Former Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger perfectly explained why Arne Slot’s Liverpool have returned to winning ways after their recent run of poor form.
Alexis Mac Allister’s header was enough to hand the six-time European champions victory in their Champions League league phase clash against Real Madrid at Anfield on Tuesday evening.
On the balance of play, Slot’s side were deserved winners as Los Blancos goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made an array of impressive saves to deny Liverpool an opener before Mac Allister’s strike secured all three points with just less than 30 minutes to play.
The result was the Reds’ second victory in the space of less than a week, having beaten Aston Villa 2-0 on Saturday to end a run of four successive defeats in the Premier League.
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As expected, Liverpool came under fire from ex-players, fans and the media, with Wayne Rooney even accusing Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk of not showing great leadership so far this term.
However, following last night’s game, captain Van Dijk addressed the claims to Rooney’s face while speaking live on Amazon Prime.
Van Dijk said: "I am living with players that might have been affected by it. If you lose a game for Liverpool, four, five games – there is criticism - that is normal in a sense.
"It is over the top at times. I think it's because we live in the world of so many platforms, so many people can say stuff, and it can be picked up. Ex-players that played at the highest level had difficult moments as well.”
So, what’s changed in the short time since Liverpool’s poor run, and how have they returned to winning ways?
Well, former Arsenal head coach Wenger expertly broke down Slot’s tactics on beIN Sports last night and explained how the Dutchman has reverted back to his midfielder which helped the side win the league in 2024/25.
The Frenchman homed in on Florian Wirtz’s positional change and told beIN Sports: “Liverpool, to get him, they say okay. They started him and they destroyed their midfield - which was (Ryan) Gravenberch, Mac Allister, (Dominik) Szoboszlai. To play Wirtz, they took Szoboszlai out.
“What have they done against Aston Villa? They have gone back to their midfield of last year. And tonight, they play Wirtz — but I'm sure that Wirtz will play on the side. The manager has said: ‘If you want to play again, you will have to play wide because I do not want to disturb the midfield.’
"Wirtz is back in the team but certainly will have to play left, where he was when he played at Leverkusen.”
Liverpool return to action away against Manchester City on Sunday.
Topics: Liverpool, Arne Slot, Premier League, Football, Champions League, Virgil Van Dijk, Arsene Wenger
Luke Davies