It looks like Slot has found a slightly new angle, a different way to use this group of players - flood the midfield with 4 and “clone” Szoboszlai and the key tactical role he performs with another hard-working midfielder alongside him (note that after Jones went off, it was Alexis next to Szobo while Endo tucked in next to Gravenberch - so it’s possible to replicate this system with different personnel, this idea is more than simply a way to keep all 4 first-choice midfielders on the pitch). This way, our inconsistent #9’s stop being a problem - Jota and Nunez didn’t see even a minute of action and we didn’t really need them at any point.
It’s interesting to think back to Slot’s very first game in charge of Liverpool - pre-season against Real Betis in Pittsburgh, which I saw live - Slot used this exact formation with two #10’s (in that game it was Szobo and Elliott). So maybe it was in the back of his mind all along. Fast forward to now and I think it might become our go-to tactic for big games, certainly in the Champions League.
The Villa game with Jones on the left was another variation of that idea and arguably worked even better in terms of chance creation - so it looks like there is a lot of untapped potential in that system and it really showcases the all-around qualities of our midfielders, making our biggest strength even more of a strength. Defensively, having MacAllister (and later Endo) next to Gravenberch at all times allowed Gravvy to focus more on helping Trent (who needed all the help he could get against Doku!), while Macca often filled in the space between Van Dijk and Robertson, which has been our place of vulnerability in the past, and also effectively shadowed De Bruyne, making him a non-factor. And having a partner next to him allowed Szobo to focus more on the attacking part of his game, which he did to great effect. So, who needs #9’s? 🙂
