The Athletic has live coverage of Liverpool vs Bournemouth in the first match of the 2025-26 Premier League season
This is part of a series from The Athletic breaking down the tactical approach of Premier League teams for the 2025-26 season. Read about other clubs below:
Liverpool have gone from the hunters to the hunted.
After the success they achieved under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool evolved from a team that played with their heart to one that played with their head under Arne Slot.
Last season, the Dutchman largely operated with the tools that he inherited, but this campaign has seen a significant overhaul in the squad, with six new faces coming through the door this summer. The key question is how Liverpool’s head coach can fit his star players into a coherent starting XI.
Here, The Athletic outlines some key tactical questions that Slot might face as they look to defend their Premier League title.
The early weeks of pre-season suggest that Slot is keen to evolve Liverpool’s build-up structure.
Fans grew accustomed to watching Virgil van Dijk fizz in passes to Ryan Gravenberch as Liverpool worked the ball through the centre of the pitch more often under Slot. Commonly with Gravenberch as a single pivot, or alongside Alexis Mac Allister.
On the defensive line, Andrew Robertson would often shuffle across to build from a back three in possession, forming a 3-1 build-up shape as shown below.
But with the arrival of Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong as full-backs, the early clues from pre-season suggest that Liverpool have made subtle tweaks to their build-up approach this season.
Rather than receive from the defensive line, Gravenberch dropped between Liverpool’s centre-backs in their friendly against Athletic Club at Anfield, with Kerkez staying closer to his defensive line while Frimpong pushed higher or tucked in to a narrow position.
The pattern was similar in last Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Crystal Palace. This time, it was Curtis Jones or Dominik Szoboszlai dropping in to form a situational back three, which allows Kerkez and Frimpong to have a higher starting position.
When it was not a midfielder dropping between the centre-backs, there were occasions when Szoboszlai or Gravenberch would pull to the half-spaces to continue the back-three set-up to help with quicker circulation across the back line and more passing angles during the first phase of Liverpool’s build-up.
It was not uncommon to see this on occasion last season, but the pattern was notable by its frequency during this summer’s pre-season.
Gravenberch’s form faded in the latter stages of Liverpool’s title-winning campaign — partly due to fatigue but also due to opposition midfielders targeting him as a key catalyst for Slot’s attack. That did, however, allow his midfield partner Mac Allister to flourish.
As well as the new profiles they have in the squad, Slot will be acutely aware that he needs to keep his side as unpredictable as possible. It might not be used every time, but a new tweak to their build-up approach will help them to be flexible in working the ball through the thirds.
Last season, Slot settled on a preferred midfield three of Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai. All were technically proficient in progressing the ball, but also operated as a strong unit out of possession.
From the No 10 spot, Szoboszlai was the engine, leading the press and covering the space behind Mohamed Salah. Behind him, Mac Allister and Gravenberch were a well-oiled unit at the top of the square involving centre-backs Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, which held Liverpool’s compact shape to deal with counter-attacks.
As the new designated No 10, Wirtz has disrupted that unit. This is not to suggest the 22-year-old’s arrival is an issue, but a recalibration of Liverpool’s midfield balance is required.
(Carl Recine/Getty Images)
This was on display against Crystal Palace as both of Palace’s goals came from Oliver Glasner’s side playing through the heart of the pitch — the caveat being Slot’s double pivot was Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai rather than Gravenberch and Mac Allister.
The first goal came from Adam Wharton bypassing Wirtz and Szoboszlai. With Jones too deep, Daichi Kamada was then able to release Jean-Philippe Mateta in behind. Alisson’s heroics did not prevent Palace from winning a penalty moments later.
For the second, Wharton was again the instigator, bypassing three Liverpool midfielders to find Ismaila Sarr after Cody Gakpo was dispossessed.
It was a rare off-day for Van Dijk, and the growing pains of a back four with two new full-backs were noticeable in their disjointed line, as shown below for the second goal.
Conceding goals has been a theme throughout pre-season. Gravenberch has obtained the undroppable tag in the No 6 position, so the No 8 feels crucial in making the midfield tick.
Mac Allister’s start to pre-season was delayed as he recovered from the injury he picked up towards the end of last season. That has allowed Szoboszlai the opportunity to stake his claim for that role. His performance against Palace did him few favours, but alongside Gravenberch and Wirtz, he was excellent against Athletic Club.
The general setup will remain the same, but it is unlikely Wirtz will be asked to replicate Szoboszlai’s running. They will want him in the final third as much as possible to knit the attack together, but Liverpool need to ensure the balance is right.
Szoboszlai offers the type of athleticism Mac Allister lacks, but is unable to control the tempo of a match like the Argentina international can. The latter’s off-ball work is often underrated, so there is no doubt about his ability to stop counter-attacks; it’s more about the ground that may be required to be covered at speed.
Mac Allister’s recovery has denied Slot the opportunity to look at a midfield of Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Wirtz together. Only then will we see how functional that is, and whether that compact structure returns and remains.
(Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Moving further up the pitch, Liverpool were exciting in attack last season — but they may be even better to watch heading into the new campaign. Wirtz and Ekitike have reshaped the front four, adding a technical and creative wizard and an all-round No 9 that Slot was lacking last season.
It’s a change from the often-used Szoboszlai-Diaz combination from last season, who were excellent pressers and effective in possession, but not as creative or natural goalscorers compared to the new arrivals.
Both first halves against Athletic Club and Crystal Palace were a joy to watch for Liverpool supporters, with Salah and Gakpo either side of the new Wirtz-Ekitike dynamic. Relationships are building, and the speed and patterns of play offer plenty of encouragement for what is to come.
