Alexis Mac Allister can play there alongside Endo, but the Argentina international looked most comfortable when further forward. Could the 2022 World Cup winner perform as a No.10 in Slot's lineup? Harvey Elliott is someone who could intrigue in that specific role. The England Under-21 had a great end to the campaign and will be desperate to kick on once more.
What will be fascinating to watch will be how Slot plans to use the full-backs within his ranks, particularly Alexander-Arnold, who has been operating as an inverted right-back for over a year now.
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New Liverpool head coach Arne Slot
At their peak, both defenders were integral to supplying the frontmen with chances but they struggled with injuries at various points of last term and didn't play even together nearly enough. Whether Slot reverts Alexander-Arnold back to his more traditional, wider position, keeps faith with the current plan or moves him entirely into his midfield will be instructive. As arguably the best passer in the squad, fixing the England international to long-term instructions will be an important call that will need making early.
According to data obtained by ESPN earlier this month, there are plenty of similarities between the two teams that Liverpool's deep dive into the data, led by director of research Will Spearman, will have noted. This season, for example, Liverpool's games featured 94 possessions per match, while Slot's Feyenoord stood at 96 for that same period.
Liverpool's average pass travels 17.1 meters, while Feyenoord's goes 17.2 meters, Under Klopp, the team moved the ball upfield at an above-average rate of 1.26 meters per second, while Feyenoord were even quicker at 1.33. The Reds' opponents completed 77% of their passes, while the sides against Slot's Feyenoord posted 74%. On their own, such similarities are merely coincidental but together they build up a picture of a compatible playing style.
If there is a continuity that it is hoped Slot will provide when it comes to playing style and general tactical ethos, the incoming Dutchman is also tasked with improving a frankly horrendous injury record over recent years at Liverpool.
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The appointment of Ruben Peeters, who worked as Feyenoord's head of performance, is a positive step forward towards addressing a situation that saw Klopp unable to field as many as 13 first-team players last season through fitness issues. Slot's willingness to embrace developments in sports science and the medical side of preparing for football matches was outlined as a big factor in the decision to bring him on board.
"It is a sign of the impact he has had in only two jobs as a head coach that, less than four years after stepping into his first role at AZ Alkmaar, Arne Slot has found himself one of the most sought-after managers in Europe," writes the influential Coaches Voice. "The Dutchman’s reputation has soared in two seasons at Feyenoord, where in 2022/23 he led them to their first Eredivisie title in six years – and only their second this century.
"Along with Erik ten Hag, he is at the forefront of an exciting new generation of Dutch coaches. Slot’s achievements in a relatively short career as a head coach have established him as a manager capable of testing his skills in a more competitive league than the Eredivisie. Both in and out of possession, his teams have proven an interesting and effective watch. It would be fascinating to see if, like his countryman Ten Hag, he could transfer that to the Premier League."
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