After hundreds of millions spent on players, what was Liverpool's plan? | Jonathan Wilson

Liverpool's summer spending spree yielded £424m, but what was their intended strategy? As the team struggled to find cohesion, it became apparent that they were trying to change too much at once. The arrival of players like Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike was meant to provide a fresh perspective, with the idea being to rotate them in and out of the starting lineup. However, this plan fell flat, leaving many wondering what Liverpool's true intention was.

One possible answer lies in the team's tactical approach, which seemed to be an attempt to revert to a more traditional setup. The return to last season's midfield, coupled with the selection of 10 players from that era against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, suggested that Arne Slot was trying to rediscover a sense of stability. However, this 'back to basics' approach only served to expose Liverpool's vulnerabilities when opponents played long balls behind their defense.

It is clear that Liverpool's financial muscle allowed them to pursue multiple objectives at once, making it challenging for the team to settle on a unified strategy. The arrival of Florian Wirtz, who cost £100m plus add-ons, posed a significant question mark over his role in the team. Slot initially preferred Wirtz as a central creator, but this plan ultimately led to Liverpool being left open at the back.

The presence of Mohamed Salah, whose lack of natural defensive capacity has long been a concern for the club, added another layer of complexity to the situation. With Wirtz struggling to adapt to the Premier League's physical demands, it is hard to envision how all four players could be deployed together without risking the midfield being overwhelmed.

Perhaps Liverpool were always planning to adopt a 4-3-1-2 setup, with Wirtz operating behind Alexander Isak and Ekitike. However, this would have required significant adjustments to the team's defensive structure and has yet to materialize.

Ultimately, Liverpool's summer spending spree appears to be a cautionary tale about how throwing money at a problem can sometimes make it worse. As the team struggles to find its footing, one thing is clear: their lack of cohesion stems from an overly ambitious attempt to change too much at once.
 
I think this whole transfer business is wild 🤯, like they're trying to put together a puzzle with too many pieces that just don't fit anymore. They went all out on the wages and signings, but it looks like they didn't really have a clear plan for how it would all work together 🤑. And now we're seeing the consequences, which is a team that's struggling to find its groove ⚽️.

It's also interesting to see how this says something about the state of football as a whole - we've got teams like Liverpool who are throwing millions around and trying to make a big impact with their signings 💸. Meanwhile, smaller teams are still managing to do just fine without breaking the bank 🤷‍♂️.

I'd love to see some kind of rethink on how these clubs approach transfers - instead of just going all out for one superstar signing, maybe they should be focusing on building a team from the ground up 🏗️. Just a thought 😊
 
OMG, I'm totally with you on this one 🤯 Liverpool's spending spree was like throwing money at a puzzle without thinking it through 💸. They were trying to fix everything at once and now they're paying the price 😬. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to bring in 4 new players at once? It's like they wanted to create chaos on purpose 🌪️. And don't even get me started on Wirtz... £100m plus add-ons? What were they thinking?! 💸 The midfield was already struggling and now they're trying to fit in this huge transfer without it clicking 🤔. I guess sometimes throwing money at a problem just doesn't solve everything 💸👎
 
Wow 🤔💸 Liverpool's £424m summer spree was all about playing catch-up with City and keeping up with the pace of other top teams, but maybe they overdid it... 😅 It's like trying to fix a car by throwing new parts at it instead of figuring out what's broken in the first place 💡 And that midfield shuffle? More problems than solutions 🔄
 
I gotta say, Liverpool's summer spending spree was straight fire 🔥, but I think they overdid it this time! £424m is a lot to spend in one transfer window. I mean, what were they thinking? Trying to overhaul the entire team at once? 🤯 It didn't work out, and now they're struggling to find cohesion.

