I missed the previous game because the timings were all over the place, so I’m coming into this one a bit cold. But the mood around the side right now? It doesn’t feel pretty.
The big thing that jumps out is how quickly Arne Slot seems to have ripped up last season’s template and replaced it. More possession, more patience, more build-up through the left and the middle. And in doing that, it feels like we’ve started to isolate the right-hand side far too often.
Where the right side went
Even at his very best, Mo Salah wasn’t really an old-school winger living on touchline chalk and knocking it past full-backs for fun. He’s always been about early release, sharp combinations, and that burst into the space at the right moment. When it worked best, he had team-mates feeding him quickly, and he could attack before the opposition got set.
That’s where the wider setup matters. If we’re building slowly and funnelling play left/centre, those early balls and early moments on the right disappear. The full-back doesn’t get the quick release. Salah doesn’t get to go before the defence is organised. And you end up with him seeing too much of the ball in the wrong areas, or not seeing it at all.
Pressing: intelligence versus chaos
Think back to the best of the front three. Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino weren’t just running around. It was pressing with a purpose. Mane brought the aggression, but Firmino and Salah were unbelievably clever at it, shutting off options and forcing mistakes.
Even when the pressing was a bit more chaotic, lads like Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota could still create panic that benefited Salah. The opposition never quite got comfortable.
Now, with a calmer possession style, we might be sacrificing some of that edge. That can be fine in theory. The truth is, it needs balance.
Midfield shape and a bit too much ambition
I’m not saying Slot’s approach is wrong. Controlled aggression is a sensible evolution from the full throttle years. But implementing it straight away, without a gradual shift, can leave gaps.
If Ryan Gravenberch is being pushed forward, and the midfield lacks bite in those moments, the knock-on effect is obvious: the back line gets exposed. You feel it in transitions, in second balls, in how quickly opponents can get running at us.
And yes, Salah’s form is on him as well, but it’s hard to pretend the shift in how we attack hasn’t played a part in making it tougher for him.
On the left, Cody Gakpo can end up looking predictable too when cutting inside feels like the only route, and it doesn’t help if the link-up with Kerkez isn’t there. Kerkez looks raw, and if he’s a big-money gamble, you’re basically crossing your fingers that development comes quickly.
Maybe that’s why so many of us feel a bit confused. We can see the idea, but we can also see the cost.
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