Arne Slot is praised as a tactical genius. And of course. The Liverpool coach’s smart approach helped him lift the Premier League title in his first year last season.
However, there is no denying that Liverpool’s appearance is tactically unbalanced this year. The Dutch exuded a tactical surprise against Crystal Palace, but it didn’t work, and the Reds were devastated throughout the first half at Selhurst Park.
They gathered and Federico Chiesa’s late goal from the bench seemed to seal the point. Probably all three. Liverpool pushed and pushed, and they huffed and breathed, but the appeal of their late opening hours was lost when Eddie Nketia was hit in the 11th hour and handed over the Champions’ first league defeat.
There are many things to unleash, but let’s dilute it to just a few topics here. The right back has been a hot topic at Merseyside this summer, with Connor Bradley flattering him by cheating on his return to the starting lineup.
Bradley’s Performance vs. Palace
Bradley had Trent Alexander Arnold stand up and set out for Real Madrid this summer, filling up his big boots. Northern Ireland’s right-back was previously attractive in the Premier League, but suffered injuries for most of his slot debut period.
At 22, Bradley began Liverpool’s last two Premier League matches and had a decent job against Inform Jack Grelish in the Merseyside derby, but he endured a game he was hooked on at halftime with Oliver Grassner’s Eagles.
Lacking the clarity and similarity of creativity in the ball, Bradley attempted four dribbles, failing with losing 12 possessions, losing four of the seven conflict ground duels recorded by his sofa score.
But Bradley was always going to object to it, as Ibrahima Conate produces another sloppy performance loaded with errors.
And, in addition, Mohamed Sarah was once again anonymous.
The slot should be x Sarah
Salah, 33, has been a full-scale Liverpool superstar for many years, running the Premier League defense at roughshod through the 2024/25 campaign towards the title.
He posted three goals and three assists in the opening week of the season, but also lacked much of his usual swagger and fun, which was less obvious to the palaces on Saturday afternoons.
The winger on the right missed a big chance to create two, but his true moments of joy were only a few, losing a ground duel of five. This was not an outlier along with the terminology metric when matched against data last year and highlighted his regression.
Slot Premier League Sara | ||
|---|---|---|
Match statistics (*per game) | 24/25 | 25/26 |
Match (start) | 38 (38) | 6 (6) |
the goal | 29 | 2 |
assist | 18 | 2 |
touch* | 49.1 | 43.2 |
Shot (target)* | 3.4 (1.6) | 1.7 (0.8) |
Accurate path* | 22.4 (74%) | 21.0 (75%) |
Key Pass* | 2.4 | 1.3 |
dribble* | 1.5 | 0.2 |
Ball recovery* | 2.7 | 3.3 |
Tackle* | 0.6 | 0.0 |
The duel won* | 3.3 | 1.7 |
Data based on sofa score | ||
We are still early in the season, but we are telling the underlying data. Sarah fell off the proverb cliff in regards to his application and effectiveness.
Now he plays his role with a focus on embracing the Touchline and maintaining the space for the reformed Number 9 team. Veterans are struggling.
And Chiesa’s revival in red continues. Italian International has now recorded two goals and two assists in all competitions since the summer, and he actually looks like another beast.
Analyst Josh Williams said the 27-year-old “should have started today,” and that’s an accurate rating. Liverpool’s risks have stagnated, become predictable, and targets are delayed, and Chiesa’s form shows his applicability to the upcoming openings in the Premier League.
The Liverpool Echo was branded to him with a 4/10 match rating, writing that Sarah “did a hard time with the basics” and offered a non-existent defensive cover to Bradley, stuck between two of Liverpool’s biggest issues, Sarah and Conate.
Salah is a great Liverpool and he will continue to play the club’s amulet throughout the season. But there’s no denying that he’s seen the pace for most of his previous campaign.
He has played every minute in the Premier League since his opening whistle against Bournemouth in August, and his performances have not justified that mark.
Chiesa looked very bright in Convserielly, but £150,000 ACEs continue to play the role of the periphery each week.