I feel like they tried too many different things at once. The return to their old midfield setup was a good idea, but it exposed some weaknesses when opponents played long balls behind their defense. And then there's Mohamed Salah, who's always been a bit of a concern defensively... 🤦‍♂️

Maybe they were trying out a 4-3-1-2 setup with Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak up front? I don't know, it just seems like too much to handle. Throwing money at the problem doesn't always solve it, you feel me? 💸
 
I THINK LIVERPOOL TOOK THE WRONG APPROACH THIS SUMMER!!! THEY WENT OUT AND SPENT A LOT OF MONEY, BUT DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH 🤑. IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY WERE JUST THROWING MONEY AT PROBLEMS RATHER THAN FOCUSING ON SOLVING THEM FIRST 💸. AND NOW THE TEAM IS LEFT LOOKING LIKE CHAOS!!! 😩
 
I think they went a bit overboard 🤯... I mean, £424m is a lot of dosh, but did it have to be all about the big signings? 🤑 They should've just focused on fine-tuning what was working already instead of trying to overhaul the whole team. I get that they wanted to bring in fresh talent, but rotating players in and out didn't seem to work out as planned. And let's not forget Wirtz, £100m plus add-ons? That's a lot to worry about 💸. The midfield was already solid last season, no need to mess with it. Now they're stuck in limbo, trying to figure out how to get all the pieces to fit together 🤔.
 
omg i dont get what was going on with liverpool lol they spent so much money but didnt really know what they were doing 🤔 did they even think through the consequences? and what about alexander isak and hugo ekitike? are they even good enough to make a difference? btw i just watched the most epic minecraft stream and i had no idea how to build a castle lol guess that's why im still a newbie 😂 anyway, liverpool should've just stuck with what worked last season 🤷‍♂️
 
😒 I'm not surprised they spent so much money on new players... it's just gonna be another season of mediocrity and fan disappointment 🤦‍♂️. They probably thought that with all the big signings, they'd be unstoppable, but really they're just trying to paper over their defensive issues 💸. And let's not forget about Salah - poor guy can't even defend for his life 😂. I'm guessing they'll end up playing 4-2-3-1 or something, which would've looked a lot better on paper than it actually does now 📝.
 
The Reds' spending spree was like throwing a handful of different colored chips into the air – they just didn't quite land where they wanted to 🤯👀. I think what's really going on here is that Liverpool got caught up in trying to upgrade their team without taking a step back to assess what worked last season. They basically created a bunch of moving parts and hoped it would all mesh together seamlessly.

It's clear that the club's financial muscle gave them the freedom to go wild with transfers, but that also meant they didn't have to think too much about how everything would fit together in the long run 🤑. And let's be real, Mohamed Salah has been a problem child when it comes to defense for years now... it's like trying to put a square peg into a round hole 😩.

I don't know if they were always planning to go 4-3-1-2 or not, but what I do know is that the system is just too complicated right now. They need to simplify things and focus on building a solid foundation before trying to upgrade again 🛠️. Maybe next summer can be about refining their strategy instead of overhauling it entirely 💭.
 
I think Liverpool's approach was all over the place last summer. They spent big on Isak and Ekitike, but then just threw them into the mix without thinking about how it would affect the team as a whole 🤔. And what's with Wirtz? £100m is crazy! I get that they wanted to revamp their tactics, but instead of just making some tweaks, they went full-on "let's change everything" 😂. It's like they forgot that cohesion is key and now we're paying the price 🤑
 
omg u think lfc actually knew wot they were doin with all those signings lol they just threw around cash like it was nobodies business and now they're stuck wit a midfield meltdown 🤯 i mean wirtz cost 100m plus add ons and dey still cant even get him right? and dont even get me started on salah... that lad cant defend to save his life 😂 what were lfc thinkin?? trying 2 be all fancy wit the 4-3-1-2 setup but it aint gonna work wen u got players like wirtz & isak who r more suited 2 playin behind the striker 🤦‍♂️
 
