{"id":590389,"date":"2025-11-24T08:08:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T08:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/590389\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T08:08:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T08:08:29","slug":"gary-neville-tells-arne-slot-how-to-change-his-liverpool-starting-xi-but-it-simply-isnt-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/590389\/","title":{"rendered":"Gary Neville tells Arne Slot how to change his Liverpool starting XI, but it simply isn’t possible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Arne Slot cannot continue picking the same players at Liverpool and expect results to improve.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Reds have been appalling across the last two months of Premier League action, slipping out of the title race and down to 11th place.<\/p>\n

But despite dismal performances matching the depressing results, Slot<\/a> has been reluctant to really try anything different.<\/p>\n

\"mailJoin our newsletter for news & smart analysis. <\/p>\n

The same players have been stuck on the Liverpool<\/a> bench week after week while the Dutchman\u2019s favoured starters have failed to deliver.<\/p>\n

Clearly, something different is needed, and Manchester United legend Gary Neville<\/a> has now stepped in to tell Slot the blueprint for a way back home.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for the Liverpool head coach<\/a>, though, Neville\u2019s idea is just not workable with his current group of players.<\/p>\n

\"PunditPhoto by James Gill \u2013 Danehouse\/Getty ImagesGary Neville wants Liverpool to play with four centre-backs<\/p>\n

Arguably the biggest issue at Liverpool right now is the continued ease at which they are giving up goals.<\/p>\n

The Reds have conceded 20 times in the league this season, and currently sit with a negative goal difference. All three of Nottingham Forest\u2019s strikes on Saturday were far, far too easy.<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Arne Slot faces unfortunate Brendan Rodgers comparison which could mean his time is up at Liverpool<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

As a result, Neville spoke on The Gary Neville Podcast<\/a> to urge Slot into playing a system akin to Arsenal\u2019s, with four versatile centre-backs in the back line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the manager has to change the style or the system, and that to me means being more solid in midfield, more solid at the back and I\u2019m talking about personnel changes,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Do you think Jurgen Klopp will re-join Liverpool? \"TottenhamPhoto by Matthias Hangst\/Getty Images <\/p>\n

\u201cKerkez, he\u2019s struggling, Konate, he\u2019s struggling, so do you have to put a little bit like Arsenal or City have done, almost four centre-backs in your back four, a narrow tight back four and tell everybody that you\u2019re adapting then put a narrow four in midfield. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat could be Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gravenberch and then Wirtz or Gakpo just tucked in a bit more narrow on the left hand side. Then you might just leave Salah off Isak or Ekitike or Isak and Ekitike. Leave the two of them up there and make sure they work back as a two. Just do something a little bit different.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Joe Gomez should play right-back, Andy Robertson should come in at left-back and play as a narrow back four and be a little bit more pragmatic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why is this not possible at Liverpool?<\/p>\n

Arsenal and Man City have both had real success with playing centre-backs at full-back in recent years and Liverpool have seen how it can work with Gomez.<\/p>\n

However, both of those clubs are overloaded with players who can do that having gone into the transfer market specifically for them.<\/p>\n

Should Liverpool sack Arne Slot? <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI want to emphasis one more time that I am responsible for the current losses. You are responsible when you\u2019re winning, but you are also responsible when you\u2019re losing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arne Slot after Liverpool\u2019s defeat to Nottingham Forest<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Liverpool'sPhoto by Darren Staples \/ AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n

Liverpool do not even have four fit, senior centre-backs on the books, let alone playing them all in the same team.<\/p>\n

Another issue is the form of Konate. Neville suggests taking him out, which Slot should absolutely do, but his only current replacement is Gomez, taking away the one player who can play centre, left and right-back for Liverpool.<\/p>\n

There are ways Slot could work around it, but it would mean shoehorning players who are not defenders into defensive positions. He has been doing that already to terrible effect.<\/p>\n

Neville\u2019s idea would potentially be a way home for Liverpool, but given the make-up of their current squad, it simply is not possible. Slot will have to come up with something else. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Arne Slot cannot continue picking the same players at Liverpool and expect results to improve. The Reds have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":590390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[1121,748,393,1676,4884,179,101,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-590389","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-arne-slot","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-gary-neville","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-liverpool","14":"tag-premier-league","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115603656857204292","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}