{"id":92600,"date":"2025-08-18T19:41:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T19:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/92600\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T19:41:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T19:41:24","slug":"arne-slot-has-limited-second-season-experience-so-what-can-liverpool-expect-liverpool-fc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/92600\/","title":{"rendered":"Arne Slot has limited second season experience – so what can Liverpool expect? – Liverpool FC"},"content":{"rendered":"

It will be music to the ears of Liverpool fans to hear that Arne Slot<\/a>\u2019s side is ahead of schedule, writes Joe Baker. <\/p>\n

The Dutchman was brought in to fill the huge shoes of Jurgen Klopp<\/a> for many reasons but a key one is his ability to develop players, individually and collectively. <\/p>\n

It was a decision very much made with the long-term in mind. Winning the club\u2019s famous 20th title was a wonderful gift few anticipated being unwrapped so early into his tenure. <\/p>\n

Going into season two, the pressure valve has been turned up a few notches. The proverbial target on the back is much bigger. <\/p>\n

If Slot\u2019s first season was defined by an odd mixture of first intrigue, then surprise, impressiveness and ultimately joy, the second is coated heavily in expectation. <\/p>\n

\"LONDON,<\/p>\n

Yet, interestingly, for one of the most highly esteemed coaches in the modern game, Slot has very little actual experience in second seasons. <\/p>\n

In fact, he only has one full second season under his belt at all, in which he famously won the 2022\/23 title with Feyenoord. He got to December with AZ Alkmaar but was fired after negotiating a future role with the Rotterdammers. <\/p>\n

This adds additional curiosity for the 2025\/26 campaign. What should fans expect from a Slot second season? <\/p>\n

And does the evidence to date, which is limited to the Dutch Eredivisie, suggest that he is capable of fending off the chasing pack and keeping Liverpool on this upward trajectory?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Consistency in shape, diversity in position<\/p>\n

\"Arne<\/p>\n

There is one school of thought that Slot, to keep his opponents unsettled, may start varying his formation in this second campaign by playing with wingbacks, following the signatures of highly attacking full-backs Jeremie Frimpong<\/a> and Milos Kerkez<\/a>. <\/p>\n

However, don\u2019t be surprised to see a strengthening in his commitment to the 4-2-3-1 that served him so well last season. Indeed, at Feyenoord, he only deviated from that favoured shape once in 34 league games. <\/p>\n

The set-up of the Slot machine is in place. Yet what may change more is the components that are selected and where they are used. <\/p>\n

In an era when it is widely believed that a top side challenging on multiple fronts needs two strong options in every position, Slot\u2019s approach goes somewhat against the grain. <\/p>\n

\"LONDON,<\/p>\n

One of his core football philosophies is having players who can operate in more than one position. <\/p>\n

It is one of the many big appeals of Florian Wirtz<\/a>. It\u2019s why people have found it hard to compute his relaxed responses to justifiable questions about a lack of depth in central defence. <\/p>\n

He is confident in the ability of his players \u2013 in this case Ryan Gravenberch<\/a> and Wataru Endo<\/a> \u2013 to also play in alternative roles. This is also a nod to the equal confidence in his and his coaches\u2019 capacity to support them. <\/p>\n

At Feyenoord, his use of versatile players like Lutsharel Geertruida, Orkun Kokcu and David Hancko was invaluable across the course of the season. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s surely a factor in the signings made this summer \u2013 fans can expect to see Wirtz, Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike<\/a> being asked to take up different positions, including during matches themselves.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The cups mean something<\/p>\n

\"LONDON,<\/p>\n

One of the few times Slot felt some heat from fans last season was in the domestic cup competitions.<\/p>\n

At Feyenoord, the Dutchman preferred to pick the same side where possible, no matter the competition. Yet, whether it be due to an increased awareness of fatigue or because he was still getting to know his players, there was more rotation in the FA Cup<\/a> and EFL Cup. <\/p>\n

The approach took Liverpool to the final in one but contributed towards an early shock exit to Plymouth in the other.<\/p>\n

Will Slot rotate the same way in 2025\/26? Or will he stick with his best team as far as possible?<\/p>\n

In that one second season we have as evidence, it may be that it is the latter. Despite being in the middle of a close title battle with Ajax and having a decent sized squad attuned to his demands, Slot continued to pick the strongest sides he could in the cup competitions. <\/p>\n

