I dont think you can conclude with the CF after this friendly as Slot played 2 x 10s because the lack of forward in the team.
Slot football works even better with two pacey wingers and there is a perfect role for Gakpo/Gordon/Kudus/Mbuemo who will recieve the ball high and 1v1 with the full back. You didnt see that yesterday because of Carvalho not being that type of player.
The quick box passing between CBs and CMs created loads of chances to attack the final third but again we lacked players.
The goal was a perfect example of the correct combination. Nyoni forward pass, link up Szobo and Salah.
We’ll create loads of chances going forward and we wont be in trouble as you allude to manily because the team against Ipswich will have the right Slot profiles.
Really encouraging to see how controlled our defence and defending is shaping up to be. Not many shots conceded yesterday and you can see why Slot’s teams have been on top in those stats.
The need for a 6 is very clear. Endo isnt good enough to be a starter given the responsibility to resist press, tackle and pass in tight areas.
A Zubimendi type would be fantastic.
Slot shows that he’s an excellent tactician in this game and that they prepared well for how Betis set up. Bigger test against Arsenal.
Let me clarify a few things I said as I think you’re slightly misunderstanding them or I’m not quite being clear (entirely possible).
I like the passing out of defence - what I’m alluding to is there are some really good high line intensive pressing team in England and if we’re going to play our way through them, we’re going to have to have very technically gifted players. We do have a fair few of these, but what I’m saying is, this is the change in style for us (a Klopp team would not hesitate to go long) - there’s going to a bedding in period and we’re going to get done from time to time, partition the early days, by teams pressing us.
Now.. we want them to press us high, because if we can play through them, we’ll get at them and if it’s short passing it’s more controlled and our percentage change of holding on to the ball is higher than if we go direct.
Risk and reward, same as Klopp-ball, just different.
With regards to the forwards - we’re going to play a box midfield - that’s not based on one game, that’s based on all the analysis I’ve watched on how Slot sets his teams up.
So… to create a box you need 4 players and we play with 3 in midfield - so a player has to drift into a central midfield position from either FB or CF - it can’t be a CB stepping forward because then we’d have 1 at the back and it’s not going to be a wide forward because none of them have the skills profile to do it (except Gakpo) but we know Slot likes his wide forwards to stay in the attacking zone.
So, we’re either going to see an inverted FB or a False 9 - personally I think we’ll see both - but if it’s a False 9, our best player for that is Gakpo - Jota maybe, but dropping deep isn’t his ideal position and it’s definitely not Darwin’s bag.
That’s not to say Slot will always set up like that - because he’ll vary things more than Klopp, I think, but I think we’ll see it a fair bit.
I think that’s why we’re targeting Gordon for the left, because we think he can deliver more goals than Diaz while also offering width. We might be going back to a Darwin on the left debate soon.
Salah’s staying out on the right - so that box is only going to be made by Gakpo/Jota dropping deep when Trent isn’t inverting from RB.
I’m interested to see how he works that all out. That forward will have to good at dropping deep AND running atvtge back line - which is why I think Jota & Gakpo are better suited to a Slot team.
