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12 hours ago
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The celebrations have not finished yet and will crank back up when Liverpool are presented with and parade the Premier League trophy at the end of the month. However, Arne Slot’s thoughts are already turning towards next season’s title defence. “It’s the end of the season,” he said on Friday, “but we also have to look at this as the start of next season.”
With that in mind, the Liverpool head coach plans “a certain rotation” for the champions’ final four games against Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and Crystal Palace. Having stuck with the same core group throughout the title-winning campaign, here is a look at the changes Slot could, and should, have lined up:
The Alexander-Arnold succession
While there remains even the remotest possibility of persuading Trent Alexander-Arnold to follow Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk in signing a new contract – and nothing is done until his signature is on a Liverpool or Real Madrid contract – then the first choice right-back starts and is made to feel as much a part of the club’s future as its successful present. Any move to the contrary could be seen as an admission of defeat in Liverpool’s efforts to score a hat-trick of key contract extensions.
Should that fight be lost, however, then Conor Bradley gets the game-time that Slot admits the Northern Ireland international desperately needs. The 21-year-old has shown he possesses the talent and temperament to replace Alexander-Arnold should the latter head to the Bernabéu, and Liverpool are always mindful of keeping a pathway open for academy talent.
But Bradley’s body needs testing with a consistent run of games. He missed the title-clinching defeat of Tottenham with a training-ground knock and remains a slight doubt for Sunday’s visit to Chelsea. He had only just returned from a second hamstring injury of the season, too. Bradley’s longest run in the team under Slot is two games and he has been substituted in six of 11 starts in all competitions.
Two games per week, every week at the highest level, represents a considerable step up. As Slot admitted: “It is going to be very important for him to become an even better player than he is now to play many games in a row. Unfortunately for him, there is another full-back who is world class at this club as well with Trent Alexander-Arnold. That is probably the only reason he hasn’t played back-to-back-to-back games yet because he definitely has the quality to do so.
“I think the next step for him in his development is to play every single week and feel that pressure. Then, at a certain moment, it probably doesn’t feel like pressure any more. That might be his next step but as long as Trent is here, it’s going to be a difficult step for him to make.”
Give Endo and Elliott overdue starts
There is no place for sentimentality in a title race but with the job done against Spurs and Anfield in party mode, Slot decided to show a little. The head coach introduced Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott and Darwin Núñez in the closing stages to spread the feel of a title-clinching contest around his squad. He can now go further and hand Endo and Elliott the starts their contributions have deserved.
Despite regular praise from Slot, neither player has started a Premier League game this season. The pair have hidden their understandable frustration well. Their attitude and readiness has been exemplary, even when overlooked for what appeared a clear opportunity to start, namely Southampton at home.
Endo and Elliott are players that every title-winning squad depends on and a first start of the campaign would be a fitting way for Slot to show his appreciation. It would not be merely a sentimental gesture, either. How Elliott performs in the No 10 against the calibre of Liverpool’s upcoming opponents, for example, would be a useful exercise for the Dutchman. Equally, Endo’s ability to build a rapport with Alexis Mac Allister or Ryan Gravenberch would be instructive as Liverpool and the Japan captain consider their respective options this summer.
Make a decision on Chiesa
The opportunity to buy the Italy international in a £12.5m deal last summer was a punt worth taking by Liverpool, but it is fair to say the gamble has not paid off. Four Premier League substitutes appearances, with no starts and no goals in the title-winning campaign, illustrates this brutally.
Federico Chiesa was not match sharp when he arrived on Merseyside, having been frozen out by Juventus in pre-season. He was brought in as cover for Mohamed Salah and, by the time he was up to speed, there was no prospect of Slot resting the phenomenal 32-year-old. Salah stepping aside in the final four games appears unlikely with the forward determined to win European football’s Golden Boot and secure his place as the Premier League’s leading goalscorer.
But perhaps Chiesa could get his long-awaited opportunity in a central striking role? He made a goalscoring impact in that position when introduced against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final. Liverpool will target a new centre-forward this summer and there is uncertainty over the futures of both Núñez and Jota. Chiesa could also decide to leave after only one season unless he is able to provide effective cover in a second forward position.
Try a tactical experiment
Absolute belief in his methods has brought Slot this far, so he is unlikely to deviate from his approach now that his first season in English football has ended with a Premier League winner’s medal. In fact, he categorically ruled out making a tactical switch at Stamford Bridge. “No tactical changes,” Slot said on Friday. “We were off two days, trained Wednesday, were off on Thursday and now train two days. If we changed tactics after three training sessions it would end up in a mess. If we would change something in terms of tactics then pre-season is the moment for that.”
So what is he looking for during the final weeks of the season? “We could maybe see a player in a certain position, what he does in that position combined with someone else,” Slot explained. “It is not going to be a big change, there’s not going to be seven or eight new starters. It’s going to be mostly the same and seeing how a few players do in a difficult game like Chelsea away and where they are in their development.” Jarell Quansah and Elliott could be a beneficiary of that approach as Slot starts preparing for next season.