I'm soooo done with Liverpool's summer transfer market 🤯👎 They just threw money around like there's no tomorrow and now they're struggling to find their game 😩 The idea was to rotate players in and out, but it just didn't work out. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to bring in four new players at the same time? 🤔 It's like they wanted to try everything and nothing would stick. And don't even get me started on Florian Wirtz 💸, £100m plus add-ons is just ridiculous! He's still figuring out how to play in the Premier League and now they're overloading their midfield with too many creators? 🤯 It's like they lost sight of what makes a good team... unity and cohesion are key, guys! 😅
 
I think Liverpool's strategy was like a messy puzzle 🤯. They tried to fit in so many new pieces, but it didn't quite work out 😐. Imagine a big Venn diagram with different circles representing each player... they were all trying to overlap and fit together, but ended up creating a mess 📝

I mean, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are great players, but did Liverpool really need two 'fresh perspectives' at once? 🤔 It's like they're trying to solve a Rubik's Cube too fast - it just gets all tangled up 💥. And what about Florian Wirtz? His £100m price tag felt like a lot of money for someone who still needs to adapt to the Premier League's pace ⏱️

Maybe Liverpool were going for that 4-3-1-2 setup, but it wouldn't be easy to implement 🤔. It would require some big changes behind the scenes, like adjusting their defensive structure and midfield roles... sounds like a lot of work 💪
 
I'm still not convinced that Liverpool's new signings weren't meant to create a squad that would be super flexible for different opponents 🤔💭... what if they were actually trying to get the team ready for the Champions League? 😅 They've been struggling in Europe and I think they needed some changes to their approach. But at the same time, it's hard not to notice how many signings they made in such a short space of time 💸👀... Alexander Isak looks like a great talent but he needs to be used better 🤦‍♂️
 
🤔 £424m seems a lot but i dunno if its worth it if the team just looks confusing on the pitch 🏟️💭 maybe they should've stuck with what was working last season instead of trying to reinvent the wheel 🔧💥 and what's up with the midfield, like what happened to the players who were good at their jobs? 🤷‍♂️
 
I mean I'm all for splurging on new talent, but £424m feels like way too much dough. Remember when Chelsea did the same thing a few years back and it just didn't work out? Anyway, I think Jürgen Klopp was trying to mix things up with the 4-3-1-2 setup, but it's all about execution now. They need to figure out how to make it work without leaving them open at the back. It's like when we used to watch United under Sir Alex, they'd just switch from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 and it was seamless. Now Liverpool's midfield looks all over the shop. Maybe if they scale things back a notch, they'll be golden
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around Liverpool's transfer business this summer... 🤔 They just seemed to be throwing money at the problem instead of solving it, you know? Like, yeah they've got a gazillion pounds to spend, but does that automatically mean we'll get better results? I don't think so. It feels like they were trying too many different things at once and ended up making it harder for themselves.

I mean, what's with the 4-3-1-2 setup idea? That sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. And what about Salah? He's always been a bit of a wild card on the field, but do you really want him playing alongside Wirtz and the other new guys when they're all still getting used to each other?

It's like Liverpool was so focused on trying to be the next big thing that they forgot how to build around their existing strengths. I'm not sure what Arne Slot was thinking here, but it definitely didn't work out 🤦‍♂️
 
I'm so down with Liverpool's strategy of just throwing cash around 🤑... I mean, who needs a cohesive team when you can have a bunch of talented players who don't quite mesh? It's like they're trying to create a puzzle with 50 pieces that all look slightly different 😂. And let's be real, £424m is a pretty sweet sum to waste on overpaying for some players 🤑. I'm actually kinda excited to see how this experiment plays out – maybe it'll lead to a new way of playing football that we've never seen before 🤔.
 
I think they were trying to do everything at once 🤯 because let's be real £424m is a lot of cash 💸 and you can't just put it all into 1 player unless you're Chelsea 😂. They needed to find that balance, not revolutionize the whole team in one summer transfer window. It's like they wanted to make a bold statement with all these new signings but now the midfield looks all over the place 🔄. And what's with the lack of defense? I mean I get it Salah is lightning quick but come on ⚡️, they need to sort that out ASAP! 👍
 
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