Ex-Liverpool star credits Arne Slot for midfield masterstroke

The new-look Liverpool under Arne Slot has taken some time to get used to. 

The brilliance of Jurgen Klopp and his philosophy seemed like it would stick around forever, but of course this wasn’t the case. 

Slot has employed many different tactics in his short time in charge thus far, and one former Liverpool player was quick to comment on these changes. 

Read more: Ex-Liverpool star calls for Manchester City to be relegated to the fifth-tier 

Murphy on Slot tactics

Speaking on TalkSport, Danny Murphy was posed questions regarding Slot’s start to life on Merseyside and the different roles certain players have employed. 

Murphy compared Slot to Klopp at one point in terms of team rotation. He stated: “Klopp was a master at rotation, he had five strikers that rotated all the time. Slot is a bit more rigid in his team. He has a general starting three of Diaz, Salah and Jota. One of the reasons Klopp did rotation was the sharpness. Now the games are coming thick and fast, we will see what he does.”

Murphy believes that Jurgen’s constant rotation worked in so many ways, that's why the Reds were successful as players always had a chance to rest. It seems he thinks Slot should follow in the former manager's footsteps. 

Gravenberch's Dembele comparison

But as we have seen this season, Slot likes to keep his team fairly consistent. The front three have hardly changed and the midfield and defence look locked in. As a result, Murphy said that: “he (Slot) could play Darwin, Gakpo and Chiesa, in the midfield Curtis is back, Endo's been sat on the bench. If you put them in, you’d still be confident.” 

During the Milan game, we could see Slot begin to show rotation in the striking department with Gakpo positively replacing Diaz. And on Saturday, it will be interesting to see more of the same happening against Bournemouth. 

Moreover, the TalkSport panel mentioned the blistering form of Ryan Gravenberch. The former Liverpool man praised the Dutch midfielder, even comparing him to former Belgian international Mousa Dembele.

“Gravenberch can glide forward, and that's a rare trait," he said. "The one that stands out in my head that did that was [Mousa] Dembele. In terms of I can get on the ball and I will glide past you. It's a masterstroke putting him in there.”

It’s true that Ryan’s start to the season has been nothing short of unbelievable. And it’s incredibly refreshing to see he is getting the praise he deserves.

Murphy summarised, saying that he 'likes what he sees so far'. It has been a positive start and the team will be looking to continue against Bournemouth on Saturday.