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Arne Slot unpredictable decision has made Liverpool even stronger as FSG sent contracts warning
Having initially stuck with predominantly the same starting XI during his opening weeks as Liverpool head coach, Arne Slot has opted to rotate more since the Reds’ Champions League campaign got underway back in September.
For example, Andy Robertson has started seven matches while Kostas Tsimikas has started six of Liverpool’s 13 outings since beating AC Milan 3-1 at the San Siro. Likewise, in front of them on the left flank, Cody Gakpo has been handed eight starts over the same period with Luis Diaz starting seven times.
Meanwhile, since Curtis Jones made his first start of the Premier League season, after injury, away at Crystal Palace in early-October, it has been a similar story in midfield.
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Ryan Gravenberch has been an ever-present in both Premier League and Champions League, yet Jones and Alexis Mac Allister have started six of the Reds’ last eight matches, with Dominik Szoboszlai also named in Slot’s starting XI on four occasions.
Such rotation is likely to increase following the November international break, with the likes of Harvey Elliott closing in on a return from injury. Likewise, Diogo Jota will soon by vying with Darwin Nunez for a starting place in attack once more.
And Liverpool will need it to increase too as they continue to compete on all fronts.
Top of both the Premier League and Champions League tables, as well as through to the League Cup quarter-finals, their trip to Southampton on Sunday starts a run of 12 matches in just 42 days. They will take on the likes of Real Madrid, Man City, Newcastle United, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United during such a period.
Considering predecessor Jurgen Klopp was a master man-manager, managing to keep a squad happy despite predominantly limited rotation in defence and attack for Premier League and Champions League encounters - unless injuries dictated otherwise, - Slot has found his own way to maintain squad morale by perhaps making better use of the depth at his disposal without his hand being forced.
He has previously explained his reasoning behind such rotation, insisting he considers both Diaz and Gakpo as regular starters despite sporadic substitute appearances.
While such alternation in attack is hardly a new phenomenon, it is admittedly a different story at full-back. But when quizzed on which of his two left-backs he considered first-choice, Slot recently pointed out that his varying selections are nothing more than squad management.
“My line-ups tell you what I think about this,” he said ahead of facing Aston Villa. “We have two very good full-backs and we play many, many games.
“Both need their games because it’s a position where a lot of effort is being asked, the players who have played most games is the centre-backs who don’t run the most compared to full-backs or wingers. So there are multiple reasons why our full-backs or midfielders are sometimes rotated.
“But it has also to do with quality of players, I have two very good left full-backs and Kostas has started a few times. Let’s see who starts Saturday.”
Only four outfield players have been immune to such rotation in the Premier League and Champions League so far - Gravenberch - as previously mentioned - Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. So too has Ibrahima Konate, since swiftly winning a place back in Slot’s starting XI.
It is somewhat telling that Liverpool’s three star players who remain out of contract next summer also remain three of Slot’s most-trusted lieutenants. As uncertainty regarding their futures continues, their importance to the Reds is clear. FSG, take note. It will be startling if any depart and leave positions open heading into next season, with it a reminder of the monumental challenge it would be to replace the trio.
Admittedly, Van Dijk and Salah have never been subject of rotation during their Liverpool careers, with the domestic cups the most likely matches where you see the pair on the bench. As is the case with Konate, Slot has already explained why there have been limited changes at centre-back in his line-ups.
Meanwhile, fears that the Egyptian might need to be managed more carefully after a lengthy absence to a hamstring injury last season have been silenced emphatically by his impeccable availability and sublime displays. Elliott and Federico Chiesa’s own enforced absences have ensured there are limited alternatives to Salah available to Slot regardless.
But it is curious that Alexander-Arnold, who has been ruled out of the trip Southampton after suffering a hamstring injury against Aston Villa, has, in contrast to the situation at left-back, not been rotated by the Dutchman.
Part of the reasoning behind this will be the fact that both the England international and deputy Conor Bradley reported back from the October international break with injuries.
The Northern Ireland international remained side-lined as Alexander-Arnold played through the pain barrier, requiring injections to contend with a side strain.
Making his comeback from the start against Brighton in the League Cup, Bradley has since come on as a substitute in Liverpool’s last three matches. But he’s now poised to be handed his first Premier League start of the season at St. Mary’s, with Real Madrid and Man City also both on the horizon.
When both right-backs are back fully fit, it will be intriguing to see how Slot manages them going forward after his previous reasoning behind rotation - especially given Alexander-Arnold’s expiring contract status. He has already made headlines once this season with his reaction after being substituted.
It also always makes headlines when certain players are included or left out of a Liverpool starting XI. It led Robertson to acknowledge that 'everyone had written him off' after a difficult showing at Arsenal was then followed by the Scotland international starting in the League Cup with Tsimikas making back-to-back starts in the Premier League and Champions League.
But it is becoming increasingly clear that, for the majority, there has been no change in the pecking order. Rather, Slot is both making best use of his squad in positions that require most intensity and basing selection decisions on the opposition in front of him.
For example, when the Reds locked horns with Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month, it was a surprise to see Luis Diaz upfront. But there was a clear method in Slot's madness that was eventually rewarded by a hat-trick from the Colombian.
"With this fixture list, it is almost impossible to play them all," the Liverpool boss explained. "So that, combined with Jonathan Tah being a really good defender, one of the best defenders in Germany, who likes to play a bit more against a target man, means we chose to play Lucho more from the left or from midfield and maybe surprise him afterwards with runs in behind."
Consequently, when the Reds travel to Southampton on Sunday, there are a number of selection quandaries to ponder - as has been the case on a weekly basis for the last two months. Who starts at left-back, who misses out in midfield and which two forwards join Salah in attack?
While slightly unpredictable for those of a Liverpool persuasion and opponents alike, the shock-factor is gone behind such decisions. Five months into his Anfield reign and Slot now has his feet under the table.
Rather than 'dropping' players, it is just good squad management from the Reds head coach, with it becoming less of a surprise to see such changes with each passing game-week as English football gets more familiarised with the Dutchman and his preferred methods.
It perhaps goes some way to explain how Liverpool sit top of the Premier League and Champions League table while rivals Arsenal and Man City have been left bemoaning injuries after a poor run of results.
The Reds have had absences of their own too, of course. But with Elliott, Alexander-Arnold, Chiesa and Jota soon returning to bolster Slot’s outfield ranks, Liverpool’s unpredictable hand is about to get even stronger.
