Four Liverpool players who could struggle under Arne Slot
- As we things change under Arne Slot, not every player will thrive
- The styles of play are similar, but there are nuanced differences
- Some big name players might take time to adjust to the new settings
With a new manager comes a new system and footballing philosophy, and few of those match Jürgen Klopp's.
Liverpool's brand of football over the past nine seasons has been a thrilling one, but a tough one to replicate, and one that maximized certain types of players.
Now, players brought in to fill those roles are going to have to try to adapt to an approach that might be less tailored to their strengths, and it might be tougher for some than it is for others- let's talk about some current Liverpool players who could have a tough time adjusting to life under Arne Slot.
Darwin Núñez
Darwin is a candidate to struggle under any manager- missing approximately 80% of your big chances isn't particularly acceptable for a striker under any system- but he might be a particularly poor fit for Slot's footballing philosophy.
A lot of precision is required to play the Dutchman's brand of football, and wasteful work around the net is much more painful in a side that likely won't move at the pace of Klopp's, and thus may not generate the same volume of chances.
There's something to be said for Darwin's merits as a left winger, but even in that regard he's much more of a Klopp player than a Slot one.
This partly depends on who would move in at striker were he to move over, but there are also likely better options on the roster at that position, leaving Núñez possibly homeless in the XI if Slot decides he's not up to the task of playing up top.
Mohamed Salah
It's not that Salah is a poor fit for Slot's system, it's just hard to envision him matching the historic production levels he reached under Klopp, especially as he turns 32 years old this summer.
Skillset wise, Salah has already begun to transition from a pace-based winger to a pass-first playmaker, but barring major personnel changes, the goalscoring burden will still be placed on him in a system that allows him somewhat less freedom to cut inside and create for himself.
Salah could be a good central player in Slot's system, whether that's as a centre-forward or even an attacking midfielder, but it's simply not all that likely that he's given the chance.
As Liverpool's greatest-ever right winger, that's likely where he'll start for the foreseeable future, even though that may not be the best way to go at this stage in his career or under the new gaffer.