Arne Slot revitalises Mohamed Salah with new Liverpool formation
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has deployed a tactical shift to revitalise Mohamed Salah following a dominant Champions League victory over Galatasaray.
The Egyptian forward scored and provided an assist during the commanding European win.
However, he was substituted after 73 minutes after feeling a minor fitness issue.
Slot did not sound overly concerned about the physical condition of his talisman.
Instead, focus centred on a formation change that saw the 33-year-old deployed in a front two alongside Hugo Ekitike.
Salah rediscovers devastating form
Moving infield allowed the prolific winger to register seven shots against the Turkish champions.
Six of those attempts were on target, marking his highest tally since the 2022 Champions League final.
Despite missing a first-half penalty, the veteran attacker showed immense character to bounce back.
He unselfishly set up Ekitike for a goal before finding the back of the net himself.
“He played a good performance in the first half but missed a penalty unfortunately, which is part of the game and some people might judge him differently.”
“But second half he kept his calm, got an assist and a goal.”
That was the assessment of captain Virgil van Dijk, who praised his teammate’s resilience.
A blueprint for future success
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk described the setup as a 4-1-3-2 system.
This framework allowed the split strikers to combine seamlessly throughout the evening.
Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp occasionally used his star player as a lone centre-forward.
Slot has shown reluctance to repeat that strategy, preferring a dual-pronged attack.
The Dutch coach noted that playing with two strikers has already yielded impressive results this season.
Similar tactical tweaks previously inspired a 5-1 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt and a hard-fought victory against Inter Milan.
This system could now provide a long-term solution for integrating Alexander Isak into the same starting lineup.
