Slot's Liverpool Shifts to Pragmatic Approach

Liverpool's emphatic 5-2 win over West Ham masked underlying issues, with an xG of just 1.75 suggesting the victory came through efficiency rather than domination. Manager Arne Slot has shifted away from his initial vision of a 'PSG-lite' side focused on vertical flair and expressive attacking rotations, which struggled against teams employing low blocks and defensive setups.

Since January, Liverpool has scored nine goals from corners, indicating a tactical pivot toward leveraging set-pieces rather than pursuing aesthetic supremacy. This pragmatic approach has yielded results but also represents an admission that Slot's original blueprint may have been misjudged. Despite the tactical adjustment, Liverpool still faces defensive vulnerabilities in transition and midfield balance issues that continue to prevent them from reaching the club's 'elite' standard.