Arne Slot’s squad for his maiden Premier League season has now been confirmed after the transfer window slammed shut on Friday night. Here we take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the team.
Slot has enjoyed a perfect start to his Premier League career, beating both Ipswich Town and Brentford whilst playing some genuinely impressive football.
The one part of Slot’s short tenure that has been widely criticised by supporters is his team’s business in the summer transfer window.
Slot has reassured fans that he is happy with the players he has now, so let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the squad that the Eredivisie winner has available to him for the rest of the season (or until January).
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Strengths
Goalkeeper is one of Liverpool’s strongest positions and the future of Liverpool’s goalkeeping department was solidified this summer when a deal Giorgi Mamardashvili was announced for 2025.
Alisson Becker, who many consider to be the best in the world, will remain Liverpool’s number one and, baring any late swoop from abroad, Caoimhin Kelleher will once again provide back-up for the Brazilian shot stopper.
The other department that Liverpool strengthened this summer is the front line. Federico Chiesa was added to Liverpool’s attacking options for a bargain fee and the Reds now boast a six-strong attacking unit.
Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo have all proven over their time at Anfield that they can be formidable and the addition of Chiesa into the mix bodes well for the Liverpool faithful.
Football – FA Premier League – Ipswich Town FC v Liverpool FC IPSWICH, ENGLAND – Saturday, August 17, 2024: Liverpool s Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the second goal during the FA Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Liverpool FC at Portman Road. Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda IPSWICH Portman Road SUFFOLK ENGLAND PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK Copyright: xDavidxRawcliffex P2024-08-17-Ipswich_Liverpool-87
Liverpool also have the advantage of strong depth in both fullback positions. Although Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson are top of the pecking order in their respective positions, Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas are two of the best back-ups in the Premier League.
Joe Gomez is also able to deputise on either side as a fullback and so this appears to be a position in which Liverpool remain strong.
Weaknesses
For a number of seasons, the weakest part of Liverpool’s squad has been the midfield. Liverpool have missed out on multiple high profile midfield targets in recent transfer windows and, despite a rebuild last summer, the Reds are still in need of midfield reinforcements.
Ryan Gravenberch has filled in admirably so far this season and Wataru Endō still remains a solid squad option but the holding midfield role is unquestionably one of the weakest parts of Liverpool’s squad.
You only have to look at Liverpool’s top target this summer, Martín Zubimendi, to know that Richard Hughes and Arne Slot feel this position can be improved upon. A deal with Zubimendi was never agreed though, and the Spaniard will stay with Real Sociedad until at least January when the Reds could make another approach.
PARIS, FRANCE – FEBRUARY 14: Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad during the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 first leg match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Sociedad at Parc des Princes on February 14, 2024 in Paris, Paris Saint-Germain v Real Sociedad: Round of 16 First Leg – UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Copyright: xSebastianxFrejx
The other position in Liverpool’s squad that looks a bit thin after the summer window is central defence.
Liverpool still have Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez who can all play in the centre of the defence but beyond these four players there is very little depth.
It could be argued that having four options for the position is more than enough but Konaté has a notourisly poor injury record, Van Dijk is 33 and has less than a year left on his contract and Gomez may also be expected to fill in at fullback throughout the season.
This means that Liverpool could only be an injury or two away from having to rely on academy players to fill positions either on the bench or in the starting XI.
Liverpool were repeatedly linked with a number of central defenders this summer, but a move never materialised, and this could come back to bite Slot later in the season as the fixture list begins to become more congested.
Is Liverpool’s squad strong enough to compete?
There is no set definition of success for Liverpool this year but many people will have high expectations for the Anfield outfit after the team achieved a third place finish and won the Carabao Cup in Jürgen Klopp’s final season.
A number of fringe players including Fábio Carvalho, Bobby Clark and Sepp van den Berg have left the club recently and Liverpool also have a number of players out on loan for the remainder of the campaign.
On top of these departures, only one of Liverpool’s summer signings, Chiesa, will be available to Slot this season.
It’s clear that the Liverpool squad is thinner now than it was at the start of Slot’s tenure but this might not be a bad thing. The Dutchman clearly has faith in the players that remain in his squad and is confident that he can improve his players on the training pitch.
Only time will tell whether this Liverpool team is strong enough to compete at the very top level but they have looked impressive so far, and must remain focussed on facing Man United this weekend in what will be their toughest challenge yet.
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