November 6th 2024.
Arne Slot and his Liverpool team are on a roll, maintaining a perfect start in the Champions League. In their most recent match on Tuesday night, they secured a 4-0 victory against Bayer Leverkusen. After the game, Slot took a moment to praise Leverkusen's centre-back, Jonathan Tah, for his performance on the pitch.
Liverpool's Colombian forward, Luis Diaz, stole the show with a second-half hat-trick, accompanied by a goal from Cody Gakpo. This impressive win has placed Liverpool at the top of the Champions League table with four wins in four matches. Slot revealed that Tah's presence in Leverkusen's defence influenced his tactics for the game.
Tah, who was a key player for Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso last season, was almost signed by Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window. However, he is now set to become a free agent at the end of the season when his contract expires. Slot explained that Diaz played in a central role in Liverpool's attack because Tah is a "real good defender" and one of the best in Germany.
When asked about the reasons behind Diaz playing through the middle, Slot responded, "A few things...I only have four attackers available at the moment with the injuries of Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa, and Darwin [Nunez] didn't play that much in the beginning and then he started to play a bit more." With a busy fixture list, Slot faced the challenge of managing his players' game time, especially considering the injuries and limited playing time for some of his attacking options.
Slot also highlighted the importance of versatility in his players, especially in their attacking positions. He mentioned that Diaz often plays on the left or in midfield, but they wanted to surprise Leverkusen with runs in behind from different angles. He praised the first goal, which came from a brilliant pass by Curtis Jones.
The topic of Diaz potentially playing more games through the middle came up, and Slot responded, "If we have our injuries like we have at the moment then this could happen, yeah." He also noted that their tactics may change depending on the availability of players and the other team's formation. In the previous season, Gakpo played as a nine and Diaz as an 11, but this time, they wanted to utilize Gakpo's height against Tah.
Slot emphasized the physical demands of playing in the Premier League and Champions League, especially for players in the attacking positions. He acknowledged that it may not be possible for every player to play every game, so rotation is necessary. However, he made it clear that both Diaz and Gakpo are starters in his eyes, and he trusts their abilities on the field.
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