Arne Slot has big attacking call to make ahead of Liverpool’s clash vs Newcastle
Arne Slot hasn’t gotten his tactical decisions spot on this season for Liverpool.
The Reds have endured a summer of transition, with almost £300million spent on new recruits, while the likes of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have left the club.
Liverpool were victorious against Bournemouth, but were exposed at the back yet again as Slot’s transition defence has been exploited by opposition teams all summer.
Ibrahima Konate has come under massive scrutiny for his performance against the Cherries, but the Dutch manager’s attention needs to turn to the attack ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Newcastle United.
Florian Wirtz should get the nod ahead of Cody Gakpo
The Bournemouth victory saw Florian Wirtz make his long-awaited debut for the Reds, but the German was kept quiet in an underwhelming performance.
The Cherries defenders made life difficult for the former Bayer Leverkusen man, forcing him to give the ball up three times and restrict him to just one shot.
Cody Gakpo, meanwhile, had a brilliant performance again at Anfield, scoring a wonderful second after linking up with Hugo Ekitike.
However, although the Dutchman always shows up at Anfield, his away form leaves much to be desired, and moving Wirtz to the left wing, a position he’s comfortable in, could help him excel against Kieran Trippier or Tino Livramento.
The German being on the left could open up space down the middle, which could let the likes of Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah run riot.
Dominik Szoboszlai has to start in midfield against Newcastle
Dominik Szoboszlai is a player who receives mixed opinions on who you ask, but one thing he will always bring is energy.
Szoboszlai is a pressing machine who can haunt midfielders and defenders, while his passing ability is also of good enough quality to make defenders panic.
| Dominik Szoboszlai vs Bournemouth | Physical stats |
| Distance covered | 11.5km |
| Sprints | 24 |
| Top speed | 30.7km/h |
Newcastle’s midfield trio of Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali is one of the most physically dominant in the Premier League, and they all have engines that can tire out any midfield in the world.
If Liverpool want to get out of the North East with the three points, Szoboszlai is a must for his pressing alone.
Sign up for the Liverpool News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Liverpool news sent straight to your phone.