WHERE ARNE SLOT MUST ADAPT: TACTICAL CHANGES FOR SUCCESS

Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot has a golden opportunity to win back-to-back Premier League titles.

However, the current situation looks challenging. Liverpool slipped from the 1st spot in the last 2 ganes weeks after suffering recent defeats to Crystal Palace and Chelsea. These setbacks have opened the door for rivals like Arsenal to take advantage. Even their expected points put them in a worse position, 5th, on the table. Last summer, Liverpool spent £446 million and sold players worth £250 million to rebuild their squad.

Arne Slot is well-known for his effective in-game tactical tweaks. In many tight matches, especially in the second half, Slot has used subtle adjustments successfully to turn games in Liverpool’s favor. These tactical changes are regarded as a key strength for Liverpool under Slot as they navigate the tough title race.​

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Understand Slot style and approach.

In 2023, Klopp left the club with a clear identity as a high-pressure, direct team, emphasizing even the second-ball winning process to progress. His last season's average PPDA was 8.9. Now, under Slot Drop this 2025-26 season, it is 9.94, indicating they are less intense than in the previous era, though still among the top five.

(Position of Liverpool, their PPDA, and the counterattack situation  in the data)

With the ball, Slot is a more possession-oriented coach than Klopp; he values patience in building up play with numerical superiority. Even now, more teams have shifted towards long-ball football. Long balls have increased by 10% compared to the previous year due to man-to-man pressing, but Slot's preferred average remains around 22.6, close to last year's figure.

(Liverpool is behind only Man City and Chelsea in pass completion and passes per possession)

Who should cover the opposition fullback?

First, understand Liverpool’s high pressing - how they press the opposition and then how they adapt tactically. Slot generally prefers a +1 in defence, which means being -1 in front. The formation often looks like a 4-4-2 diamond.

In the first line of pressing, there is one striker, the right-side winger (Salah), and the No. 10 in his system. The second line consists of two central midfielders (Mac Allister and Gravenberch) and the left-side winger (Gakpo). The last line includes all four defenders.

The right-side winger stays high and positions himself between the opposition centre-back and full-back to block the passing lane. Salah also provides a counter-attacking threat, functioning as a diagonal No. 10.But now it became a weakness due to lack of track back of Salah.

(Still, Liverpool has an advantage +1 in defence, but the midfield underload problem)

The question arises due to Salah’s high position - who should cover or delay the opposition full-back? Since Slot prefers a +1 in defence, the most efficient way is for Gravenberch to move towards the free full-back and press him.

However, this can create a problem: if the timing isn’t right or the shadow cover is broken, the midfield can become overloaded by the opposition. To maintain compactness, both the midfielder and winger should shift towards the ball side during the press.

(Second way to cover the opposition free fullback)

Another way they can press is when the pivot (Gravenberch) doesn’t jump towards the opposition’s full-back. Instead, the right full-back (Bradley) steps up to press the opposition full-back.

The problem with this approach is that Liverpool loses their +1 advantage in defence, and much depends on the position of the opposition full-back. If the opposition full-back stays deeper, it becomes difficult for Bradley to press effectively, as this opens large channel spaces behind him easily. But both ways require intensity to press.

But against Chelsea, the match exposed a lack of communication between Bradley and Gravenberch. Chelsea shifted from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-1-3, with Enzo Fernández moving higher from a deeper position.

To mark Enzo, Gravenberch followed him up the pitch, which left him too high to cover Chelsea’s left full-back (Cucurella). Meanwhile, Bradley stayed with his direct opponent and didn’t push forward to press. As a result, Liverpool later faced a 2v1 situation on that side, with Garnacho and Cucurella combining effectively.

(Pressing problem for Liverpool, lack of communication between the players )

 

If Liverpool wants to maintain their +1 in defence, Gravenberch needs to start in a deeper area, staying alert and ready to press his man once the pass trigger comes from behind. He should use his energy and timing to engage at the right moment.

At the same time, Szoboszlai must scan constantly and position himself between two opponents - especially when the opposition plays in a 2-pivot system. This allows Liverpool to stay compact and balanced, preventing overloads in midfield while still being ready to press forward.

