It is a sign of resilience that Liverpool’s victory under the device in Arne turns out a little differently. This owes his preference for adaptability to pragmatism and inheriting an established team from Jurgen Klopp, meaning tactical changes are less difficult to put into effect with established relationships.
Away to Tottenham Hotspur — for win No 21 in Slot’s 25th game — he reverted Liverpool to a 4-2-3-1, after recently playing a 4-3-3 with a single No 6. Yet again it paid off as Tottenham were swept aside 6-3.
More important than the structure, though, was the roles.
Rather than using a functional back three, where left-back Andy Robertson tucks round and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has a licence to push forward or move into midfield, Slot’s full-backs gave proper width.
Liverpool number 6 Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch had to take more risks in the build-up to get under pressure, which was for Tottenham’s first purpose (when Mac Allister was dispossessed), but overall the plan worked.
Robertson, who has played an underlapping role for Slot, overlapped Cody Gakpo (and sometimes stayed deeper when Gakpo played wide), while Alexander-Arnold put up 10 crosses — his most for almost a year, since 13 against Newcastle United on New Year’s Day.
Even without a recognised No 9, with Luis Diaz playing as a false nine, Liverpool were devastating from crosses. They completed 10 of their 16 open-play crosses (62.5 per cent) and created five chances. Since 2018-19, only once have they put up a better single-match performance in the Premier League for either metric: away to Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2023 (66.7 per cent open-play cross completion).
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The technique made sense: Tottenham’s first-choice center was Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero, Fielding Radu Dragusin and 18-year-old (central midfielder) Archie Gray. Similarly, second-round goalkeeper Fraser Forster stops less than part of Guglielmo Vicario’s No. 1 injury rate.
There were precautionary symptoms before Liverpool obtained twice in thirteen minutes in the first half. Tottenham’s direct technique overturned the ball in the center of the field and, after a case, Liverpool played in advance before the hosts can the shape. Joe Gómez will go to Ryan Gravenberch and the midfielder unearthed the advance of Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool patiently worked the ball to the left and created a two-on-one on right-back Pedro Porro, with Diaz close to Gakpo. That prevented Porro from facing Gakpo without delay and, in this attack, the Dutch striker dribbled wide before crossing.
The movement of the other Liverpool players is vital here. They systematically had 3 men attacking crosses, with the winger on the other side (Mohamed Salah in this sequence) blocking the far post and a number 6 reaching deeper and deeper. The result Common 3v3 scenarios in the box, or 3v2 when Liverpool had central runners overloading Tottenham’s centre-backs. Tottenham have never outnumbered them.
Here, a Gakpo center passes between Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, achieving Salah. It has two shots of a single touch with one foot, which Djed Spence blocks and the Tottenham escapes, the trend of good luck has been established.
Two minutes later, Liverpool had given up the attack. Szoboszlai is the link between Robertson and Gakpo, with the full back overlapping the winger.
They recreate the two-V-One in Porro, this time the Robertson Overlap.
Once again, Liverpool have three attacking the centre, as opposed to Tottenham’s two, for Robertson to get past the centre. Alexander-Arnold is in a competitive enough position to be able to recover the loose ball and his cross is blocked for a corner.
This trend developed for the Liverpool starter, just across the way, as they ran bait and a transfer attack. After running on short passes to the left and luring Tottenham, Liverpool temporarily hit the ball to the right. -Min and Spence (Tottenham’s left-side players) were too tight to put quick pressure on Alexander-Arnold.
The defense needs a key to control and a moment to cross. Liverpool have other V-2s and Dragusin and Gray are aware of Szoboszlai and Salah, no one chooses Diaz.
The Colombian forward attacks the center, is thrown into the six-yard box and contorts perfectly to go beyond Forster, unopposed.
Liverpool’s moment even better. Tottenham lured Tottenham into pressing from their 4-4-2 mid-block by passing through Gomez to Virgil Van Dijk (shot wide).
As the block moved upwards, the central midfielders locked in, however, neither of the two complexes with their central backs towards Szoboszlai. Gomez split Tottenham’s front six with a pass to the feet and played wide for Diaz to use the two-on-one.
This time, Dejan Kulusevski recovers to support Porro. Gakpo recognises this and plays back to Robertson. Meanwhile, Mac Allister starts his run into the box.
Kulusevski is too far from Robertson to prevent the cross and Liverpool have a four-on-four attacking the ball. Really, Tottenham transparent this, yet Gray and Spence jump opposed to Szoboszlai and the ball comes off Spence’s er and leaves Mac Allister unmarked to head beyond Forster.
“If you look at the ends backwards, most often with the centre-backs or the setbacks,” Slot said in his post-match press conference. “Each preparation for a purpose was, I think, several passes. So it’s, it’s not only about those who score, but also about those who help create.
Liverpool Pack the crossings of the box is nothing new. A Statsbomb article of April 2023 placed fourth place in the Liverpool in the Premier League for maximum bodies in the box, on average, when taking shots.
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What has changed is their use of crosses. This season, they are only attempting 10.8 per game, down by almost three from 2023-24 and way below a peak of 17.7 and 16.3 per match in their peak seasons under Klopp: 2019-20 and 2020-21. However, their open-play cross-completion this season, at 25.4 per cent, is higher than any of the last six campaigns. Liverpool’s style might not be predicated on crosses any more, though it’s a weapon they can — and do — draw when they need it.
They showed adaptability in the second half with a phenomenal counter-attacking threat and ought to have managed the game better, allowing Tottenham back in from 5-1 with poor box defending of their own.
For this reason, said Slot, despite being six of the six, only “perhaps our most productive functionality is far from home. “
Anyway, it is the ninth time this season that Liverpool leads at the break in a league match and has all won them: the maximum in the league and a championship brand. The next victory will be another again.