[ad_1]
Arne Slott arrives and steps into the shoes vacated by one of modern football’s greatest managers, but the job still has areas for improvement.
Change is the name of the season for Liverpool as they usher in a new era, with Slott leading the way as head coach, but a change in the hierarchy means there are plenty of moving parts this summer.
Klopp has left the Dutchman with a solid foundation when it comes to things on the pitch, and now it’s his job to step up to the challenge and drive the Reds forward.
As we now look ahead, we’ve identified five ways Slott can improve Liverpool for next season.
Conceded fewer first goals
A good place to start would be to not make life difficult for ourselves by constantly conceding the first goal of the game.
Last season, Klopp’s men received the first 23 times – accounts for 39.6 percent of games.
The constant need to gather energy to get back is expensive in so many ways that it can give you a brief adrenaline rush, but it doesn’t lead to long-term success.
It is necessary to make the team more stable and able to build from a position of strength in the match.
Reduce injuries
Twenty-two players missed a game through injury in the 2023/24 season, for a combined total of 362 games missed.
In the end, it proved disastrous for the silver hopes as those who remained fit burned out quickly and at an alarming rate.
Slott has a keen eye for detail and is known to work closely with his fitness team, Ruben Peeters will join him at Anfield and will be key to injury prevention.
The club will be hoping that changes to the medical and performance departments will result in better player availability after a blighted injury list in recent years.
We know that consistency is key to winning titles, and this one is at the heart of that.
Overcome the Goodison and Old Trafford battle
If ever there were two games you could predict a drop in points for the season, it would be away to Everton and Man United – not as it should be, but as it was.
We’ve had great away games at both under Klopp, but we need consistent positive results and that means overcoming the mental block that plagues the team whenever they arrive at Goodison or Old Trafford.
And you can add Man City to that list, since in the last 25 league games away from three teams, the Reds have won only five.
Find the clinical edge
The mind will automatically go to Darwin Nunez when we think of being more clinical in front of goal, but this goes for the whole squad – need we remind you of the Crystal Palace v United games?
According to FotMob, Liverpool boasted the best xG in the Premier League at 89.4 last season and created the second most chances (128) behind only Newcastle (134).
However, the Reds missed the most big chances (79) of any side, with Nunez responsible for 27 and Mohamed Salah 17.
It’s not that Liverpool have lacked goals under Klopp – they scored the club’s second-highest total in 2023/24 – they just need to be more ruthless in game-defining moments.
The Reds always leave the door ajar, but Slott will have to force them to slam it now.
Get more control
This next point relies on that ruthlessness, not allowing the opposition to enter the game too chaotic, which is the fault of the various variations of Klopp’s side.
Slott shares similarities with the German in wanting an aggressive front-foot approach, but has a more measured possession-based approach that should inject more control.
‘Liverpool do it the hard way’ or with ‘a flair for the dramatic’ is not uncommon in recent years, but it would be encouraging to see this change under new management.
[ad_2]
