Arne Slot has been given advice on how he could damage Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes despite a 10-point gap separating the two sides.
Whilst Liverpool are presently enjoying a three-match winning run, defeating Wolves 2-1 in their last fixture, they’ve struggled to close the gap on the league frontrunners. Defending their crown appears increasingly unlikely given Arsenal’s lead and the outstanding form of Manchester City and Aston Villa, who all sit within three points of one another.
A battle for Champions League qualification seems more realistic for the Reds manager, though he’s been informed of a strategy that could undermine the Gunners’ bid to end their title drought while strengthening his own squad. Here’s all the latest news from Anfield.
Arsenal maintain pole position to wrestle the Premier League trophy from Liverpool as Mikel Arteta’s outfit have dominated the summit for 12 straight weeks.
The Spaniard has assembled a perfectly balanced squad in north London, with one player particularly standing out – Jurrien Timber. His defensive prowess, composure on the ball and calmness under pressure has seen him hailed as one of the globe’s finest in his natural right-back role.
With Liverpool’s inconsistency in that position – neither Conor Bradley nor Jeremie Frimpong having established themselves as the club’s clear first choice – Slot has been encouraged to bring in his fellow Dutchman, reports the Mirror.
That encouragement has come from former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, who told Aceodds: “In the right back position they have Frimpong, Gomez and Bradley. All three are injury prone and they are not robust enough to play week in week out and that is something they have to go away from.
“Liverpool are a better team when they have a proper right back in that position. It balances the team better and allows Szoboszlai to play in the midfield. So, I think signing a right back is equally as important as signing a centre back at the moment.
“In an ideal world I would bring in Jurrien Timber but I don’t think Arsenal would allow that. I think he is the best right back in the league. I think he is brilliant. Someone of that quality who is good in 1v1 situations. Since his ACL injury he has shown his robustness to come back.”
Among all the challenges Liverpool have faced this season, their set-piece vulnerabilities stand out as a prime candidate for their biggest weakness. The Reds have shipped a joint-highest 12 goals from set pieces in the Premier League, matching Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
Whilst Slot’s team has shown signs of improvement recently, their vulnerability to corners and free-kicks continues to be a persistent problem. This weakness surfaced once more during their 2-1 victory against Wolves when Santiago Bueno found the net from a corner, coming just a week after Richarlison’s strike which also resulted from the Reds’ failure to deal with a corner properly.
Van Dijk expressed his frustration at the lack of progress in defending set-pieces, describing the problem as a “killer”. He commented: “There have been plenty of games when we have defended them very well. But the fact is we’ve conceded too many set-piece goals and we don’t score enough.
“It’s something we have to improve. I would say at least 75% of the time or even more, it’s not even about the first contact. It’s the second phase that is the killer. Is it a mental thing? I hope not. If that’s in your head then it’s an issue. Personally, it’s not in my head.”
