Random man bag flying in the wind… can’t see anything else.
2 Likes
Well said, it’s the right approach.
However, it might take more than pressing and high intensity sprints to shake off Wirtz, who is far from a defensively lazy player.
Wirtz’s creativity, skills, decisiveness in the final third and numbers, together with the off the ball package, is ultimately what made us break our transfer record for him. It would mean a “threat” to virtually any #10 in the game.
But like Szobo says, there is a way or two how to make it work with both of them.
Szobo always was more of a #8 even if he was playing as a #10.
I don’t think Slot will want to lose what he brings to the team.
There’s a way to make both Wirtz and Dom play together. That involves a formation change and is probably why we’ll look to get rid of some forward players.
1 Like
1 Like
I doubt Slot fundamentally changes how he sets us up 99% of the time.
Dom could easily play as an 8 with Wirtz ahead of him. Or we could even see Wirtz as a false 9 or maybe coming off the left. No change in general shape or set up needed.
We’re only really looking to get rid of Darwin. Barca have been warned off of Diaz unless they stump up a huge fee. We didn’t even worry about telling Bayern to piss off from chasing Gakpo because he’s going nowhere. Salah just signed a new deal and Jota is currently our only proper CF. Chiesa may go but no great loss there.
People did this every summer when Klopp was here. Predict some big change in the way the team would set up. Aside from dialling the heavy metal football down a couple levels it never came.
1 Like
Slot was working with the squad he had though. Will be interesting to see how he tweaks it with new players. That said, he clearly loves Szobo and I think he’d find a way to fit both him and Wirtz in to most starting 11s
1 Like
He looks very smart..
1 Like
In the pressing phase last season, he was basically positioned as the second striker, being part of the first line of press.
Then, obviously he also had to drop a little bit to protect Salah’s side and also in the second half of the season, in some big games, we dropped him a bit deeper to a shape that resembled more 4-3-3 (Mac’s form was brilliant in the last months).
When Szobo arrived, he was viewed more as a between the lines type of player, either a #10 or someone who can play inside channels (left #10 for Hungary, often right for Leipzig).
When Klopp decided to field him as a RCM #8 in a 4-3-3, both Klopp and Szobo touched on that subject that they were changing his position. It wasn’t talked about how it’s his natural role. He had a so-so season, better start than what followed.
I think Slot said at one point this season that Szobo told him how he actually thinks he’s better as a #8 than a #10.
Maybe he prefers more having a larger part of the team/pitch in front of him and realized that his creativity/numbers aren’t great for the single #10/second striker role, in our change of shape. Truth is also, we didn’t have an “ideal” striker option, the best we had was Diaz’s stuff.
Thing is also, we are still more of a 4-2-3-1 shape and if we do flip to 4-3-3 with a false #9, it’s highly questionable whether that’s good for Wirtz.
I don’t think it’s that easy for Szobo to suddenly become a serious option for the two deeper double pivot roles (even the one with a bit more freedom than the other one, which is Mac’s) and challenge the likes of Gravenberch or Mac.
It takes more than miles covered, high intensity sprints and knuckle hitting anything with the ball. Especially in a controlled way of playing which we want to evolve.
Now we can just speculate and talk about possibilities and probabilities. There are ways for some players to play together. With time, perhaps one might beat the other. I want what makes the team better, I’m not subscribed to some players individually that they absolutely have to have a regular starting place.
I think we were all in agreement that Gravenberch and Mac Allister both probably played too much last season. Wirtz allows us flexibility and the chance to mix and match midfields a bit more.
If he’s playing 10, we can mix and match Grav, Macca or Endo at 6 and Macca, Jones and Szobo in more of the 8 with all three of those able to push into more of a 10 role if needed.
Equally you could have Wirtz in the false 9, or even off the left with Diaz central, and you’re picking three from that midfield group of 5 behind him.
Last season was basically Grav and Macca plus either Jones or Szobo. This season we’ll have much better flexibility to pick the midfield for the occasion. Not impossible we see Macca, Szobo, Jones and Wirtz all playing together on occasion.
1 Like