A feat more difficult than winning the league title is perhaps defending it. In the Premier League era, only three managers have successfully defended the crown—Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. So when the shine of Liverpool’s coronation fades out and the reality of the title defence winks in next season, manager Arne Slot would be conscious of the need to renew, and maybe, retool his squad and reengineer his tactics so that he does not end up being comically hailed as a one-hit wonder.
The squad he inherited from Jurgen Klopp was sufficiently healthy to reduce the title to a saunter in the end. But bells of alarm buzzed intermittently to ensure that Liverpool do need energy and freshness to build a dynasty, lest risking the cruel fate of being overshadowed by a vengeful Pep Guardiola or outmuscled by a resolved Mikel Arteta. Slot’s squad might not need a complete makeover, but nips and tucks that could make them a more impregnable group.
Slot’s primary gaze could be on the back-line, not creaking but in need of reinforcements. Virgil van Dijk was imperious this season, but he would turn 34 next season, his legs could tire from age and exhaustion. An accomplice of similar qualities and attributes could be the bare minimum Slot could offer his figurehead centre-back, lest he could crumble sometime next season. The current associates Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah could all put in industrious shifts, but without the Dutchman, they fall apart.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates by taking a selfie after winning the English Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur and clinching the Premier League title at Anfield. (AP Photo)
A bigger concern is their full-backs. Trent-Alexander Arnold extending his stay at the Anfield is uncertain, his left-side counterpart Andy Robertson has exhibited signs of decay. Though academy product Conor Bradley is gifted and won Slot’s appreciation, he is still rough and raw. A more classical holding midfielder and a goal-scoring forward to reduce the burden on Mohammed Salah could feature in the shopping list. Little doubt that Slot would be granted a heavy war chest after a quiet window last season and the riches they have acquired from winning the league to stave off the chasing pack, which is getting larger by the season. Manchester City and Arsenal would undoubtedly return reenergised, while Chelsea, Newcastle United and Aston Villa could all compete for the title with shrewd recruiting.
READ MORE: Liverpool’s reds-letter day: How Arne Slot’s men conquered Premier League for their coveted 20th English title
As much as the personnel to refuel their title-defence ambitions, Slot would be aware of the tactical revisions he would need to make in the unceasing evolution of the game. The league is adapting and readapting so swiftly that strategies are becoming outdated midway through the season, or like revolving chairs taking turns to appear and disappear, both linearly and cyclically. The fetish for false nines have disappeared, replaced now by frantic pursuit for conventional nines, with laser-sharp boots. Even the press is not as relentless as they once used to be, a reaction to teams tightening the backlines and moving as compact, defensive units rather than looking to make quick counterattacks.
In short, managers have to think one step ahead of time, constantly invent, adapt, evolve, push the boundaries of their thinking and at times revert to forgotten plans (like fast breaks some teams have adopted in the recent times). The incredible success of Pep Guardiola owes to the tactical shifts he incorporated from time to time. After the first season, he put an incredible focus on winning the second balls, a hitherto unimportant dimension of the game in England. In the subsequent years, he repurposed a centre back into a deep-lying playmaker (John Stones), the full back into an attacking midfielder (Joao Cancelo), he reverted to the classical striker, brought wingers and dribblers, hitherto considered antithetical to his principles and claimed the treble by playing four centre-backs in the 2022-23 season, the logic being he could maintain the upper hand in one-on-one defensive situations, against crafty forwards.
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Similarly, in his later years, Klopp toned down Liverpool’s aggression, embraced control and dismantled low blocks with relentlessness rather than violence. Mikel Arteta bolstered his defence, set-pieces and midfield robustness. Tactically rigidity was ruthlessly exposed. Even Guardiola (and Barcelona) has retreated from purism.
The Premier League, thus, is no place for dreamers and romantics, but for thinkers flexible to alterations and adjustments, in-hesitant to question or revise their guiding fundamentals, often on a per-game basis. For all their idealism and adherence to beautiful football, Marcelo Bielsa and Roberto De Zerbi became far too predictable and eventually left the English shores with heavy souls. Manchester United’s latest manager, Ruben Amorim, is learning the pitfalls of philosophical stubbornness.
This year for Liverpool was about winning the league without a traditional No 6, with a nucleus of ageing but classy footballers, but the same set of ploys could hit the walls next season. How Slot renews his team next term, thus, would reveal whether he has the tactical smarts and foresight to build a dynasty in Liverpool, or he could end up as a one-hit wonder.
