Jamie Carragher
Liverpool’s recent transfer activity has seen the club invest heavily in new talent, with significant signings such as Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Florian Wirtz. The latter, acquired for £116 million, has yet to justify his hefty price tag. Additionally, the Reds secured Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt for £79 million and Alexander Isak in a £125 million deadline day deal with Newcastle United. However, the influx of attacking talent has presented manager Arne Slot with a challenging task: how to fit these star players into a cohesive starting XI.
Jamie Carragher said: “It felt like a Real Madrid summer, not a Liverpool summer. And there was something about it that…We all love our teams buying players, don’t we? Spending money and big names. But there was something about it that I was a little bit, ‘Oh, it doesn’t feel Liverpool like this, but okay, great. We’re buying, we’re doing this, we’re doing that.’ And I was thinking on the way because everyone’s had an opinion on, ‘He should play him, he should play him, he should do that.’ Because it’s been a Real Madrid summer in terms of buying big players, does Slot almost need to be like the ultimate Real Madrid manager? And I always think of [Carlo] Ancelotti, and I feel like Ancelotti every summer, you’d almost be thinking, ‘What’s he going to do with that?’ Even last season there was, ‘How can he get [Kylian] Mbappe and Vinicius Jr in the same team?’ But if you go back to his AC Milan teams or his Real Madrid teams, that was his greatest strength as a manager. He’d find a way, whatever system, and he just he’d get the best players on the pitch where they wanted to play and almost do it for the players rather than… I think in this day and age the game’s almost a manager’s got his way of playing. It might be a system. It might be his style and they’ve got to fit into that. So we always play under Slot, don’t we, 4-2-3-1?. That might have to change in terms of getting the players in. Because you know, when you’ve spent that sort, you know, type of money on the players. He’s cost over £100m. You’ve got to try and make that work. So, I’m sort of intrigued how he how he does it going forward, how he gets these players into the team. Because I even think Ekitike and Isak, he’s got to find a way. Find a way.”
The challenge for Slot is compounded by Liverpool’s recent form, having suffered three consecutive defeats to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, and Chelsea. With the club’s league title defense at stake, Slot must quickly resolve the tactical puzzle to rejuvenate his squad’s performance. While Ekitike can operate on the left flank, potentially freeing up the central role for Isak, the unplayable form of Cody Gakpo complicates matters further. A change in formation seems unlikely given the crucial defensive contributions from Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Carragher’s insights highlight the need for Slot to adopt a flexible approach akin to that of legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was known for accommodating star players within his tactical framework. As Liverpool navigates this challenging phase, Slot’s ability to integrate his high-profile signings effectively will be crucial in determining the team’s success this season.
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