Wirtz has already become the central creative figure. He has a roaming role, which allows him to drift from pocket to pocket of space and appear across the pitch to influence proceedings. It was noticeable against Palace how tilted the front four was to the left side of the pitch. With Gakpo on the left, both Ekitike and Wirtz showed the tendency to drift to the left – the latter often operated as a left-sided No 10 for Leverkusen, whereas last season Liverpool played with a right-sided No 10.
It was evident in Liverpool’s opening goal against Palace where the pair linked up, and was similar for another Ekitike chance in the second half after shooting over the bar from a low cross from Wirtz.
The first goal against Athletic Club also demonstrated this as Ekitike positioned himself in the left channel, which led to his assist.
Slot built Liverpool’s attack around Salah last season — and with good reason, considering the 33-year-old’s record-breaking goal contributions.
With this summer’s additions, that no longer appears to be the case. In theory, the tilt to the left should give both Salah and Frimpong more space. Against Athletic, the system looked fluid, with Wirtz’s influence balanced across the pitch.
Against Palace, the Egypt international felt anonymous for large periods, but this should not be a huge concern yet. Salah has gone from being surrounded by Trent Alexander-Arnold, Szoboszlai and Diaz last season to Frimpong, Wirtz and Ekitike. It takes time to develop a new understanding.
The bigger worry is depth. The sales of Diaz and Darwin Nunez have left Slot with fewer senior forwards.
Last season, Liverpool’s bench was a weapon, allowing fresh attackers to alter games after the break. On Sunday, though, Slot replaced Ekitike by switching to a dual No 10 system, leaving Federico Chiesa, Ben Doak and 16-year-old pre-season standout Rio Ngumoha unused.
(Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
Interest remains in Newcastle’s Alexander Isak, but for now, the lack of depth means the narrative is changing slightly — where Liverpool’s margin for error is arguably tighter this season than last. Reinforcements would change that.
While much of Liverpool’s transfer window has been dominated by changes across the forward line, it is important to discuss how Kerkez and Frimpong’s arrival will influence the wider attacking unit.
Slot has signed two of the most attacking full-backs in Europe, which is highlighted below when looking at their off-ball run types per 30 minutes in possession compared with their positional peers across Europe’s top seven leagues.
Underlapping runs were a key theme of Slot’s title win last season, and there is arguably no player more suited to such a style than Kerkez — whose lung-busting runs can drag opposition defenders away or offer a passing option to cross into the box.
Albeit from a wing-back position at Bayer Leverkusen, Frimpong’s direct runs forward (Runs in behind, 99 out of 99) and tendency to get into the box (Cross receiver, 98 out of 99) were a feature of his time in Germany — and have already been on show during pre-season. Slot was keen to emphasise that the Dutch international can also deputise for Salah on the right wing when he is away during the Africa Cup of Nations in December and January.
“We brought in Jeremie Frimpong because we think he can play as a right full-back, but I also feel that he can play as a right winger. We will miss Mo for a maximum of six games, but that’s quite a lot in the Premier League, especially when you see how well he did last season.
“Signing Jeremie was for multiple reasons, but one of them was that he could replace Mo if Mo is not there. There are other options as well, but Jeremie is definitely one of them.”
Slot will likely encourage his full-backs to engage in an approach that is similar to the example below: as one tucks in while the other pushes on. This is seen against Athletic Club, with Frimpong taking up a higher, inside starting position before underlapping Salah to get beyond the defensive line.
Both Frimpong and Kerkez are relentless when given the opportunity to go forward, but Slot will be aware of the threat on the counter-attack if both are pushed too high when Liverpool lose the ball.
The early signs suggest that the wider balance in and out of possession still needs refining, but with the profiles that the duo offer, you can expect a newfound energy on both flanks this season.
A key area that Liverpool could improve next season is their set-piece prowess, particularly offensively. Slot’s side were well-rounded in most phases last season, but even he admitted that this is a part of their game that they need to work on.
“I think, even more, how big of an accomplishment it is to be on top of the league if we all know how important set pieces have become in general in football, let alone in this league,” he told Jamie Carragher in an interview with Sky Sports last season.
“If you lose the battle of set pieces, it’s hardly impossible to win a game of football, and the good thing for us is defensively we do well — maybe we do well — but offensively a team like us that has so many set pieces has to score more.”
Strength in dead-ball situations was a key feature of Liverpool’s play under Klopp, with assistant Peter Krawietz — nicknamed ‘The Eye’ — responsible for a lot of the analysis. However, the lack of potency was one of the few blots on the page for Slot last season. When accounting for opportunity, only four Premier League teams had a lower output than Liverpool’s 3.3 goals per 100 set pieces in 2024-25, conceding at a rate that was close to league average.
A switch to more inswinging corners was a notable feature under Slot, but the changes did not bear fruit as much as many had hoped. It was telling that Liverpool advertised for a specialist set-piece coach last summer, only to put their search on hold after being unable to find a suitable candidate. Instead, first-team individual development coach Aaron Briggs assumed the role last season in addition to his existing position.
Losing one of Europe’s best set-piece takers in Alexander-Arnold has not helped, but there have been some quirky features of pre-season emerging. During their tour of Asia, Gravenberch, Kerkez, Wataru Endo and Conor Bradley were spotted practising long throw-ins in attacking phases, which was a feature of their play under Klopp with the help of throw-in specialist Thomas Gronnemark.
Against stubborn defences that sit in a low block, improving Liverpool’s set-piece threat could be the key to unlocking a game. It is an area they will undoubtedly be keen to improve this season.
(Top photo: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
