What Leverkusen’s Shape Tells Us About Slot

One of the most interesting things about watching Leverkusen last season was how clearly everything revolved around Florian Wirtz. Not in a lazy “give him the ball and hope” way, either. It felt designed: the whole structure existed to buy him time, space, and the right pockets to receive in.

Width first, then the pockets

The big visual was the width. Grimaldo and Frimpong basically held the touchlines for long spells, and that did two things at once. It stretched the opposition back four so the gaps between full-back and centre-half opened up, and it stopped the whole game being funnelled into crowded central areas.

With the pitch pulled wide, Wirtz could drift into those half-space pockets and look like he was operating on a different frequency. You could see the relationships forming: little rotations, third-man runs, a pass into feet that immediately became a lay-off into space. “Telepathic” is overused, but it suited them because the movement looked rehearsed rather than improvised.

The two “10s” idea and Liverpool’s options

The other part that sticks out is the use of two 10s as withdrawn wide players. That’s what made me think about how Arne Slot might picture Liverpool’s wide threats in certain games: not just as chalk-on-the-boots wingers, but as attackers starting wide and arriving inside at the right moment.

If one of those 10s is given license to roam, someone on the other side has to do the honest work. That means covering the spaces that appear when rotations happen, filling holes in transition, and being switched on when possession is lost. It’s not glamorous, but it’s what keeps the whole thing from falling apart.

On paper, you can imagine Dominik Szoboszlai doing that kind of shift if the shape asked for it. He’s got the legs for it, and the willingness to run. The trick is getting the balance right so Liverpool aren’t just “busy”, but actually protected in the moments where the ball turns over.

Runs in behind, a baited press, and space for the playmaker

Leverkusen’s forwards were tasked with a simple, brutal job: keep pushing the back line back. Constant runs in behind, constant threat. Even when the pass didn’t come, the movement mattered because it pinned defenders and created that extra yard for the creator to breathe.

Behind that, the double pivot had its own role: tempt the press and play through it. And with one of the three centre-halves stepping up in possession, it became an extra body to help progress play and stop everything being forced long.

Whether Slot goes near that exact setup at Liverpool is another question, but the principle is a good one: build a structure that makes space for your most decisive footballers, then make sure the running, width and rest-defence are good enough to let them do damage.

Written by PatrikBurgher: 20 January 2026