There’s a reason Arne Slot looks a bit more cautious than some of us expected. For a spell we were getting ripped straight through the middle, and you don’t fix that with vibes and a faster front three. You fix it by putting bodies in midfield and building a shape that doesn’t collapse the moment the first press gets beaten.

That’s why the switch towards three midfielders, with Wirtz involved, has made us feel more solid. Not perfect, but sturdier. The spaces are smaller, the gaps between the lines are tighter, and we’re not constantly asking centre-backs to defend transitions like they’re on an island.

Why the extra midfielder matters

The key point is balance. If you try to squeeze Wirtz into the middle and also add a natural left winger, you’re taking something away somewhere else. In theory you get more width and more one-v-one threat on that side. In practice you risk opening the centre up again, especially if the wide players don’t tuck in or if the press isn’t absolutely on it.

And that’s the big reality check: that old, quick-moving, direct 4-3-3 everyone associates with peak Liverpool isn’t just a switch you flick. It’s a system built around very specific profiles and physicality. If the group you’ve got now doesn’t suit it, forcing it can make you look worse, not braver.

Wirtz on the left: spark to ghost

I’m with the view that Wirtz isn’t effective on the left. Not because he’s a bad player there, but because it blunts what makes him valuable. When he’s central and involved, he’s the one connecting things, finding little pockets, keeping the tempo alive. Move him out to the touchline and you can almost see the game pass him by.

You could see that shift when Salah came on and Wirtz was pushed left. He went from being the main spark to being anonymous. At that point, if the plan is to have a proper winger holding the width anyway, you’re thinking: why not just get Gakpo on straight away and keep the structure honest?

The bigger problem: the empty left channel

There’s another knock-on effect when Wirtz drifts: the left side can end up vacant. If your left-sided midfielder has stepped away, and your forward has wandered inside, suddenly there’s no simple out-ball and no natural angle for a pass. Those moments look small, but they add up, and you end up with that weird feeling that we need 12 players on the pitch to look balanced.

Truth is Slot is still working out the right blend for the players he’s got. The solidity is a good step. Now it’s about finding a way to keep that security without losing the best version of Wirtz in the process.

Written by WarMachine73: 1 January 2026

Tags: tactics efl