Against Arsenal, on 31 August, Liverpool faced a similar type of issue, though slightly different in nature. Arsenal’s positional changes and inverted full-back movements helped them break Salah’s cover shadow, creating a 2v1 situation against Gravenberch in midfield.

However, Slot solved the problem by sacrificing the +1 advantage in defence. He instructed Szoboszlai to push higher and join the press, which helped Liverpool close the central passing lanes and restore balance in their pressing structure.

(A vulnerable shadow cover due to inverted movement by Calafiori and rotation with rice makes it complicated for Gravenberch)

(Defence turned out to be a man-to-man  for Liverpool, now 3v3 at the back )

Blocking and pressing the lack of communication

The first goal against Chelsea raised questions about this coordination. In a blocking situation, when the opposition centre-backs have relative freedom, the team’s priority should be to block all direct and indirect passing options to nearby teammates.

However, Liverpool failed to do this. Mac Allister’s late reaction allowed Chelsea to progress. When he finally engaged, it opened up Liverpool’s defensive structure, leaving the back line exposed despite having a numerical advantage in defense.

In the 2 vs 1 situation he faced due to this delay, there could have been possible approaches. Delay the opponent by using a cover shadow without fully engaging, buying time for teammates. Requiring the rest of the defense to react as a defensive triangle to mark the players positioned between the lines.

(Problem in the Chelsea match in the deep block with numerical superiority 8v10)

Solution (delay the opponent to form a defensive triangle, now Karkez is more space oriented than Man because they need  to protect the middle, Van Dijk can mark Gusto between the lines)

Lack of rotation and movements in the build-up

In the Premier League or Lite League, teams often move towards man-to-man marking higher up the pitch to stop numerical superiority in build-up play. Some teams start with zonal marking and then transition to man-to-man, which is referred to as hybrid pressing.

Against Chelsea’s high press, their build-up looked vulnerable, especially with Bradly inverted in midfield, which helped Chelsea achieve more compactness. Their pressing formation commonly used was a 4-1-4-1, but they even shifted to a 3-5-2 man-to-man setup.

The most problematic for Konaté was the pressure from Garrancho, who blocked his strong foot on the right and limited the outside-to-inside movement. Garrancho pressed on his blind side and blocked effectively, supported by better shadow cover from Conor Bradley.

(Center back, fullback, and fullback at the same vertical lines create a problem for ball progression  for Liverpool against Chelsea)

On the right side, Liverpool faced a lack of width and fewer vertical passing options due to Konaté, Bradley, and Salha being positioned in the same vertical line. This made it easier for Chelsea's pressing. Later, in the second half, Slot changed his right back and brought on Szoboszlai, creating a flat back three. The distance from Chelsea’s right back, Cucurella , also increased, giving him more time to pass. This adjustment made Garrancho's pressing ineffective, which contributed to Liverpool scoring a goal. However, with the goalkeeper remaining the same, a problem persisted. Due to the flat back three, the distance between the center-backs became longer, causing Liverpool to face issues with counter-attacks exploiting the gaps between the center-backs - an issue they also faced in the match against Crystal Palace.

(Slot’ solution in the second half of the Chelsea game.)

Now, Garrancho pressed to open inside passing options, and Szoboszlai had time to use his vision for passing. However, the distance between the last line has increased, which may allow counter-attacks to break through.

In an interview with Jamie Carragher, Slot mentioned that he likes his centre-backs and full-backs to stay closer together during ball circulation. This approach helps in limiting the opponent’s counter-attacks and maintaining defensive compactness.

As a result, there is often better rotation and movement off the ball, which in turn creates spaces for other players to exploit and supports smoother ball progression through the lines.

The third-man run combined with rotation would be the best solution for Liverpool. In the current man-oriented pressing era, when one player moves and leaves space, that vacated area can be exploited by another teammate’s movement. This coordinated rotation helps break man-to-man structures, creating passing angles and dynamic opportunities to progress the ball effectively.

Conclusion

After the international break, it will be challenging for Arne Slot, but it will also be interesting to see what improvements he implements. After all, he is known as a master of tweaking during games and between matches.

It will be particularly intriguing to observe his right-back choices against different opponents, as this can significantly influence Liverpool’s pressing and build-up. His front line shows heavy diversity, and with players like Wirtz and Ekitika, the team has the ability to create chances through individual creativity, which can be decisive in big games.