Slot’s Revamped Liverpool Are Vulnerable In A Way That They Weren’t Last Season | Jonathan Wilson

The mechanisms of a shot squad are delicate. You triumph nan convention past adhd astir £300m of talent and it doesn’t needfully mean you’ll triumph it again, doesn’t needfully make you better, moreover if you’re not doing thing arsenic evidently apt to origin imbalance arsenic adding Kylian Mbappé to a Real Madrid squad already stacked pinch left-sided attackers.

Liverpool spell into Sunday’s location crippled against Arsenal having won 2 retired of 2 successful nan Premier League and scored a patient 7 goals. But those aren’t nan statistic that show nan full story. If you see nan Community Shield, Liverpool person conceded 2 goals successful each of their 3 games truthful far. The protect problems are evident and nan return of Ryan Gravenberch astatine Newcastle connected Monday did not magically lick them.

Just arsenic telling, perhaps, is that Liverpool, contempt letting successful those six goals, are yet to spell down this season. That is singular for a squad who past play made nan uneventful 2-0 triumph a trademark. In fact, nan largest azygous facet successful their title occurrence was their capacity to power a crippled having taken nan lead, winning without drama, but besides allowing players to get done games without expending perfectly each their energy, to stay caller for longer, a facet – surely – successful Liverpool’s affirmative wounded grounds past season.

But Liverpool couldn’t clasp Crystal Palace astatine arm’s length, and past against Bournemouth and Newcastle fto nan guidance backmost into nan crippled having gone 2-0 up early successful nan 2nd half, successful some cases needing precocious strikes to regain nan initiative. In some cases individual errors played their part, but nan Newcastle crippled was striking for nan measurement Liverpool simply couldn’t get nan crippled nether power – moreover against 10 men.

Perhaps it was simply nan lawsuit that successful an ambiance truthful fevered, composure was impossible; pinch thing to lose, Newcastle hurled themselves into a frenzied bid of attacks that mightiness person brought a tie but alternatively led to that oddest of things, a Pyrrhic defeat, a crippled from which they took awesome in installments but nary points, and besides mislaid 3 players to wounded and 1 to suspension.

Liverpool’s defence has looked shaky, conceding 2 goals successful each 1 of their 3 games, including nan Community Shield defeat. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

The individual errors are a concern, but successful a consciousness are little of a interest than structural problems successful that they should beryllium easier to put right. Milos Kerkez has had a difficult commencement to life astatine Liverpool. Ismaïla Sarr kept dragging him retired of position successful nan Community Shield. He ne'er sewage to grips pinch Antoine Semenyo successful nan Bournemouth game. And different than taking an inordinate magnitude of clip complete throw-ins, his main publication to nan crippled astatine Newcastle was to stoop retired of nan measurement arsenic Bruno Guimarães outjumped him to caput successful a left-wing cross.

Although Slot has not mislaid his knack of facing opponents astatine conscionable nan correct clip – Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard will each miss Sunday’s crippled done wounded – Noni Madueke’s performances against Kerkez for Chelsea past play propose he whitethorn relish coming successful connected nan Arsenal right.

Kerkez whitethorn beryllium nan subordinate astir evidently struggling, but he’s not nan only one. Ibrahima Konaté has looked shaky successful each 3 games truthful far, though nan truth he was outjumped by Dan Burn to flick connected for William Osula to equalise connected Monday was little to do pinch him than pinch a bafflingly precocious protect statement that allowed nan free-kick to beryllium clipped into immense meadows of attacking possibility. With Konaté backtracking and Burn moving connected to nan ball, location was only apt to beryllium 1 winner.

Slot played down nan issue, saying it had happened astatine only 1 free-kick, but nan consciousness remains of a backmost 4 sick astatine easiness pinch itself. To an grade that’s earthy pinch changes successful some full-back positions, and possibly particularly fixed nan wounded to Jeremie Frimpong that meant Dominik Szoboszlai having to capable successful astatine right-back until Conor Bradley’s presence from nan bench.

Liverpool person relied connected precocious goals, including Rio Ngumoha’s astatine Newcastle, to triumph their 2 Premier League games to date. Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

But shot teams are not made up of discrete units; astatine slightest portion of nan Liverpool defence’s discomfort has been changes successful midfield. Perhaps it will settee down. Perhaps erstwhile Gravenberch has sewage a tally of games together, playing alongside Alexis Mac Allister again astatine nan backmost of midfield, they will set to functioning arsenic a deep-lying 2 successful a 4-2-3-1 alternatively than arsenic two-thirds of a midfield three. Certainly they did not time off Virgil van Dijk and Konaté arsenic Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones did for Bournemouth’s equaliser. But they are not comfortable yet.

Slot impressed successful his first play successful nan measurement he truthful often made a affirmative quality pinch tactical tweaks aliases changes successful unit and successful that respect it’s not insignificant that substitutes – Federico Chiesa against Bournemouth and Rio Ngumoha against Newcastle – scored nan goals that restored Liverpool’s leads. But arsenic it felt telling that he didn’t make a alteration astatine St James’ Park until nan 80th minute, and that truthful overmuch of their play, from nan first whistle, seemed intended to sphere energy.

This was not nan ferocious pressing of nan Jürgen Klopp years, but it wasn’t moreover for illustration past season, erstwhile Liverpool were very effective astatine applying periods of aggravated pressure. It whitethorn beryllium that represents Slot’s unease pinch nan extent of his squad – and it seems he would for illustration astatine slightest 2 much signings earlier nan model closes connected Monday. Or much to do pinch an worry astir really unfastened nan midfield appears successful its caller shape. Either way, it’s clear that Liverpool are susceptible successful a measurement they weren’t past season.

There was derision successful definite quarters erstwhile Jamie Carragher suggested past season, arsenic Liverpool cruised to nan title, that they needed half a twelve caller signings, but nan past fewer weeks person highlighted conscionable what an overseas broadside they were, simultaneously highly effective and successful request of refurbishment, mostly Klopp pinch a dash of Slot.

The process of rejuvenation and conversion into a much Slot-oriented squad has now begun but inevitably, erstwhile truthful galore caller elements are introduced into a strategy which itself needs to beryllium tweaked to accommodate them, location is simply a process of bedding in.

And then, of course, location is nan daze of nan death of Diogo Jota successful July, nan effect of which is unpredictable and continuing.

Arsenal’s injuries mean Liverpool whitethorn consciousness they are getting them astatine nan correct time, but Liverpool’s uncertainty could conscionable arsenic easy lead Arsenal to nan aforesaid conclusion.