"It's almost like we're watching Arne Slot work it out in real time. Naturally, we aren't seeing behind the closed doors of the AXA training facility, but Slot's trying something a little different every time in actual games to test the waters. Wednesday's was to drop Salah, Kerkez, and Macca. Hardly surprising emissions given the recent form of all three, but the most surprising was not turning to Salah when Isak had to be pulled early due to a suspected injury."
"Curtis Jones just played his way into our starting eleven Eintracht Frankfurt v Liverpool FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3 | Christian Kaspar-Bartke/GettyImages Jones was given about 30 minutes against United on the weekend and looked solid and reliable. Those 90 minutes against Frankfurt just showed that he can be both of those things alongside progressive, clinical, and smooth."
Liverpool continues as a work in progress with Arne Slot experimenting in competitive matches to discover the best squad balance. Slot has rotated starters, notably dropping Salah, Kerkez, and Macca, and chose not to immediately revert to previous patterns when Isak left injured. The manager emphasizes squad effectiveness over individual status, which may force difficult changes to last season's regulars. Defensive fragility and occasional positioning problems persist, yet the team can still control matches and produce convincing attacking displays. A 5-1 Champions League win is positive but must be followed by consistent results. Curtis Jones has forced a claim for the starting eleven through composed, progressive performances.
Read at Rush The Kop
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