“Absolutely chaos”: former England striker on Liverpool’s new formation
The convincing 5-1 Champions League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt gave us a genuine glimpse into the future under Arne Slot and specifically, the incredible potential of our forward line.
Speaking on Match of the Day, former England striker Andy Cole, highlighted the immediate impact of potentially deploying Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike together.
He said: “I can see them playing as a two because if they do play as a two, ultimately they’re gonna cause chaos, a lot of chaos.”
The starting line-up in Germany suggested that our head coach is willing to embrace a tactical evolution, moving away from the successful front three we are accustomed to.
The 23-year-old Frenchman was immense on his return to his old club, bagging his first goal for us in the competition.
Slot’s forward evolution already underway
The willingness to change the established order from what saw us win the Premier League last season is what had Spanish football expert Guillem Balague feeling “fascinated.”
He observed on the same show that Liverpool realised teams were defending too deep, prompting a necessary change: “Liverpool have gone in a completely different direction.”
This tactical overhaul is likely key to unlocking further dominance, especially with the creativity of Florian Wirtz in the No.10 role.
The German’s link-up play was evident, assisting Cody Gakpo for the fourth goal and setting up Dominik Szoboszlai for his screamer.
Fitness concerns might halt Ekitike and Isak playing together
While club record signing Isak is now currently managing a groin issue, this gives Ekitike the platform to shine consistently.
This kind of internal competition is exactly what we need to bring out the best in players, like Mo Salah who will be looking to bounce back from his place on the bench.
The Egyptian King has removed all Liverpool attachment to his X account and appears to be struggling with the negativity around his recent performances.
If we can see Isak and Ekitike link up well, it will inevitably lead to improved performances from Salah and the prospect of these three firing on all cylinders is scary for any opponent.
You can view Cole and Balague’s comments on Isak and Ekitike via @BBCMOTD on X:
"If they play as a two – they're going to cause a lot of chaos!"
Former Man Utd forward Andy Cole thinks an Isak-Ekitike strike partnership could be lethal pic.twitter.com/b4lW9Cn0n6
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 22, 2025
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The post “Absolutely chaos”: former England striker on Liverpool’s new formation appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.