Arne Slot has fond memories of Marseille, having led his Feyenoord team to secure a spot in the Europa Conference League final here in 2022.
Ahead of this week’s match at the Stade Velodrome, Slot reflected on those moments. He was also unexpectedly and rudely questioned about Xabi Alonso’s potential connection to the Liverpool job.
Advertisement
Any distractions regarding the future of the Liverpool manager were quickly silenced by a commendable European away performance from his team, who added Marseille to their list of victories against Eintracht Frankfurt and Inter Milan this season.
Though their unbeaten streak of 13 matches (W7 D6) in all competitions has largely been unremarkable, it remains the longest ongoing run of any team from Europe’s top five leagues, a notable achievement in itself. Liverpool’s last defeat came in November.
Importantly for Slot, this was the first match in which Mohamed Salah started for Liverpool since their victory against Real Madrid in the Champions League on November 4. With Salah’s interview at Leeds, it now appears both he and the manager can move forward positively for the club’s benefit.
In Slot’s view, both are essential to each other. He told TNT Sports before the match: “When I didn’t start him, I was trying to explore different options. We’ve missed goals despite our ball possession. If there’s one player in Liverpool’s history capable of scoring, it’s Mo Salah.”
Advertisement
Although Salah failed to extend his record of 46 Champions League goals for Liverpool, despite a missed opportunity in the second half, the team’s assured performance in a 4-2-2-2 formation will surely please Slot and offer him valuable insights for the weeks ahead.
“It’s impressive how professional he is to be away for over a month with another team and then be fit enough to play a full 90 minutes with us after just one training session,” Slot remarked. “He was so close to scoring, which is typically expected of him, but it didn’t affect us since we scored three.”
With Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai supporting Hugo Ekitike and Salah, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez provided width on the flanks.
The two recent signings excelled in their roles, with Frimpong’s energetic play allowing Salah to concentrate on attacking, though the Egyptian also worked hard defensively.
Advertisement
Steven Warnock, commenting on Match of the Day, noted, “Salah integrated well into Liverpool’s setup. Consistency and continuity are key to maximizing his potential, and I think Slot will continue to use him like this. By reducing his defensive duties, he can conserve energy and increase his threat in attack.”
“It felt like he was constantly on his defender’s shoulder, looking for opportunities, and he had a couple of good chances where he could have done better.”
Both full-backs performed well, providing high width while also contributing defensively.
For Slot and Liverpool, the challenge of overcoming a low block persists, despite former captain Steven Gerrard suggesting Slot should stop discussing it.
Advertisement
“I’m genuinely happy for him; the pressure must be immense,” Gerrard said. “His tactics were excellent tonight. He deserves significant credit, but he needs to move on from the low block talk—it’s always been a factor when playing Liverpool.”
Slot countered, “The inconsistency we face is primarily due to how different it is when a game is open versus playing against a low block. Tonight’s match was a different scenario where both teams pressed and played from the back.”
Bournemouth may not adopt a low block strategy on Saturday, but Andoni Iraola might consider it given Liverpool’s recent challenges.
For now, however, it was a night for Liverpool to enjoy and yet another cherished memory for Slot in southern France.