last season are -

- Grav no longer splits the CBs and recieves the ball pushing them wideer, and the FBs further forward.
- Konate is left with the ball and is expected to be the ball playing CB.
- When Grav or either of the CBs have the ball in the oppo half all of the players rush forward and stand in neat little line along the 18 yard line.
- We don't play with an anchor this season, both the 6 and the 8 get further forward
- Mo was relieved of his defensive duties
- We now retain the ball far more than we did last season
- We now have very little in transition, we allow the oppositon forwards to get themselves back behind the ball, before starting an attack.

It's changed.

A lot of that is true. But do you think it's changed because Slot told the players to adopt a different style or because some teams are playing very defensively against us? He touches on that in the press conference too.

It's clear to me that he wants to keep playing attacking football but certain sides are stifling us at the minute. It's frustrating, for him too, but he'll work it out.

Mo only seems to have been relieved of defensive duties in his head. I think that's a part of the reason he was dropped and went to the press.

Other teams are forcing us to play more through Konate by pushing on VvD. Which makes sense as a tactic.

Not everything is down to Slot.

[jozza800]

A lot of that is true. But do you think it's changed because Slot told the players to adopt a different style or because some teams are playing very defensively against us? He touches on that in the press conference too.

It's clear to me that he wants to keep playing attacking football but certain sides are stifling us at the minute. It's frustrating, for him too, but he'll work it out.

Mo only seems to have been relieved of defensive duties in his head. I think that's a part of the reason he was dropped and went to the press.

Other teams are forcing us to play more through Konate by pushing on VvD. Which makes sense as a tactic.

Not everything is down to Slot.

He's absolutely telling the players to it. It's week in, week out.

If he's not them to do it then he should be at least telling them not to do it. No? And if players are continully disobeying his instructions then wouldn't he drop them?

In all my years of watching football have I never thought the best way of beating a defensive team is to play slowly, keep hold of the ball at all costs and wait until the opposition have get themselves defensively set...

It is down to Slot. He has to find a way to beat these teams. The way we're going about it hasn't worked all season.

[JockStrap]

He's absolutely telling the players to it. It's week in, week out.

If he's not them to do it then he should be at least telling them not to do it. No? And if players are continully disobeying his instructions then wouldn't he drop them?

In all my years of watching football have I never thought the best way of beating a defensive team is to play slowly, keep hold of the ball at all costs and wait until the opposition have get themselves defensively set...

It is down to Slot. He has to find a way to beat these teams. The way we're going about it hasn't worked all season.

I don't agree. That's overly harsh. We should have beaten Leeds in the 3-3 game. We should have beaten Fulham. Things would look very different if we had. It's fine margins.

And he might want to drop some players but maybe doesn't have the quality (CB) to replace them or the others are injured.

It's basiaclly a case of do you believe what Slot is telling you or not. I believe him and I know we'll get better as players come back from injury and play more together. But that will take the rest of this season to work out. Fans need to be patient right now.

[jozza800]

I don't agree. That's overly harsh. We should have beaten Leeds in the 3-3 game. We should have beaten Fulham. Things would look very different if we had. It's fine margins.

And he might want to drop some players but maybe doesn't have the quality (CB) to replace them or the others are injured.

It's basiaclly a case of do you believe what Slot is telling you or not. I believe him and I know we'll get better as players come back from injury and play more together. But that will take the rest of this season to work out. Fans need to be patient right now.

If Slot is saying that he hasn't set us up differently this season from last, then no, I don't believe him.

In the same way I don't believe that last season was down to Klopp and that Slot deserves the credit for the title win, he deserves the criticism for this season.

[JockStrap]

That's ok. We can disagree. I don't see what you see. I see us trying everything we can to break down stubborn low blocks. Sometimes we do sometimes we don't. Sometimes they score wonder goals against us. Sometimes our best players are out with injuries. And so on.

[Steveo]

Obsessed much…

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2026/01/arne-slot-liverpool-boring-tactics-psg-4-3-3/

[miller0863]

The stats from that tie were pretty damming. PSG had more than twice as many attempts, more than four times the attempts on target, an XG more than 2.5 times greater, 62% possession … heavily skewed to their home leg but still, over all, they were better.

[JockStrap]

The same info is in the Arsenal presser.

“I did not change our style, but teams have changed their style against us.”

“Packing the team with midfielders is not something I am doing by choice,” he explained.

“I am doing it because certain players are not available and that is something that needs to be really clear.

“Because I am a manager now for six or seven years and I have always played with wingers and I have always changed my wingers with new wingers coming in.

“So I always have it 4-3-3 with real wingers"

Yet everyone keeps talking about how he has changed his style.

[Daffydd]

Well he hasn't changed his hairstyle.

[Steveo]

He’s less physical, more meta-follicle.