Arne Slot‘s team selection for Liverpool’s Sunday afternoon encounter at Fulham reveals a manager making calculated adjustments to reinvigorate attacking play while managing squad fitness during a demanding period. The three changes from the goalless draw with Leeds United, combined with Joe Gomez’s return to the substitute bench, provide insight into Slot’s tactical thinking and his assessment of what Liverpool require to break down Fulham’s organized defense at Craven Cottage.
The Three Changes Analyzed
Cody Gakpo‘s restoration to the starting lineup represents the most significant attacking adjustment Slot has made. The Dutch forward’s inclusion signals intent to increase Liverpool’s creative threat and goal-scoring capability after the sterile attacking display against Leeds. Gakpo’s versatility across the front line allows him to operate centrally or from wider positions, providing tactical flexibility that enables Liverpool to adjust their approach based on how Fulham set up defensively.
Gakpo’s technical quality, particularly his ability to receive the ball in tight spaces and create opportunities through dribbling or combination play, addresses one of Liverpool’s recent struggles. Against Leeds, Liverpool dominated possession without creating clear-cut chances, suggesting they lacked the individual quality or creativity to unlock a well-organized defense. Gakpo’s inclusion aims to rectify this deficiency, providing a player capable of moments of brilliance that can break deadlocks.
The decision to start Gakpo rather than bring him on as an impact substitute suggests Slot believes Liverpool need his quality from the opening whistle rather than as a second-half solution. This approach indicates confidence in Gakpo’s fitness and form while also acknowledging that Liverpool cannot afford another goalless draw that costs them valuable points in their pursuit of top-four qualification.
Milos Kerkez’s return to the starting lineup at left-back represents both a defensive and attacking adjustment. The Hungarian’s pace, energy, and willingness to advance into attacking positions create width and provide an additional outlet when Liverpool build attacks. His inclusion over Andy Robertson, who drops to the bench, might reflect either fitness management for the Scottish captain or tactical preference for Kerkez’s specific qualities against Fulham’s system.
Kerkez‘s attacking instincts will be crucial if Fulham adopt a compact defensive shape that requires Liverpool to stretch play horizontally. His ability to overlap attacking midfielders and provide crosses from advanced positions creates an additional dimension that can occupy Fulham’s defenders and create space for central attackers. However, his relative inexperience compared to Robertson means Liverpool must ensure defensive cover when he advances, avoiding the counter-attacking vulnerabilities that have plagued them at times this season.
Alexis Mac Allister‘s return to the starting XI addresses midfield balance and creative distribution. The Argentine’s technical quality, vision, and ability to dictate tempo provide Liverpool with a player capable of controlling matches through intelligent possession play. His inclusion suggests Slot believes Liverpool need his specific qualities to break down Fulham’s defensive organization, providing the incisive passing and movement that can unlock stubborn defenses.
Mac Allister’s partnership with Ryan Gravenberch in central midfield creates an interesting dynamic. Gravenberch’s box-to-box capabilities, combining defensive discipline with attacking threat, complement Mac Allister’s more cerebral approach. This midfield axis should provide Liverpool with both the control to dominate possession and the creativity to fashion goal-scoring opportunities, addressing the sterile possession that characterized their performance against Leeds.
Ekitike’s Absence and Tactical Implications
Hugo Ekitike‘s exclusion due to a “minor fitness issue” represents a setback for Liverpool’s attacking options but also creates an opportunity for tactical adjustment. The young forward has shown promise in recent appearances, but his absence forces Slot to reconfigure his attacking setup. The decision to start without a recognized central striker suggests Liverpool will adopt a more fluid front line, with players rotating positions and attacking spaces rather than occupying fixed roles.
This tactical flexibility could actually benefit Liverpool against Fulham’s organized defense. Traditional striker play, where a central forward occupies opposition center-backs, can become predictable when facing teams that defend deep and compact. A more fluid approach, where multiple players attack central spaces from different angles and timing, creates defensive uncertainty and can prove more difficult to defend against.
The characterization of Ekitike’s problem as “minor” provides some reassurance that his absence will be brief, though it removes a player who was developing understanding with teammates and finding rhythm in Liverpool’s system. His unavailability means Liverpool must generate goals from midfield runners and wide attackers rather than relying on a central focal point, placing additional responsibility on players like Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, and Curtis Jones to provide goal-scoring threat.
Gomez’s Return and Defensive Depth
Joe Gomez‘s inclusion among the substitutes represents positive news for Liverpool’s defensive depth and squad management. His return from the muscle injury that sidelined him for three matches provides Slot with additional options should defensive adjustments prove necessary during the match. The decision to name him among substitutes rather than starting him suggests either that he requires additional match fitness before resuming from the opening whistle or that Slot prefers the current defensive combination.
