When Liverpool moves into next season, the basis is there for the squad to kick on again from an already strong starting position. The Reds are in a decent place, but ultimately can have no complaints about falling behind Manchester City and Arsenal as the final weeks of the campaign have played out.

Against Aston Villa, there was a lot to take forward in a positive sense, but with some familiar failings holding Liverpool back. Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott both played well and the Reds could have scored more than the three that they did. Defensively, though, Liverpool was simply way too open and paid the price with two late goals seeing the game end 3-3.

"I think that’s Jürgen Klopp football," Jamie Carragher said live on Sky Sports at the final whistle. "You even go back to last week, Liverpool were hanging on after being I think three or four nil up against Tottenham. At 3-1 up you never felt safe."

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While it is an issue that has been recurring, there are mitigations. "[The substitutions disrupting the Liverpool rhythm was] not helpful, and then they were flying," Klopp said after his side beat Spurs at Anfield last weekend. The same could be said here. "Somebody else can sort that next season!" he added. The German is certainly right on that score as well.

Once again, the changes didn't seem to help Liverpool. In one fell swoop, on came Darwin Núñez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones. None particularly played poorly — and indeed, both Núñez and Szoboszlai could have scored — but it is unlikely to be a coincidence that Liverpool conceded twice late on after that quadruple switch.

Of course, the narrative would have been different had the ball hit Jhon Durán and gone wide rather than bouncing off the Colombian striker and into the back of the net, but the lack of control was present throughout. Dominating a game away against a team that will finish fourth isn't easy, either, but Liverpool finding ways to make games open and entertaining is hardly a new phenomenon. It has been a theme of the season.

It is clearly something that Arne Slot will need to sort out at Anfield. The Dutchman loves Pep Guardiola-style football and that kind of playing style is what kills matches when there is a need to avoid chaos at all costs. Liverpool, as it was, simply left itself too open and paid the price. Diego Carlos and Moussa Diaby had missed good chances even if the Durán leveler was fortuitous and too much was left to chance.

Liverpool has the players to make it happen. Mac Allister's error was one of a tired player nearing the end of the season and in need of a rest, but the Argentine is a controller at his best. Jones is another who can do that brilliantly, though he didn't start here. Elliott, Szoboszlai and Gravenberch are other midfield technicians who can help.

But whether it is simply by playing the current way better or by tweaking something — moving to a double pivot in the center, perhaps, as Slot has deployed with Feyenoord — the openness and end-to-end nature of Liverpool matches has to change for the Reds to take the next step. As Klopp says, that will be a task for his successor. This summer, it is the biggest thing that needs to change.