John Aldridge has named three players he thinks Arne Slot must include in Liverpool’s starting XI for their Champions League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.
The Dutchman is still trying to deduce how best to incorporate a plethora of summer signings into his line-up, with a lack of cohesion taking its toll in the form of four consecutive defeats going into tomorrow night’s fixture.
The three most expensive new additions are Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak, who were brought to Anfield for a combined outlay of £320m (Sky Sports). However, that trio have managed just six goals in 29 appearances combined thus far, with five of those coming from the Frenchman (Transfermarkt).
Aldridge calls for Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak to start together
In his latest column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge has implored Slot to find a way to get all three of them into his starting XI, with the two summer arrivals from the Bundesliga having to be content with coming off the bench in the defeats to Chelsea and Manchester United.
The former Reds striker wrote: ‘For my money, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak are the future of the club. It’s why they’ve been brought in at great cost and they have all signed long-term deals.
‘Slot has to find a way to get all three in the side and get them to establish the sort of relationships that could last years.’
How does Slot get all three of them into his starting XI?
If all three are to start against Eintracht Frankfurt tomorrow night, how would Slot’s starting XI look and who would lose out as a result?
Aldridge made the case in his column for dropping the unusually goal-shy Mo Salah (echoing Jamie Carragher’s sentiments) and starting Ekitike on his former stomping ground instead. If that happens, would he and Isak form a central pairing or would the Frenchman be deployed as a nominal winger?
Wirtz’s lack of goal contributions have drawn criticism, but it certainly hasn’t been for the want of trying from the 22-year-old, who should be more motivated than ever to silence the doubters after being omitted from the starting line-up in our last two games.
That could see Dominik Szoboszlai either dropping out of the XI or playing deeper if – as seems likely – Ryan Gravenberch is ruled out through injury on Wednesday night.
Slot is still trying to achieve an ideal balance throughout the team, and he’s tried a variety of proposed solutions which haven’t come off as originally planned, but we can understand Aldridge pleading the case for our three most expensive summer signings to all start together for the first time.
It might mean having to upset some regular starters or take a gamble on an untried setup, but such are the decisions that the Dutchman is handsomely reimbursed to make. Despite our slump in form, there’s nobody else we’d rather trust with those massive calls than him.
You can watch Slot’s full post-Manchester United press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
It’s all well and good saying these players must play but if we keep shipping goals and losing games slot will get sacked. That’s a guarantee, it’s a results
Business we need to be harder to beat and to start winning games playing ugly. There’s plenty of time to ease these big money signings into the system. Start playing players in their natural positions, play players who are in form. When the defence is struggling it needs better protection from the midfield. Play the system to suit the players. Slot needs to find answer’s very quickly otherwise his job is on the line. If we keep being wide open in games and don’t sort out defending from set pieces we are in trouble.
Slot needs to show some authority and put Salah on the bench. No player is bigger than the club, regardless of how tremendous he’s been in past seasons. Maybe in by doing that, Salah will feel he has to fight for his place as opposed to being a guaranteed starter week in week out!
Play Jones ,get beat, I will bang the drum till somebody at Liverpool realise that Curtis Jones Scouser or not is not good enough for Liverpool , offers nothing , little 5 yard passes mostly backwards, can’t tackle, couldn’t hit a cow’s arse with a Banjo,, no assists, if that’s a Liverpool player we’ll so am I, didn’t take tuchel long to bin him 😡
Yeah mate No Room For Sentimental values if you wana be successful 👍
Sad angry little men, inv’s ?
Aye, Ja, none of them could be @$$€♦ doing the job themselves, yet they know so much….