The transfer window opens this week but Liverpool boss Arne Slot has several other matters that need attention
Nobody said it was going to be easy. And those observers who thought Liverpool would stroll to a second successive Premier League crown this season on the back of their £450million summer transfer splurge had clearly not been paying attention.
Not since 1984, when sealing a third successive title, have the Reds successfully defended a trophy of any kind, let alone the competition that remains the bread and butter of the most decorated club in English football.
Indeed, there was the unusual instance of the immediate break-up of a championship-winning team, with Liverpool boss Arne Slot having to contend with an unprecedented overhaul in the close season and the subsequent inevitable problems of fashioning a new-look team while carrying a greater burden of expectation.
READ MORE: Liverpool set-piece coach Aaron Briggs LEAVES Reds after dire recordREAD MORE: Federico Chiesa targeted by Juventus for Liverpool January transfer
And that, of course, is without taking into consideration the tragic death of Diogo Jota and the ongoing emotional response to the striker’s passing, as was witnessed in moving fashion at Anfield on Saturday with the visit of another of his former clubs, Wolves.
Nevertheless, Slot is the first to admit Liverpool have massively underperformed this campaign, even if a recent mini-revival has steadied the ship after a damaging run of six league defeats in seven with the narrow weekend victory moving them back into the Champions League places for the first time in almost two months.
Encouragingly, just once in the last 56 years have the Reds been inside the top four going into the New Year round of fixtures only to ultimately finish outside those places. And even then, the 1980/81 season – when Liverpool went from first to fifth – ended with the considerable consolation of being crowned European champions for the third time.
With the January window opening on Thursday, chatter will inevitable revolve around possible transfers. But stepping away from potential incomings and outgoings, there is plenty for Slot to now address.
Determine a right-back – and Wirtz’s position
Having been a headache for much of the campaign due to lack of options, the right-back berth will now offer a different kind of poser for Slot, with a straight choice between Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley.
It’s in contrast to the opposite flank where another summer signing, Milos Kerkez, has clearly edged ahead of Andy Robertson.
But where best to employ £116m arrival Florian Wirtz could be Slot’s most influential decision. The Germany international has become Liverpool’s creative force in recent weeks and maintaining and building that momentum is now an imperative.
Protect Ekitike
The biggest surprise for many supporters this season has been the impact of Hugo Ekitike, made all the more timely given the travails of Alexander Isak that now see the Sweden international out for the foreseeable.
Ekitike, though, can’t play every game, and has shown signs of tiredness in the second half of recent matches. So utilising other players down the centre of the attack will be important in the New Year.
Cody Gakpo, now fit, is one option. So too Federico Chiesa. And the versatile Wirtz could act as a false nine. Slot has choices.
Revitalise Mac Allister
Alexis Mac Allister’s impact last season was such he was rightly named among the best players in the Premier League by his peers. But injury and a lack of sharpness have contributed to a notable downturn in form from the Argentina international this campaign.
Slot has recently attempted to kickstart Mac Allister’s season by moving him into a number 10 role with minimal change.
Determining the quickest way to get the World Cup winner firing is a priority given a 100% Mac Allister can again make a huge difference over the coming months.
Consider rotation – but not too much
Liverpool’s tired legs towards the end of last season were largely a consequence of Slot’s reluctance to rotate earlier in the campaign, borne from an obvious lack of trust in the alternatives. And when there were wholesale changes – such as the FA Cup tie at Plymouth Argyle – the results were not pretty, with too many players undercooked.
While influenced by availability, Slot will surely be keen to avoid a repeat, particularly with the possibility of a two-legged Champions League play-off to cram into the fixture list.
The line-up for the FA Cup third round clash at Barnsley on Monday week will reveal much about the thinking of the Reds boss. Dare he play a scratch team as in the League Cup loss to Crystal Palace in October?
Improve set-pieces
The exit on Tuesday morning of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs was confirmation, not that any were needed, of the seriousness with which Slot regards Liverpool’s plight from dead-ball situations in the Premier League this season.
As the Reds boss claims, it’s a genuine achievement the champions have ended their 2025 programme in the top four given the continued hopelessness at both ends from set-pieces.
With Briggs gone, the responsibility will now fall on Slot and his coaching staff to address the matter. It cannot go on like it has, that’s for sure.
Sort Salah situation
Finally, there’s the most high-profile issue with which Slot has to contend. In some ways, the Reds boss would be forgiven for hoping Egypt progress all the way to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations given it would delay the inevitable questions over Mohamed Salah’s future.
That the Reds are now unbeaten in the seven games Salah has not started indicates the 33-year-old faces a fight to regain his berth and could ultimately prove in favour of both Slot and the player.
There’s little chance of Salah departing in January. But a summer exit could be on the horizon depending on how the landscape shifts over the remaining months of the campaign. An intriguing period awaits.
