The most frustrating part right now isn’t a missed chance or a dodgy spell in a match. It’s that we still don’t look like a side with a clear identity, or even a default way of playing that everyone recognises.
When you’ve invested heavily in the squad, you expect the picture to sharpen. Instead it feels like we’ve bought good players and then asked them to squeeze into shapes that don’t really bring the best out of them.
Loads of options on paper, none on the pitch
The 4-3-3 is meant to be our comfort blanket, but if that system leaves Wirtz out in the cold then what are we doing? It only really sings if you’ve got two proper wide forwards stretching the pitch and feeding a centre-forward like Isak. If those wingers aren’t there, or if the instructions are conservative, it turns into horseshoe football very quickly.
You can sketch alternatives: 4-3-1-2, or a diamond shape like 4-1-2-1-2, where you get numbers in midfield and find Wirtz between the lines. In theory, that gives you closer support to the striker and more bodies around second balls. But it also screams out for a proper screen in front of the back four, that classic Fabinho type who tidies up transitions and lets the more mobile midfielders play higher.
And if you look at something like 4-1-3-2, you’re back to the same issue. Without that specialist holding midfielder, the whole thing feels like a compromise. Plus you then need balance on the left of the three, otherwise you’re lopsided and easy to play through.
Sideways football doesn’t suit the squad
What makes it all odder is the sense we’re leaning into slow, sideways possession. Call it control if you want, but if it’s not followed by speed, risk and movement, it becomes anti-football. It doesn’t feel like it suits Wirtz, doesn’t feel like it suits Isak, and you could argue it doesn’t suit Kerkez either if he’s being asked to play within himself.
Truth is, as supporters we give up 90 minutes at a time. Results matter, obviously. But you still want to see an idea. You want to see a side building towards something.
Game management and leadership in the key moments
The last ten minutes are the bit that sticks with you. Nobody grabbed the game, nobody calmed it down and set the tempo, nobody decided we were seeing it out properly. And when that keeps happening, you start asking uncomfortable questions.
If the opposition had any composure in front of goal, we’re talking about another two-goal lead going up in smoke. That’s a pattern, not bad luck. So yes, you end up looking at Arne Slot, and you end up looking at leadership on the pitch too. Because talent isn’t the issue. The way we use it might be.
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