Liverpool manager Arne Slot has insisted he simply does not have the resources needed to alter his preferred tactical setup.
A run of five straight wins to start the defence of their Premier League title has turned into a nightmare slump, with six defeats from their last seven league games heaping enormous pressure on Slot during a period in which the Reds have also been eliminated from the Carabao Cup and fallen to a 4–1 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.
Having conceded a whopping 37 goals across 20 games this season—Liverpool have only scored 34—Slot has faced increasing pressure on his position. The Dutch boss insists he still retains the faith of the board, but club legend Jamie Carragher believes Slot may have just one week to save his job, starting with Sunday’s meeting with West Ham United.
Among the questions asked of Slot has been his reluctance to alter his system. The 4-3-3 formation which proved so effective last season has been woefully porous this time around, but the manager insisted he will not be making any significant changes.
“Is the question: ‘Should I change dramatically?’” Slot told his pre-match press conference. “I don’t know what is in your head but if, for example, you want another system with five defenders … that could be an issue. I don’t even have five defenders.
“The system we are playing now suits the players best. They have played this system probably throughout their whole career and there is hardly any training time for us. So it is almost impossible to change our complete idea about football if we play every two days. I think we have played a lot of different lineups for reasons I prefer not to do because everyone was not available. We have used our whole squad constantly.”