\"LONDON,<\/p>\n

He was furious at the manner of the close defeats to Ajax in the Dutch Cup semi-final and against AS Roma after extra time in the Europa League<\/a> quarter-final. <\/p>\n

With so much to manage in the biggest job of his career, it isn\u2019t surprising Slot initially prioritised the Premier League<\/a> and Champions League<\/a> more. <\/p>\n

However, after a year of getting the squad accustomed to his methods and being physically stronger, that surely won\u2019t be the same this time around.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Raising the intensity<\/p>\n

\"LIVERPOOL,<\/p>\n

A lot was made of Liverpool\u2019s lack of injuries last season, as if it was a huge stroke of fortune. This short-sighted view neglected the immense fitness work done behind the scenes, led by Ruben Peeters. <\/p>\n

With this excellent base, fans can expect the fitness and intensity levels demanded of players to go up again this season. Indeed, it was one of the notable changes Feyenoord fans saw in the team Slot took to the title. <\/p>\n

High intensity play aligned with a low intensity of injuries is a sweet spot few coaches can find. With Slot, his team can\u2019t just be the best technically but the best physically. <\/p>\n

At moments last season, Liverpool seemed happy to let players have the ball as part of their game management. Will that be the same this year? <\/p>\n

\"Arne<\/p>\n

Interestingly in the 2022\/23 Eredivisie campaign, Slot\u2019s Feyenoord team balanced an offensive style with the best pressing game in the League. <\/p>\n

As shown by data from FotMob<\/a>, not only did Slot improve their average possession (2nd best), accurate passing (2nd best) and shots on target (first) compared to the year before, but he had them leading the way for distance run, number of turnovers and the amount of possession won in the final third. <\/p>\n

Top coaches adapt as they learn, so there\u2019s no guarantee Slot will change things too much. Indeed, Opta already has them as the fifth best pressing side in the Premier League<\/a> in 2024\/25. <\/p>\n

Nonetheless, with title rivals Man City<\/a> and Arsenal<\/a> two of the four teams ahead of them in this regard, it could be an area Slot seeks to further improve. <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sharing goals and trusting youth<\/p>\n

\"LIVERPOOL,<\/p>\n

Finally, it is clear from the signing of Ekitike and the pursuit of Alexander Isak that Slot knows he needs to add more sources of goals to his side. This was an aim before the sale of Darwin Nunez<\/a> and the tragic loss of Diogo Jota<\/a>. The weight on Mohamad Salah\u2019s shoulders needs to be lifted.<\/p>\n

At Feyenoord, much was made of the goals of Santiago Gimenez, but intriguingly he only netted 15 of their 81 in the League in the title-winning season. <\/p>\n

The team\u2019s number of goals and XG increased but what is key is that the spread of them did too. In their respective recent League triumphs, 60% of Liverpool\u2019s goals came from three players, whereas for Feyenoord the same percentage came from five.<\/p>\n

\"LIVERPOOL,<\/p>\n

Or put it another way, Salah\u2019s strikes made up 27% of Liverpool\u2019s goals in all competitions last season, whilst in Slot\u2019s second Feyenoord season, Gimenez\u2019s contribution made up just 19%, with 17 different players chipping in. <\/p>\n

And linked to attacking contributions, it\u2019s notable already that Slot is a fan of Rio Ngumoha<\/a>. He may only be 16 but Slot has history of trusting in youth and giving it a chance to flourish. <\/p>\n

In 2022\/23, a total of 10 players aged 22 or under made at least 10 appearances under him. His title-winning captain Orkun Kokcu was only 21. <\/p>\n

The opportunity to get regular action at Lyon was too good to turn down for Tyler Morton<\/a>, but the likes of Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni<\/a> could all get more game time despite the rising of expectations. <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The final word<\/p>\n

\"LIVERPOOL,<\/p>\n

It goes without saying that Slot will want improvements in all areas. It\u2019s what has made him such a successful coach to date. And it\u2019s why Liverpool brought him in \u2013 an individual not just with ideas but standards. <\/p>\n

He will know more than anyone that the bar needs to be lifted again. <\/p>\n

It might be slightly unnerving to consider that Slot has only ever had one full second season in a job. <\/p>\n

Nevertheless, with the performances so far and the high ceiling for further improvement, even greater success could be just around the corner. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It will be music to the ears of Liverpool fans to hear that Arne Slot\u2019s side is ahead…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[1711,403,99],"class_list":["post-92600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-liverpool-fc","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}