Since taking charge at Liverpool, manager Arne Slot has made many successful changes. The Kop have been in incredible form since the Dutchman joined the club, losing just one Premier League game and remaining unbeaten in the Champions League.
The "Red Brigade" attack has exploded with 45 goals so far and is leading the Premier League rankings, 6 points ahead of 2nd-placed Arsenal.
Jurgen Klopp has built a dynasty in his hugely successful nine years at Anfield, and Slot makes no bones about the fact that he has been fortunate to inherit a talented squad.
However, the Dutch tactician still made some adjustments to assert his authority. He brought new life to a team that seemed to decline after Klopp's departure.
In addition to changing to a three-man forward line, Slot has made a number of other tactical changes compared to Klopp's time. One player who has benefited from Slot's tactics is Ryan Gravenberch - the midfielder has been in his best form this season.
Initially, Klopp signed Gravenberch as a “number 8”. This required the Dutch midfielder to focus on the attack and not participate much in the defense. However, Slot has transformed Gravenberch into a “number 6” midfielder.
Under Slot, Gravenberch has become more involved in different phases of the game, from defence to attack. The midfielder has been key to Liverpool's success this season, despite being used sparingly by Klopp last campaign.
Slot has been influenced by Klopp and Pep Guardiola, but has also watched Roberto de Zerbi's teams. In Liverpool's games this year, Alisson and Caoimhin Kelleher have often held the ball and passed it to the defenders, allowing the midfielders and forwards to find space up front.
While Klopp opts for a quicker approach to winning the ball back, Slot seems to prefer to play a little slower, comfortable with the ball before pushing into the box and creating chances.
During pre-season, Van Dijk said: "You can see we are focusing more on build-up, more responsibility for the centre-backs with and without the ball."
While Klopp's influence is still felt throughout the team, Slot's subtle changes to tactics have been impressive and, above all, effective. Liverpool currently lead the Premier League in both clean sheets and goals scored.
