Liverpool’s form is a concern. The Reds have now lost five consecutive matches across all domestic competitions. Their latest defeat came against Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, October 29.
Arne Slot is under some pressure at the moment. As the manager who won the Premier League title last season, Slot has considerable credit in the bank. However, if the defeats keep piling on, the pressure will ultimately intensify. Liverpool’s form is really worrying at the moment.
What Can Be Done To Improve Liverpool’s Form?
A change in the formation cannot be ruled out, as Florian Wirtz has struggled to settle into the role of a No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1 and playing with a 4-3-3 with a lone defensive midfielder can be too risky. Hence, an option for Liverpool might be to play with a box midfield.
The formation could either be a 4-2-2-2, which is pretty uncommon, or a more common 3-2-2-3. The first formation will allow Liverpool to play with both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike up front.
It has been a challenge for Slot to accommodate both of them. Isak is yet to find form for his new club, but Ekitike has been really good.
Moreover, playing with a 4-2-2-2 formation will also mean that Wirtz will have another midfielder by his side to play passes to. The onus, therefore, will not be solely on him to orchestrate moves in the midfield.
The No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation needs to be fast and direct like Kevin De Bruyne was for Manchester City. Moreover, Manchester City’s build-ups were typically slower than Liverpool’s.
Hence, Wirtz’s slow pace is not ideal for him to play as the lone attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1. Even Dominik Szoboszlai does not enjoy playing as the no. 10 and prefers to play as one of the two No. 8s.
Having two defensive midfielders will provide them with adequate cover. However, the challenge will be to provide width to the attack in a 4-2-2-2 formation, which will entirely depend upon the overlap of the full-backs. Jeremie Frimpong and Andy Robertson will have to play a key role in that scenario.
Still, playing with a 4-2-2-2 will mean that the talismanic Mohamed Salah will have to play as an attacking midfielder and not in his preferred role of the right winger. It will be a serious challenge for Slot and he will have to take a decision regarding that.
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Salah’s Involvement
Liverpool will be able to retain Salah as the right winger by playing with a 3-2-2-3 formation. The box in the midfield will still be there to enable Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai to have a proper defensive cover behind them.
However, it will require Liverpool to have an additional central defender, and they are not very rich in that department. It might mean they will have to field Joe Gomez regularly as the third centre-back.
Liverpool have not played with a back-three in a long time, but now might be the time for a change. The double-pivot and back-three will provide that extra bit of assurance against counterattacks of opposition teams.
However, playing with a 3-2-2-3 formation will mean they cannot have two players up front and will require Ekitike or Cody Gakpo to play on the left flank.
It remains to be seen whether Slot decides to take some action in this regard. The three upcoming matches against Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City could be really tough for his team, and any undesirable result in them might jeopardise his position further at the club. Liverpool’s form needs to improve now.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Propaganda Photo
Recording Date: 29.10.2025