Arne Slot has confirmed he would consider a switch to a 4-4-2 if circumstances demand it, keeping the option alive to accommodate both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitik\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Liverpool entered the campaign needing attacking reinforcements after the departures of Luis D\u00edaz and Darwin N\u00fa\u00f1ez and the tragic loss of Diogo Jota. Hugo Ekitik\u00e9 has made a strong start and could cost as much as \u00a379 million, which complicates any notion of using him purely as a backup. Slot has previously suggested the French forward can occupy the left while Isak leads the line, but he also raised the possibility of reverting to two strikers in the right situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI consider [playing both together] because you consider many things,\u201d Slot told assembled media at his prematch press conference ahead of Saturday\u2019s Merseyside derby against Everton. \u201cIt depends on how well they are doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf both in best form of their life, you consider it more but it\u2019s also clear we have a 4-3-3 structure, playing with three midfielders, but it has also happened quite a lot that we end the game with two No. 9s. Hugo can also play off the left, different to Cody [Gakpo] and Rio [Ngumoha].<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the good thing about our squad, we have multiple options but first of all they all have to stay fit. If some aren\u2019t fit, we might have to use them both in a 4-4-2. That all depends on form and how many players are available. Maybe everyone is fit now and I can choose between 21 players, that is quite normal. It\u2019s not too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under Slot, Liverpool have used a 4-4-2 shape only twice, and on those occasions he fielded two false nines in Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai rather than two orthodox centre forwards. The piece notes the wider tactical context: few top teams now persist with two traditional No. 9s, with Manchester United cited as an example of the difficulties that can create. Inter are mentioned as a rare exception, operating with Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Mart\u00ednez inside a system that retains a midfield three. Slot has not shown a willingness to use three centre backs during his tenure.<\/p>\n
There is unlikely to be a wholesale tactical overhaul for the derby and Slot declined to reveal his selection plans. \u201cI don\u2019t think I tell the media a lot the day before a game,\u201d he fired back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I do know is that Alex did feel his body more than ever before after the 60 minutes he played [against Atl\u00e9tico Madrid on Wednesday ],\u201d Slot was willing to admit. \u201cLet\u2019s see how he has recovered today, and then we will think about the lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Slot admits 4-4-2 could be used to fit Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitik\u00e9 depending on form. squad depth<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[175],"tags":[195,299,872],"class_list":["post-2918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-liverpool","tag-alexander-isak","tag-arne-slot","tag-cody-gakpo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}