Arne Slot, the new Liverpool manager, has offered a restrained response regarding England’s decision to experiment with Trent Alexander-Arnold in central midfield during Euro 2024.
This tactical shift by England’s boss Gareth Southgate did not yield the desired results, leading to Alexander-Arnold being benched for crucial matches.
Initially, Southgate deployed Alexander-Arnold in midfield for England’s first two group stage games.
However, this strategy quickly proved ineffective.
The Liverpool star got taken out early in the second half of the tie with Denmark and was then left out for the final group match against Slovenia.
He sat out during England’s round of 16 win over Slovakia.
With the quarter-final against Switzerland coming up, Alexander-Arnold might play from the start again, but not as a midfielder.
After the Euros end, Alexander-Arnold will head back to Liverpool, now managed by Arne Slot.
In his first media talk as boss of Liverpool, Slot was asked about his ideas for Alexander-Arnold and the Dutch player Cody Gakpo.
Slot remained reserved about his tactical intentions, emphasizing the importance of discussing positions directly with the players first.
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“I don’t have an opinion about their best positions for their national teams because that depends on the other players they have. You cannot judge a player in isolation,” Slot stated.
“It’s always a team effort. But I do have my opinion about where they’re going to play here. However, I’ll discuss that with them first.”
Cody Gakpo, who has been pivotal for the Netherlands, scoring three goals and providing an assist to help his team reach the quarter-finals in Germany, was also a topic of discussion.
Slot expressed high expectations for Gakpo, hoping he would continue to improve and make an even greater impact.
“I am hoping he will step up even more. We are hoping and expecting him to do even better. Arne Slot remarked, “He has shown impressive form and had a strong tournament.”
Reflecting on his approach to managing Liverpool, Slot conveyed confidence in the team’s existing strengths and the potential for further improvement.
“We’ve inherited a good team. With the way I look at football, I can see how important it is to work on a daily basis.
Arne Slot remarked, “He has shown impressive form and had a strong tournament.”
Players don’t always replicate their club performance on the international stage. There is already a really good team with some great signings from last year.”
Slot emphasized a flexible tactical approach, stating,
“Normally, you see things will improve. I was hoping if people looked at my team, it wasn’t just a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation. It’s a lot of freedom to take different positions when we have the ball. Our goal is to be very aggressive when we are without the ball.”
Slot’s measured responses indicate a thoughtful and strategic approach to integrating key players like Alexander-Arnold and Gakpo into his Liverpool squad.
His focus remains on collaboration and continuous improvement as he embarks on his tenure at Anfield.
