This weekend (August 17, 2024) marks the start of the 2024/25 Premier League competition. Premier League club Liverpool will begin their adventure in the 2024/25 competition season by visiting Ipswich Town’s headquarters.
The club nicknamed “The Reds” is starting a new era for coach Arne Slot. Slot, who was chosen to replace Jurgen Klopp, has a challenge that is not easy because during his eight seasons at Anfield, Klopp managed to make Liverpool a team that often competes closely at the top of the Premier League.
At the beginning of Slot’s new coaching era, Liverpool’s path is quite interesting. So far, Liverpool have not brought in or bought any new players.
Usually, a change of coach always coincides with the purchase of new players. The motive is quite reasonable, where the coach needs players with character according to his tactics and strategies on the field.
However, Liverpool, in this case Slot, appeared calm. Not so hasty in the player transfer market.
Indeed, Liverpool’s chances of buying players are still open. The reason is, the transfer market will only close on August 31, 2024.
However, last-minute purchases can be risky. Especially if without long consideration and only fulfilling the quota from vacant or lacking positions.
One position that deserves attention at Liverpool is the defensive midfielder sector.
Indeed, at the beginning of last season, Klopp managed to bring in four midfielders at once as part of the regeneration of the midfield sector and also to cover Liverpool’s weaknesses two seasons ago.
Klopp’s move was successful. The presence of four new midfielders made Liverpool appear consistent again.
It’s just that, towards the end of the season the virus of inconsistency infected Liverpool so that the opportunity to win four titles collapsed in just one month.
Last season, Liverpool only won the Carabao Cup trophy. Then, only reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League Cup and the semifinals of the FA Cup.
The need for a defensive midfielder is quite essential. Last season, Klopp experimented by playing Alexis Mac Allister in the defensive midfielder sector. However, the Argentine passport player did not appear very consistent.
Then, Klopp tried to play left-back, T. Alexander-Arnold. The situation is also exactly the same as Alexander-Arnold sometimes appearing unconvincing in the midfield sector.
Wataru Endo had “risen” as a defensive midfielder. The 31-year-old Japanese player has often been Klopp’s mainstay in the defensive midfielder sector.
However, considering the demands in the defensive midfielder sector which plays a fairly important role in connecting the back line and the front line, Liverpool needs younger and stronger players.
At least, Endo has a worthy competitor in answering the competition in various competitions.
Moreover, Slot tends to build attacks from behind; and therefore requires a more solid defensive midfielder.
Apparently, the weakness in the defensive midfielder sector had been read by Liverpool since Slot’s arrival as coach. Not turning a blind eye to this weakness, the choice fell on Martin Zubimendi who played with Real Sociedad.
However, the Spanish national team player who replaced Rodri who was injured in the second half of the 2024 European Cup final rejected Liverpool’s offer and chose to stay at Sociedad.
When Zubimendi refused, Liverpool did not seem to panic. They did not appear to be looking for other options. So, Liverpool has the opportunity to appear in a new era with Slot without buying new players.
At some point, the move is risky. Especially if last season’s problems in the defensive midfield sector have not been resolved and become part of Liverpool’s game in the coming season.
At another point, Slot’s move is quite wise. In general, Liverpool is still inhabited by quality players who were left behind by Klopp.
If we look further, the performance of the players in the Klopp era has not declined that much. Perhaps Slot’s tough task is how to increase the level of Darwin Nunez’s effectiveness in front of the opponent’s goal.
Furthermore, Liverpool still has a number of players who can support Slot’s tactics.
At the end of last season, Liverpool was left by Adrian and Joel Matip in the transfer market. Both have free transfer status.
Then, Thiago Alcantara decided to hang up his boots. Liverpool also sold Fabio Carvalho to Brentford.
With this, Liverpool did not lose a mainstay player. Luis Diaz was targeted by several clubs such as PSG and Barca, but the Colombian player seemed to choose to stay at Anfield.
Furthermore, considering Liverpool’s performance during the pre-season tour and friendlies, Liverpool’s performance is quite convincing.
From the five friendlies during the pre-season in the Slot era, Liverpool won 4 times and lost 1 time. Interestingly, Liverpool’s four wins also occurred against their rivals in the Premier League, namely against Manchester United (3-0) and Arsenal (2-1).
ASL
