The 4-2-3-1 formation Arne Slot used to win the Eredivisie with Feyenoord finally received proper implementation at Liverpool, suggesting the Dutch manager’s vision is gradually becoming reality. After months of compromise and partial application, the system functioned more as Slot intended against West Ham, providing glimpses of his tactical blueprint.
Slot’s Feyenoord success was built on this specific formation, with clearly defined roles creating defensive stability and attacking opportunities. Replicating this at Liverpool has proven challenging due to different personnel, higher expectations, and the need to accommodate players like Mohamed Salah who don’t fit the system naturally.
Against West Ham, with Salah benched and players deployed in their optimal positions within the 4-2-3-1, the formation functioned more cohesively. Dominik Szoboszlai provided defensive discipline on the right, Florian Wirtz operated centrally with creative freedom, and the double pivot offered midfield stability. This represented the framework Slot envisioned when accepting the Liverpool job.
The proper implementation doesn’t guarantee success—formations are only as effective as the players executing them and the opposition facing them. However, it provides clarity about Slot’s vision and allows proper evaluation of whether his tactical approach can work in English football at Liverpool’s level.
Moving forward, maintaining this proper implementation while gradually improving execution quality represents Liverpool’s challenge. The formation has been established; now players must develop understanding, timing, and quality within it. Slot’s Eredivisie success with Feyenoord using this system provides reason for optimism, but English football’s greater quality and intensity demand higher standards. The West Ham match showed the formation can work at Liverpool; upcoming fixtures will determine whether it can work consistently against better opposition at Premier League intensity levels.