Do Liverpool Already Look Built For A Back Three?

There is a nagging feeling that, whether we like it or not, this Liverpool squad is quietly being built for a back three. You look at the profiles we have brought in and the shapes being used around Europe, and it starts to make a bit of sense, even if the thought of another big tactical shift makes people twitchy.

Have Liverpool Bought A Back-Three Squad By Accident?

We have gone out and added two proper strikers, a playmaking attacker who looks most comfortable between the lines, and full backs who look a lot more like modern wing backs than old-school defenders who just sit in. Take centre backs out of it for a second, because everyone knows we are light there, and the rest of the puzzle almost screams a 3/5 at the back shape.

Across international football and the top leagues, you see that system constantly. At the Euros you had sides like Hungary and Scotland using a back five. Plenty of teams lean on that structure to get their best attacking players on the pitch while giving licence to aggressive full backs. It is not some wild, niche idea now. It is normal top-level football.

What A Liverpool Back Three Could Actually Look Like

The thing holding people back is the old line that nobody really wins big trophies with a back three, and that it is another dramatic change right after moving on from a long-term shape and style. That concern is fair. But then you look at some of the defenders out there playing in back threes every week and you can see why the thought keeps coming up.

Put two athletic centre halves either side of Virgil, who absolutely has the quality and reading of the game to adapt, and suddenly you have a trio who are comfortable on the ball and capable of defending wide spaces. With three at the back, you can genuinely get two strikers on the pitch together. You can have one forward naturally drifting left, another pulling right, with someone like a creative ten tucked in behind in their best position, linking it all.

Behind that, a double pivot of energetic midfielders who can both press and play gives the team balance and protection. You can imagine lads like Szobo, Gravenberch and Jones really enjoying the extra security, stepping up to join attacks without leaving the back door wide open. It suits those who like carrying the ball and breaking lines from deeper areas.

The Big Gain: Wing Backs With Real Licence

The real appeal of a back three for this Liverpool squad is what it does for the full backs. In a four, every time they bomb on, everyone in the ground is half-looking over their shoulder, worrying about the space they have left. In a three, their job is basically to live high and wide, provide the width, and constantly look to overlap and combine.

That suits the modern full back we keep targeting. They want to attack, they want to deliver, they want to be involved. A back three lets them do that without completely compromising the defensive structure, because there is always that spare defender sweeping across.

You do not have to be in love with the idea of Liverpool going to a back three to admit the pieces are there. The recruitment points towards it, the profiles point towards it, and the game at the top level is moving that way anyway. Whether Arne Slot ever actually pulls the trigger on it is another question entirely, but the option is quietly sitting there in this squad.

Written by Brown_Jesus: 14 December 2025