Liverpool enjoys defensive dominance under Arne Slot’s tactics

Liverpool have enjoyed a quick defensive rejuvenation under Arne Slot with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Allison Becker dominating. Slot inherited a formidable squad from legendary manager Jurgen Klopp, only adding forward Federico Chiesa to this season’s senior roster.

The new Reds head coach used the pre-season to analyse the squad he acquired and installed his style of play. While Slot and Klopp have the same philosophy that demands high pressing and prefers a healthy attack, their tactics vary.

Slot has a more calm and effective approach, preferring patience buildup instead of Klopp’s continuous desire to attack the opponents. Liverpool required a defensive midfielder of a different profile to compensate for Klopp’s direct attacking style with a high tempo.

The style left a lot of spaces between the midfield and defence, suiting a highly mobile defensive midfielder like Fabinho. However, Slot’s demand to use calmness and maintain control of the game leaves less space between the midfield and defence.

Liverpool maintains the structure and narrows the spaces when the opponent uses possession of the ball to commence an attack. The Reds’ senior squad immediately adapted to Slot’s tactical play style and enjoyed more control in and out of possession.

Liverpool have won nine out of their first 10 games in all competitions this season until the October international break. They have only conceded four goals in all competitions and two goals in the Premier League so far (via ESPN).

Key players for the formidable defensive performances so far

Slot has used captain Van Dijk and Konate as the primary defensive options so far with Alisson as the goalkeeper. Vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold has dominated the right-back position while Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas have shuffled for the left-back role.

Van Dijk and Konate continue to dominate the defence with their impressive aerial and ground duelling abilities alongside ball-playing prowess. Trent has enjoyed a significant improvement in his defensive aspect of the game, showing more tenacity and concentration against opponents.

The left-back position remains under assessment as Robertson struggled with inconsistency last season after suffering recurring injuries in recent times. The Scotsman’s deputy Tsimikas has also delivered inconsistent performances, sometimes thriving in the position and at times showing immense vulnerability.

Slot deployed Ryan Gravenberch as the primary number six midfielder playing alongside Alexis Mac Allister as the number eight midfielder. Gravenberch has established himself as the key player in the team, enjoying the defensive midfield role with his all-round performances.

The real challenge awaits: Fixture congestion

The new head coach will use a rotation policy when the congested fixture period begins after the October international break. The upcoming period will challenge the squad’s capacity to maintain regular clean sheets as different players earn significant game time.

Nevertheless, Slot’s tactics remain the key to the formidable defensive performances of Liverpool and it changes according to the opponents. Slot deploys different tactics for each team which is another significant difference between him and our beloved former manager Klopp.

Another big factor in defensive success is Alisson who is now struggling with recurring injuries, a concerning factor for Slot. According to Football on TNT Sports, Allison has the highest save percentage (88.2%) in the Premier League so far.

Liverpool fans adore the 32-year-old and the advanced signing of Giorgi Mamardashvili concerned them during the summer. However, Alisson’s continued issues with injuries have given them enough reason to understand why the club made that early move.

More Liverpool News

• PGMOL chief explains Virgil van Dijk penalty decision in Crystal Palace clash
• Inter Milan express interest in signing 31-year-old fringe Liverpool star
•  BBC pundit commends Arne Slot and is surprised by the impressive depth of Liverpool’s squad

Alisson’s deputy Caoimhin Kelleher is a fantastic goalkeeper and once again has a crucial role to play for the Reds. Kelleher played an important role last season under Klopp when Alisson faced similar issues with injuries during a crucial period of the season.