Arne Slot could hand Mohamed Salah a new role at Liverpool as the Egyptian is reportedly expected to stay at the club.
Even though things will be much the same with Arne Slot as manager of Liverpool, things are not going to be identical.
The 45-year-old is not a clone nor a carbon copy of Jurgen Klopp. He has his own principles and ideas, and he will switch things around.
Most notably, Slot is someone who likes to play and keep possession on the ground. Under Klopp, Liverpool have often gone long and made a lot of switches but under Slot that will not be the case.
This could mean a new role for Mohamed Salah, which won’t see him running in behind defences anymore.
Mohamed Salah’s new role under Arne Slot
As reported, Mohamed Salah is expected to stay at Liverpool, and the club is set to enter contract negotiations to renew his current deal.
Many will have seen that news and might have been caught by surprise. Salah is getting to the twilight of his career, and a move away this summer looked like a high probability.
However, the reality is that Salah is still an elite footballer. In the current market, there are few players available who could replace him.
Keeping him for at least another season makes sense. Especially because he could transition into a new role under Slot.
In Slot’s system Liverpool will not be going over the top to try to get in behind defences. Instead, they will play through defences with quick incisive passes on the ground.
This could suit an ageing Salah more, and it could see him take up a more central role as either an attacking midfielder or as a number nine in Slot’s system.
Moving him to the middle will not only make him a better fit for Slot, but it could also prolong his Liverpool career and put him in areas where he is the most dangerous.
What formation does Arne Slot use?
Arne Slot has typically used a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system, with either two attacking midfielders or one attacking midfielder playing in behind one or two defensive midfielders.
In Slot’s system, the focus is on quick build-up play with the ball being kept on the ground, rather than going long.
He likes his full-backs to invert and also likes wingers who are explosive and very good in isolated one vs one situations.
In the middle the job of the attacking midfielder is to make an impact in the final third by scoring or creating chances.