ARNE SLOT revealed a new barless Liverpool formation for the friendly win over Real Betis.
However, Slot warned that it is not something they should get used to.
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Liverpool triumphed over the LaLiga side 1-0 thanks to a goal from Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Reds dominated the ball with 63 percent possession and managed nine shots, with 23 players used throughout the game.
Despite the excess of players used, Slot was without some of its first-team stars for the game.
This made the Dutch tactician opt for a bold 4-2-4 formation, a big departure from the 4-3-3 favored in the Jurgen Klopp era.
This formation featured no orthodox attackers, with Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott playing as double false nines in attack.
Wingers Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho maintained their width for the most part, but were overlapped by the likes of Kostas Tsimikas and Conor Bradley when they inevitably came on.
While not perfect, with Betis managing seven shots of their own, the early signs were that this formation could be promising for the Anfield outfit next season.
However, former Feyenoord boss Slot has already rejected the idea of becoming a regular feature.
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He told LFC TV: “We play with a double 10, which we won’t do during the season, but we don’t have a striker at the moment.
“Both Harvey and Dom are number 10s, so they can create from that position. Once we have a center forward, we’ll have a slightly different set-up.”
Players like Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, perhaps seen as more traditional attacking options by Slot, remain on holiday following semi-final exploits for Uruguay in the Copa América and the Netherlands and Euro 2024 respectively.
Nunez scored twice for the USA in the tournament, while Gakpo finished as Germany’s top scorer with three.
Liverpool’s next game will be against Arsenal, in Philadelphia, in the early hours of this Thursday.
They are yet to sign a senior player this summer after losing Leny Yoro to Manchester United, but Slot is calm about his activity in the market.
Slot snubbed Spurs, hates defending and has a PASS named after him
By Dan King
LIVERPOOL’s new manager Arne Slot was a good enough player to have a passing style named after him.
But it is as a coach that the Feyenoord boss is really making his mark.
Like another bald Dutchman, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, Slot made a name for himself managing smaller teams before getting the chance to play for one of the Dutch big three.
But the question Liverpool are pondering is whether Slot could manage one of the world’s biggest clubs better than Ten Hag has so far at Old Trafford.
Slot, 45, was certainly easier on the eyes as a player than defender Ten Hag.
“The Arne Slot Ball” was something he perfected like a silky number 10 – a 180-degree turn back to goal, first time, and a movement behind the defensive line for a winger to run into the middle of the opposition field.
Click here to read all about Liverpool’s new manager.
Speaking before Betis’ victory, he said: “The first objective is to work with these players.
“The downside is that many of them are not here yet.
“The positive thing is that it gives us time to take a good look at young people.
“There is an important line at the club that young players pass through.
“Our standards are really high when it comes to bringing in new players.
“Of course Richard (Hughes) and I are trying to improve the squad wherever possible.”
Liverpool goes to the Netherlands
WHO’S WHO on Liverpool’s bench next season.
Manager Arne Slot, 45
Slot led Feyenoord for three seasons, winning the Eredivisie title in 2023 and the KNVB Cup in 2024.
A former Dutch football player, he is known for being a perfectionist and prefers attacking football like Jurgen Klopp.
Assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff, 49
Hulshoff currently serves as Ronald Koeman’s assistant coach with the Dutch national team and also works alongside Slot at Feyenoord.
He had two spells as coach of little-known Dutch team Cambuur.
Head of Performance Ruben Peeters, 31
Former fitness coach at Genk, Peeters has worked with Slot at Feyenoord since 2021.
The Belgian has a master’s degree in Sports Science.
Chief Analyst Etienne Reijnen, 37
Former defender who retired from football in 2020 to become a coach.
In October 2023, Reijnen joined Feyenoord as an assistant coach, to focus on analysis and technical advice to Arne Slot.
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