As Arne Slot enters the new year, the Dutchman can look back on 2024 as a resounding success.

Slot managed 51 games last year for both Feyenoord and Liverpool, losing only one against Nottingham Forest earlier in the season.

Much was made of such a beloved figure in Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool.

How he galvanised the city, fans and team finally lifted the club out of the doldrums.

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It’s a testament to Slot’s work and his slight adjustments that his Liverpool side is not only less chaotic but more fluid.

Under Klopp, it felt as though in certain seasons (particularly the ones against Guardiola’s best sides) the team was pushed to its limits and would exhaustingly suffer the consequences the season after.

Slot has managed to keep the attacking verve whilst lessening the workload on the players.

One of the key adjustments from the Slot era has been the use of Liverpool’s forwards in build-up.

We saw this put to effective use vs West Ham as Mohamed Salah and particularly Luis Diaz would drop off closer to Liverpool’s defence in build-up to receive the ball.

As Diaz drops into midfield, it drags two West Ham players with him, providing an extra player for Liverpool to pass to in build-up as Ryan Gravenberch and Mac Allister were marked for most of the game, Diaz is now the player used to create gaps in the centre.

Crucially, if you look at Curtis Jones’ position, he has pushed up onto West Ham’s back four with Salah central and Cody Gakpo wide right, meaning Liverpool still have a 3v4 pinning the Hammers defence.

Diaz can drop into the centre and pull West Ham’s midfield as the receiver, but his presence in attack is compensated for by Jones.

Lopetegui’s midfield did the right thing by narrowing the centre of the pitch, attempting to close off the passing lanes to Gravenberch and Mac Allister, trying to make it hard for Liverpool to progress through the centre.

However, just in behind Edson Alvarez, Diaz has hovered into the right half-space in between the awkward zone of West Ham’s defence and midfield.

When the Colombian drifts wide taking a West Ham player with him, Jones has dragged a West Ham defender almost into Liverpool’s half.

After a quick exchange between Mac Allister and Diaz, Mac Allister can fire the ball quickly in behind to Salah with West Ham’s block scattered.

It was noticeable to see just how quickly Liverpool played passes in behind for their strikers to run into, aided by players such as Jones and Gravenberch making runs off the back of Liverpool’s dropping strikers.

An extra headache was created for West Ham when Salah started to drop deeper in Liverpool’s build-up.

As Salah positions himself on the halfway line, Diaz drops into midfield with Gravenberch making a run.

Two midfielders in Lucas Paqueta and Carlos Soler have to stick with Diaz.

Salah is in the form of his life, players are naturally quick to close him down and with West Ham dragged to one side, Diaz makes his run from midfield into the attack with Jones joining him ready for the ball over the top, this time by Salah

Drag a defender out of position using an attacker.

Let the attacker receive in build-up.

Push up another Liverpool player off the back of the attacker on the ball.

Rinse and repeat.

It was a problem for West Ham to deal with throughout the game because they had no choice but to be sucked in and mark Salah or Diaz, whilst simultaneously having to deal with the conundrum of the different players darting in behind.

With West Ham not having the quickest defence, the back line was constantly tested for pace.

It’s no wonder both forwards are having excellent seasons as Diaz and Salah have combined for a whopping total of 40 assists and goals in the league.

It’s difficult enough to mark the duo when they’re in and around the box, but with Slot’s tweaks they have become a problem when they’re further away from goal too.

What will be interesting is whether the team will be looking to employ similar tactics against Manchester United on Sunday.

One thing is for sure.

If United play the way that they’ve been recently, then the Liverpool forwards will tear them to shreds.

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