Having Gomez available creates flexibility for late-match adjustments. If Liverpool are protecting a lead, his defensive experience and positional intelligence make him valuable as a late substitute who can help secure three points. Conversely, if Liverpool trail and need to push additional players forward, Gomez’s ability to cover multiple positions allows tactical reshuffling that maintains defensive stability while increasing attacking numbers.
His presence on the bench also provides insurance against injury to any defender during the match. Liverpool’s recent injury problems have demonstrated how quickly comfortable squad depth can become crisis-level shortage. Having Gomez available means that should Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, or either full-back require substitution, Liverpool possess a quality replacement rather than needing to improvise with players operating outside their natural positions.
The Formation and Tactical Setup
The personnel selected suggests Liverpool will deploy a formation that might be described as 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 depending on how players position themselves during different phases of play. Van Dijk and Konate provide the center-back partnership, with Conor Bradley at right-back and Kerkez on the left. This back four has shown defensive solidity in recent matches, though the clean sheet against Leeds came in a match offering limited attacking threat from either side.
The midfield composition of Mac Allister and Gravenberch as the deeper pair, with Dominik Szoboszlai operating in a more advanced role, creates a structure that should provide both defensive stability and creative impetus. Szoboszlai’s energy, pressing, and ability to arrive in attacking positions from midfield make him valuable in a system that lacks a traditional striker. His goal-scoring threat from midfield could prove crucial if Liverpool struggle to generate chances through their attacking players.
The front three of Gakpo, Wirtz, and Curtis Jones represents a fluid, interchangeable unit capable of rotating positions and attacking spaces dynamically. Wirtz’s creativity and technical quality, Jones’s dribbling ability and intelligence, and Gakpo’s versatility create a forward line that should pose questions for Fulham’s defense through movement and combination play rather than physical presence or pace.
The Substitute Bench Considerations
The composition of Liverpool’s substitute bench reveals both depth in certain positions and concerning limitations in others. Three goalkeepers named in the squad (Alisson starting, with Giorgi Mamardashvili and Caoimhin Kelleher as backup) reflects Liverpool’s goalkeeping strength but also highlights how injuries and squad limitations have reduced outfield options.
Gomez’s presence provides defensive cover, while Andy Robertson offers an experienced left-back alternative. Federico Chiesa and Jeremie Frimpong supply attacking options from wide areas, though neither has consistently influenced matches this season when called upon. The inclusion of young players like Isaac Mabaya and Trey Nyoni demonstrates both Liverpool’s commitment to youth development and the reality that injury problems have forced reliance on less experienced players.
The lack of a recognized striker among the substitutes means that if Liverpool’s fluid attacking approach proves ineffective, Slot has limited alternative tactical approaches available. This constrains his ability to change strategy fundamentally during the match, potentially leaving Liverpool struggling if their initial game plan doesn’t yield results.
The Broader Strategic Context
This team selection occurs within the context of Liverpool’s recent form and their broader season objectives. The goalless draw with Leeds, while defensively solid, represented dropped points that damaged Liverpool’s pursuit of Champions League qualification. Slot’s changes aim to address the attacking sterility that characterized that performance, injecting creativity and goal threat that was absent against Leeds’ organized defense.
The fixture congestion Liverpool faces means squad rotation and careful player management remain essential considerations. The three changes from the Leeds match might reflect fitness concerns, tactical adjustments, or combination of both factors. Slot’s willingness to make multiple changes demonstrates confidence in his squad depth while also acknowledging that recent performances have been insufficient to meet Liverpool’s standards.
Match Day Imperatives
As Liverpool prepare for kickoff at Craven Cottage, the team selection signals clear intent to attack more effectively than they managed against Leeds. The inclusion of Gakpo and Mac Allister particularly indicates prioritization of creative quality and goal-scoring threat. However, Liverpool must balance attacking ambition with defensive discipline against a Fulham side capable of punishing mistakes on the counter-attack.
The absence of Mohamed Salah to Africa Cup of Nations duty places additional pressure on the players selected to provide goal-scoring contributions. Slot’s choices suggest he believes this combination of personnel offers Liverpool’s best chance to secure three points while managing the physical demands of the congested schedule. Whether these selections prove effective will be determined over the coming ninety minutes, but the thought process behind them reveals a manager attempting to solve Liverpool’s recent attacking problems while maintaining the defensive solidity that has improved in recent matches.
The return of Gomez to the bench provides reassurance about squad depth recovering from injury problems, though the absence of Ekitike and continued unavailability of Salah and Alexander Isak demonstrate that Liverpool remain compromised in attacking areas. Slot must extract maximum effectiveness from available resources, and his team selection represents his best judgment about which combination of players offers optimal chance of victory at Craven Cottage.
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The Liverpool FC Times Team
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