Arne Slot says Liverpool's opponents always change tactics. Is he right – and does it matter?

By the time Liverpool had dispatched Barnsley to reach the FA Cup fifth round, Arne Slot had already reached an uncomfortable conclusion: the meticulous video presentations that once felt like a competitive edge were now bordering on worthless. “We’ve played 30 games this season and I’d say 28 of my pre-match meetings, I could just throw in the bin,” the Dutchman admitted, a startling confession from a coach whose reputation was built on forensic preparation.

Slot’s frustration is rooted in a season-long trend: Premier League opponents are systematically ripping up their usual tactical blueprints when they face Liverpool. Burnley arrived at Anfield in a deep 5-4-1 block they had never shown against Tottenham or Manchester United. Fulham ditched the flat back four they used versus City and Arsenal, opting for a five-man defence that helped secure a late 2-2 draw. Even Bayer Leverkusen, European specialists under Xabi Alonso, abandoned a centre-forward and pushed Victor Boniface wide in an attempt to flood midfield; Liverpool still cruised 4-0, but the experiment was another data point in Slot’s growing file of unexpected shapes.

The numbers back up the eye test. Four of the Premier League’s top-10 matches for long passes this season involve Liverpool, a direct consequence of teams bypassing the press. Manchester United launched 75 long balls at Anfield in October on their way to a statement win; Crystal Palace and Sunderland repeated the trick to leave with points. Nottingham Forest’s former manager Sean Dyche admitted his side “went long because they were going to press the life out of us” – and left victorious.

Slot is quick to clarify that he does not expect opponents to accommodate Liverpool. “I also would have adopted defensive tactics in their position,” he said of Barnsley’s low block. His gripe is practical, not philosophical: the volatility of systems makes preparation feel like guess-work. In Europe, by contrast, patterns hold. “The teams we face are mainly the same as in their other games,” he noted, whereas domestic foes “completely change their style”.

The consequence is a side that once suffocated opponents now labouring to impose its own game. Liverpool have created chances in recent weeks but remain vulnerable to quick counters and late goals; set-piece lapses have cost valuable points. Slot’s response has been incremental: pushing centre-backs higher to compress space, demanding sharper one-v-one dominance, and trying to regain possession further up the pitch. The 1-0 mid-week win at Sunderland, where Liverpool avoided late drama and controlled second-ball situations, offered a template he hopes survives the final stretch.

Inside the AXA Training Centre the analysis cycle continues. Slot still holds three pre-game meetings: an opponent overview, a set-piece session, and a final, upbeat briefing centred on Liverpool’s strengths rather than rival weaknesses. He studies upcoming foes either live or on loop at home, noting, for instance, that Newcastle used fewer long passes against Manchester City than they did in the 4-1 defeat to Liverpool. Yet even he concedes that only Arsenal, twice this season, have behaved predictably.

Slot’s record in marquee fixtures remains persuasive: four points off Arsenal, back-to-back wins over Real Madrid, a historic victory at Inter’s San Siro, and the first league triumph at the Stadium of Light this season. Those successes, however, came against sides willing to engage on Liverpool’s terms. The conundrum now is cracking teams who arrive determined to do the opposite.

Asked whether attack-minded opponents make life easier, Slot offered a sober assessment. “If you face low blocks, you have the ball a lot, so you assume you win the game… but because of multiple reasons this season, we were not able.” Until he solves that riddle, the pre-match projector may stay switched off – and the title race may stay just out of reach.

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